Fixing the Big Red X

There are times that you may open a Word file, and instead of the graphics you expect to see in your document, you may see a big, red X where the graphic should appear. This problem used to be more prevalent, back in the early days of Word 97, when it was caused by a bug in the original program. The problem was fixed in the service releases for Word 97, but you may still encounter the problem, even in later versions of Word.

If you see the big, red X in your documents, it could be for several different reasons. First, it could be because the document was actually created under the original version of Word 97 and has not been updated since then. If you suspect that the document is old, the solution is to delete the graphic images and reinsert them from the original files. If you do not have the original files available, then you can try double-clicking on the graphic's placeholder (the big, red X). Depending on how the graphic was saved in the document, this could open a graphics program to allow editing of the graphic. If it does, you can select the graphic in the editing program, copy it, close the editing program, and paste the copied graphic into your document.

It is, of course, best to go back to the original graphics whenever possible. You should note that if you don't see the graphic you expected in your document, it could be because the graphic is linked to the original graphic file, and the graphic file has been moved from its original location or deleted. If this is the case, you will need to track down the graphic; double-clicking on it as described above won't work.

If you continue to have problems with displaying your graphics, it could be because of the type of graphics you are using. For instance, it is possible to create graphic files that are quite complex. You can have animated GIF or JPEG files, for instance, or the file could even contain sound. If this is the case, Word cannot display the graphic. Instead, it replaces it with the big, red X. The only way around this is to use different types of graphics, or use a graphic editing program to simplify the graphic.

A very detailed explanation of the problem and potential solutions can be found on the Microsoft Web site at http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;en-us;q162349 (for Word 97) or at http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;244202 (for Word 2000 and Word 2002).