Blank Pictures, Red X in Outlook Express SP2, Non SP2?

Infopackets Reader Lee C. writes:

" Ever since I installed XP Service Pack 2 on my system, all I get is blank boxes where pictures used to be in emails, every time I launch Outlook Express. Do you know why this is happening? I installed Service Pack 2 onto a clean system. Please help! "

My Response:

This is another frequently asked question.

With Windows XP Service Pack 2, a new security measure has been put into place that -- by default -- will now block pictures that are embedded into emails. The reason for this is because some spammers use picture files as 'web beacons' to verify that your email address is valid. To get around this temporarily, you can press ALT + SHIFT + H on your keyboard to view the message in HTML, or you can click Tools -> Options -> Security -> and un-checkmark the "Block Images and other external content in HTML e-mail" option in Outlook Express.

RE: The Red X in Outlook Express -- even without SP2 or Windows XP

Every time I mention the dreaded 'Red X' in an article, a slew of Readers will email me with similar questions pertaining to the Red X / missing pictures in Outlook Express and Internet Explorer. At this time, I would ask that if you have a similar question, please refer to the below article for an exhaustive list of possibilities pertaining to the Red X using the article reference below. Thanks!

Red X sometimes appears in Outlook Express and Internet Explorer?