Cannot View Graphics in a Document

Elizabeth ran into a problem with Word after updating to Word 2003 SP2. For some reason she can no longer see any graphics in her document. She knows they are still there because the text wraps around them, but they are not visible. They do print OK, however.

The first thing to check is to make sure that picture placeholders has not somehow been turned on. You do this by following these steps:

1. Choose Options from the Tools menu. Word displays the Options dialog box.
2. Make sure the View tab is displayed. (Click here to see a related figure.)
3. Clear the Picture Placeholders check box.
4. Click OK.

If the check box was selected, then Word doesn't display graphics. Clear the check box, and they reappear, as you would expect. The problem could also have to do with how you are pasting images in your document and the viewing mode you are using. Basically, if you pare pasting images as anything other than "inline" and you are using Normal or Outline viewing modes, you won't be able to see the pictures. Microsoft discusses this problem in their Knowledge Base:

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=285957

If this doesn't fix the problem, then it could be related to problems with a device driver or conflicts between your device drivers. Chances are good it is not a problem with the printer driver (you can print the graphics without problem), so it is probably a video card driver. You'll want to determine what type of video card you have and then visit the Web site of the manufacturer to procure the latest download.