Unable to display JPG files with Windows Picture & Fax Viewer, IE

[pengo]

Has there been a microsoft (e.g. windows) or office patch released recently that makes a change to viewing HI-RES images and/or jpeg formatted images?

My work has this issue where hires jpeg files can't be displayed by microsoft graphics viewers (e.g. Windows Picture & Fax Viewer or Microsoft Office Picture Manager) or Internet Explorer. You will get a red X.

I had come across a similar problem in the past, and registering a dll via "regsvr32 shimgvw.dll" fix it but not this problem.

So has anyone come across this? I found Irfanview can display the JPEG files no problem and if I resave them in that program the Microsoft programs can then display them.

JPEG files that could previously be displayed can no longer be displayed, so we suspect there has been a microsoft update released thats broken viewing of JPEG files.

If anyone could offer any assistnace that would be great.

Thanks

[heffalump]

What kind of resolution pics? I have XP SP2 with all updates to date - very recent reinstall fresh XP - and picture viewer is working correctly, jpg's and all. I do not have Office updates though (Office 2003)

Red X usually means "file not found" so it might be something is corrupted and a pathing issue?

Try an uninstall and reinstall like this

regsvr32 /u %windir%\system32\shimgvw.dll

then

regsvr32 /i %windir%\system32\shimgvw.dll

[pengo]

thanks dude, i've saved the jpegs to the windows desktop and double clicked on it, and it displays a "No preview available" in windows picture and fax viewer or a red x in IE.

I tried unloading the dll as you suggested and problem persists.

Do you have any further ideas?

[pengo]

problem is due to MS Entourage and it setting the encoding option to appledouble instead of just mime

[whelkman]

Pengo,

Thank you for your diagnosis; you saved us significant work. Information for others who may find this thread:

• The problem is not totally consistent. Picture and Fax viewer works normally on my workstation (with administrative access), but JPEGs sent from our Entourage-using department fail everywhere else tested (with no administrative access). Additionally, it seems some JPEGs work and others fail; I don't have enough data for further diagnosis.
  
• With one particular JPEG, Windows 2000 could not display it in IE6 SP1+patches or Imaging but could with Microsoft Office Picture Manager 2003 with SP3+patches applied. Other JPEGs fail everywhere.
  

I do not have a suitable explanation as to why this has happened. A process that has been in place for years has suddenly broken. My best theory is that either Microsoft has recently changed their JPEG rendering library or Outlook's attachment behavior. On affected computers, the issue is shared between 2000 and XP and shared, at least, between IE6 SP1, IE 7, Firefox 2, Imaging (2000), Picture and Fax Viewer (XP), and Paint. We did not test behavior with IE8, Firefox 3, or Windows Vista. Since I believe several programs in that list have independent JPEG rendering libraries, it would appear to be a new flaw in Outlook's attachment behavior.

Edited April 1, 2008 by whelkman

[whelkman]

As reported elsewhere, the culprit appears to be KB945432, a "security" patch for Office 2003 SP2/SP3. Sources indicate that uninstalling the patch resolves the issue. Alternatively, our organization has thus far met with success by changing Entourage's attachment default to MIME.