Hi Folks,

Q:
All I'm ever able to see is that red X. It's in my e-mail, in my Web browser, it's everywhere. Why can't I see any pictures? Please help me!

A:
Alright, now I know we've run this tip before, but in the last couple of weeks, I have been getting an umpteen amount of e-mails and phone calls about this very thing. And after thinking about it for awhile, I've come to the realization that a lot of you are still having trouble with the dreaded red X. So, I knew it would be best if I put this tip in the newsletter again. Here you go!

One of the main areas that people see the red X is in their e-mail. If you use Outlook Express and are having trouble seeing pictures in your e-mails, open it up and go to Tools, Options and choose the Security tab. Make sure the "Block images and other external content in HTML e-mail" box is unchecked. Now, if you are sending an e-mail and people have been complaining to you about the pictures not showing up, try this: open up OE and go to Tools, Options, Send tab. Under the "Mail Sending Format," make sure HTML is selected and then click on the HTML Settings button. In there, make sure the "Send pictures with messages" box is checked. That should solve your e-mail issues.

Now, if you are having trouble seeing images in Internet Explorer, go to Tools, Internet Options and click on the Advanced tab. Look for the Multimedia section and make sure the box that says "Show Pictures" is checked. For Firefox, go to Tools, Options and click on the Content icon. Make sure the "Load images automatically" box is checked as well.

Another cause may be that your browser security settings are set too high, which prevents you from accessing the Web site that handles the images. To fix this In IE, go to Tools, Internet Options, choose the Security tab and click on the Default Level button. Make sure your settings are somewhere around the medium level.

Another cause could be your antivirus or firewall settings. Look for a setting that says "Disable Web bugs" and make sure it is turned off. This should allow all the images to pass through so you can see them clearly.

There are also a couple of other more simple reasons why your images may be blocked. One is that you're looking at a Web site that is busy or temporarily shut down or offline. A Web host could also be working on certain things on the site, causing the images to be down. If everything else we've discussed above is set correctly and you're still not seeing the images, this might just be your problem. Just try the site again later. That's all you can really do. Also, when you're trying to view images on a Web site or in your e-mail, make sure you are actually connected to the Internet, because they will not show up if you're not online.

If you're still having trouble with the red X even after all of that, here's one more thing you can try. Read here for all the details. So, if you've been having trouble with the red X, hopefully one of these solutions will help you in fixing this awful predicament once and for all. Good luck!

~ Erin

Q:
I read your article last week about the Safari Web browser now being available for Windows. I looked a little more into it and I like what Safari does, but I really don't want to stop using Firefox. Is there any way I can get some of Safari's features in Firefox? Please let me know!

A:
That's an excellent question! And to be honest, at first, I said no way. I thought each browser was made strictly for itself and that was it. I mean, each browser has its own advantages and disadvantages, but I never thought there would be a way to actually share some of those features with other browsers. Well, after searching around on our message board for awhile, I found out that I was wrong. Yes, I know, it came as a shock to me too. (Oh, come on, you know I'm only kidding!)

So, I'm happy to report that if you use Firefox as your main Web browser and you don't want to get rid of it, but you're also interested in what Safari can do, you can have the best of both worlds! Now, I understand that some of you may still be a little skeptical about this. You're probably thinking that Safari can't be that good and there's no reason to even mess with it. Well, that may be true, but I promise you, there are a few Safari features you may be interested in checking out.

The one most touted by Apple is its speed. It's said that Safari beats out both Internet Explorer and Firefox in the speed category. Safari is able to render Web sites much quicker and without error. Along with that, there are a few other features that Safari offers that IE and Firefox don't even come close to. I'm going to explain those to you right now. And just so we're clear, these are three of Safari's features that you can get for your Firefox browser as well. Alright, let's get started!

1.) Safari's Loading Address Bar - You can get this feature in Firefox with an application called Fission. It works to display the progress bar (the bar that shows you how fast a Web site is loading) as a solid color, just like Safari does. You can also trade in an image to show the progress if you want. You can even change the location of the bar if you don't like where it's positioned at any one time. You can get Fission for yourself by clicking here. Just click on the Install Now button to begin the process.

2.) Safari's Resizeable Text Fields - If you do a lot of typing in Firefox, you probably use text boxes, right? Well, have those ever ended up being just a little too small for you? If so, you can now resize them with the Resizeable Form Fields extension. With it, you can resize text areas, single text fields, select boxes and even certain frames. This one is too cool to pass up if you're an avid typer. Get it here!

3.) Safari's SnapBack - With SnapBack, you are able to return to your page of origin with just one click. So, basically, if you're on a Web site and you click through a bunch of different pages in a short time, you can then use the SnapBack feature to return to the very first page you started on. That way, you don't have to retrace your steps a million times just to get where you want to go. In Firefox, you can do the very same thing with the How'd I Get Here? extension. With that, you can do the quick click thing with not only pages, but also with tabs, which is a pretty cool bonus. If you're interested, just click here to install it.

Well, there you have it. Three of the most popular Safari features brought right to your Firefox browser. It's the perfect solution for getting what you want from Safari, while staying with the comforts you know and love from Firefox. You gotta love it!

~ Erin

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