Problem:  When I use Microsoft Internet Explorer to access my Hotmail
account, and download photographs (in jpg format) emailed to me, I?m
then unable to open/view these photographs ? I get an error message
that says, ?Can?t read file header! Unknown file format!?

This is a new problem ? I?ve been downloading photos for years this
way with no problem until recently.  And I don?t have the problem if I
access my Hotmail account using Mozilla Firefox instead of Microsoft
Internet Explorer.

I?m able to see these photos embedded in the body of the email when
accessing my Hotmail account via Explorer; I download the photos by
placing the cursor somewhere in the photo, right-clicking the mouse,
selecting ?save photo as? in the pop-up window, and then selecting
?jpg? where it says ?save as type? and gives one the option of saving
the file as either a jpg or a bmp (bitmap) file.  But then I get the
above error message when I try to open these downloaded jpg files. 
If, in the last step, I select to have the photograph downloaded as a
bmp file, I?m able to open and see the photograph, but the bmp format
is much less desirable for my purposes.

My question:  What do I need to do so that when I access my Hotmail
account using Explorer, and download emailed photographs in jpg format
as described above, I?ll then be able to open and view these
phtographs?

An acceptable answer:  A solution that works!  Downloading the file as
a bmp file, and then converting it to a jpg file (something I know how
to do), is not an acceptable solution ? the solution should allow me
to download and view the files as easily and as quickly as before.

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Request for Question Clarification by denco-ga on 10 May 2005 19:44 PDT

Appreciate your patience with this diagnostic process, curiousndc-ga.

Please try the following three steps and see if it clears up your problem.

Within Internet Explorer (IE) go to "Tools, then "Internet Options."
- click on "Delete Cookies," then OK
- click on "Delete Files," then OK
- click on "Settings," then set "Amount of disk space to use" to 90, then OK.

Exit "Internet Options" by clicking on OK one more time, then exit IE.

Go back into IE and go to your Hotmail account and try to save an image that
has failed in the past, in .JPG format.  Thanks!

Looking Forward, denco-ga - Google Answers Researcher

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Clarification of Question by curiousndc-ga on 10 May 2005 20:36 PDT

Thanks, denco.  But unfortunately it didn't work -- I printed out the
steps you suggested, followed them very carefully, but the downloaded
jpg files still won't open for me.  I even tried rebooting after
following these steps, but no go.

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Request for Question Clarification by denco-ga on 11 May 2005 10:09 PDT

Sorry that my suggested steps did not clear your problem, curiousndc-ga.

To follow fp-ga's comment, you might want to get Windows XP Service Pack 2
(SP2) which you can order at no cost from Microsoft at this web page.
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/updates/sp2/cdorder/en_us/default.mspx

Looking Forward, denco-ga - Google Answers Researcher

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Clarification of Question by curiousndc-ga on 11 May 2005 14:25 PDT

Thanks again.  I'm using Windows 98 2nd Edition, and understand that
Windows XP is not recommended for the size PC I have (Pentium II
266MHz).

Some months ago I couldn't open or save attachments sent to my hotmail
account (I had to forward these e-mails to one of my other accounts in
order to access the attachments).
This problem disappeared after having completed the installation of
Service Pack 2. I now believe that the problem was caused by some
preliminary updates.

Curiousndc-ga, can you currently open non-photographic attachments?

Thanks, fp.  Like you, I can also download and open these jpg
attachments if I forward them from my hotmail account to a non-hotmail
account.

The Service Pack 2 you installed, was this for Windows XP?  

And I just checked, and yes, I can open non-photographic file
attachments I download from hotmail.

Does it help right-clicking the mouse when the cursor is placed on the
name of the attachment, i.e. the cursor not being somewhere in the
photo?

Yes, Service Pack 2 was for Windows XP.

No, doesn't work to click on the name of the attachment -- that saves
(in htm format) other text and graphics from the email window.  But
thanks for the suggestion, the process of trying different things out
will eventually produce the solution!