IE6.0 has placeholders for graphics

My IE6.0 browser substitutes a graphic "X" where some graphics are located on web pages. Also, I do not see the Msicrosoft "toolbar" under the address toolbar. When I go to the MS website and attempt to load Active X, I just keep getting routed to the same pages by their system with no results.
Please tell me how to either reload IE6 completely without having to reinstall Win XP Home or load the missing Active X component which I think is at the root of this issue.

Thank you for your help!

Balthior

 

Thanks for the response, PeteC.
I'll give this a try and let you know how things went ASAP.
I appreciate your help!

 

Balthior--As you have seen from one of the links PeteC provided there has been much discussion on this and there also are many potential solutions.
It is a bigger problem when this occurs only on "some" sites and "some" graphics.
If Miz' solution does not help, then:
Some of the simplest solutions
1) Click Refresh
2) Right click on the RedX|Properties. In the Address line, see what the source of the graphic is. Perhaps it is an Advertisement from an ad site, which you have blocked with a HOSTS file or by putting into Restricted Sites. (Maybe you no longer care to see the graphic?)
3) Put the page into your Trusted Sites, assuming you do trust it. (This, among other things, allows ActiveX controls to run.)
But if these ideas do not work, then (for starters)
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=283807
http://inetexplorer.mvps.org/answers/51.html
http://www.fjsmjs.com/IE/redx.htm

 

PeteC's reponse did not solve this issue for me. Going to the MS site using his link as he suggested resulted in a strange loop that continually redirected me back to the first page on the site?!

Next I'll try the suggestions that Welshjim has provided and report back when those are completed.

Also, I have noticed that the graphic placeholder is NOT a red X but is instead a box with a small square, circle and triangle in it. When I right click on the placeholder, all I get is a menu and nothing appears in the address line. Go figure?

Thank you for your assistance and support!

 

I have tried everything put forth so far: edited registry, checked IE6 settings and put them to default, gone to MS web page and followed their instructions etc. System Restore does NOT appear on my Start>All Programs>Acessories menu at all! ActiveX also does not appear under the address line either. Sounds like WinXP is hosed to me.
I think that I probably will have to resort to reinstalling Win XP after all. Any help or suggestions that you may have would be greatly apprciated!

Thank you.

 

Balthior--

When you right clicked on the box|Properties, what did the Address line show? Was it a .swf file?
You may need to have Macromedia Flash installed and allow ActiveX controls to run.
Or perhaps see if this helps
"A Placeholder is used to represent a missing picture and in the case of a web page it either means the picture hasn’t been uploaded by the publisher or the facility to display images has been switched off on your browser. In Internet Explorer the picture "˜switch’ is on Tools > Internet Options, select the Advanced tab, scroll down the list to Multimedia and make sure that "˜Show image download placeholders’ is unchecked and "˜Show Pictures’ is checked. The circle-square-triangle placeholder icon is used by Mozilla Firefox, to switch picture display back on go to Tools > Options, click the Web Features icon and make sure "˜Load Images’ is checked. "
That was suggested on
http://www.rickmaybury.com/fffpages/fff05/491.html
It also appears in IE.
More ideas here
http://www.google.com/search?source...:en&q=square,+circle+and+triangle+placeholder

You have to go to Start>All Programs>Acessories>System Tools
But if you still cannot find System Restore
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;304449

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;304449

 

When you right clicked on the box|Properties, what did the Address line show? Was it a .swf file?
The address line is just the URL for the page; no .swf file

A Placeholder is used to represent a missing picture and in the case of a web page it either means the picture hasn’t been uploaded by the publisher or the facility to display images has been switched off on your browser. In Internet Explorer the picture "˜switch’ is on Tools > Internet Options, select the Advanced tab, scroll down the list to Multimedia and make sure that "˜Show image download placeholders’ is unchecked and "˜Show Pictures’ is checked.
I checked this and the settings are as you suggested.

The circle-square-triangle placeholder icon is used by Mozilla Firefox, to switch picture display back on go to Tools > Options, click the Web Features icon and make sure "˜Load Images’ is checked. "
This problem does NOT appear when I use Mozilla Firefox; all images show correctly.

You have to go to Start>All Programs>Acessories>System Tools
System Restore is NOT available on my system under this menu series.

Further suggestions are encouraged!

Thank you

 

Bathior--Sorry no progess yet.
But what is the address shown when you right click|Properties on the place holder?
Did you try the suggestion to get to System Restore from a command prompt?
The placeholder image you describe is not unique to FireFox. I used to see it quite often in IE (though not much lately). I seem to remember it was related to not having Flash Player installed.