# Help my grandfather see images!!! **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 23, 2003, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-my-grandfather-see-images/220749 "2003-12-23T23:32:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Alias](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a88e4f/32.png) [@Alias](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alias)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2003, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-my-grandfather-see-images/220749/1 "2003-12-23T23:32:54Z")
. . . on his computer, that is. My grandfather recently went out to Minnesota to go to the Mayo clinic for some health problems. Before he left, he bought a Hewlett Packard laptop computer and signed up with AOL so that he could stay in touch with his family while he is gone. The other day, I sent him some pictures, and I got this reply: > [@](#): > > cant get pictures. Under documents I get a square with a small picture and a title blue hills or water lillies or clear day or sunset , click on any and you get a 3" squar colored blue. There is also a couple of the same small squar icons with ds00083 or dsooo84 instead of pictures click on thise and location:\D\ Comes up click on that and you get desktop. Click on My Pictures & get Sample Pictures, click on this & get no file. Can you tell me what that means? I understand that he can’t view his pictures, but does anyone understand what’s wrong? Is it the HP laptop? Is it AOL? I can’t help him properly unless the computer is in front of me, but perhaps one of you can help me by telling him how to fix the problem. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Kaotic\_Newtral](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/71e660/32.png) [@Kaotic\_Newtral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaotic_Newtral)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2003, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-my-grandfather-see-images/220749/2 "2003-12-24T01:16:01Z")
Alias, ``` While I don't fully understand his dilemma, I'm guessing two things: He's either in the wrong directory...or he doesn't have the right software to view the images you've sent him. There's a great program that I use to view images and it's extremely easy to use(and it's free!). Have him go to http://www.irfanview.com ``` and download the freeware viewer that they offer. It has no problem with almost any kind of picture format that is made…it’s also a pretty nifty movie viewer. -KN ---
**Author:** ![Kaotic\_Newtral](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/71e660/32.png) [@Kaotic\_Newtral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaotic_Newtral)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2003, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-my-grandfather-see-images/220749/3 "2003-12-24T01:23:22Z")
Alias, ``` Sorry to answer twice but something just dawned on me. I'd bet that your grandfather is going to Start->Documents->My Pictures. It has sample pictures on certain versions of Windows that seem to match the icons he's seeing. I'd re-guess(is that a word?) ;) that he's in the wrong directory. ``` -KN ---
**Author:** ![Alias](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a88e4f/32.png) [@Alias](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alias)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2003, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-my-grandfather-see-images/220749/4 "2003-12-24T02:01:03Z")
That sounds like him. He’s in his seventies, and has never used a computer until recently. Does AOL have some kind of weirdness with attachments or something? I don’t use it, so I have no idea.