Number 250 - March 2004

Ask The Help Desk What Are Those Empty Boxes With Red X's?
Question:    Why do I sometimes receive e-mail messages that contain empty boxes with red "x's" within the message pane rather than pictures? My friends say the same thing happens to them. Answer:    Graphics and photos contained within an e-mail message are often times not really "stored" within the e-mail message itself but rather on a remote Web server (computer). If the message you receive is in an HTML format (supposed to have graphics or photos as part of the message) and a little box with a red "x" shows up instead of the image, there has probably been a broken connection somewhere between the image link within the e-mail message and the remote Web server where the image is actually stored.    Causes for a broken path between a graphic and a Web server can be as simple as a typo by the person who keyed in the web address of the image's server. When this occurs, the request for the image goes to a server location where no image exists. It is similar to looking for a	business at 123 North Main Street when the correct address is 123 South Main Street. The result is the appearance of a little box with a red "x" within the message pane indicating an error message has occurred.    Another possible cause for a broken connection could be due to a power outage somewhere between your computer and the location of the image's Web server. Additionally, if you are in the habit of downloading your e-mail messages and then closing your Internet connection to review your messages, the same problem will occur. If images within any of your incoming e-mail messages are stored at a remote server location, your computer will not be able to access them as you are no longer connected to the Internet. Again, a little box with a red "x" will indicate an error.    Note: Different e-mail clients and Web browsers use different symbols for a broken graphic link. For instance, Apple's Safari Web browser uses a blue box with a question mark symbol.
Number 250 - March 2004