# Save as .bmp Why? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 28, 2005, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/save-as-bmp-why/301636 "2005-04-28T23:19:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2005, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/save-as-bmp-why/301636/1 "2005-04-28T23:19:30Z")
I’ve noticed that whenever I wish to save an email attachment or a picture from a website, typically encoded as a .jpg, I’m only allowed the option to save at a bitmap. I can go change the file extension to .jpg after the fact, but is there a setting I’ve missed in my OS which is Win XP Pro, SP2? ---
**Author:** ![nivlac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3bc359/32.png) [@nivlac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nivlac)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2005, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/save-as-bmp-why/301636/2 "2005-04-28T23:27:30Z")
> [@danceswithcats](#): > > I’ve noticed that whenever I wish to save an email attachment or a picture from a website, typically encoded as a .jpg, I’m only allowed the option to save at a bitmap. I can go change the file extension to .jpg after the fact, but is there a setting I’ve missed in my OS which is Win XP Pro, SP2? Try emptying your browser’s (IE?) cache. In IE, go to Tools, Internet Options, Delete Files, etc. This has worked for others. ---
**Author:** ![DougC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@DougC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DougC)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/save-as-bmp-why/301636/3 "2005-04-29T00:56:53Z")
> [@](#): > > …I can go change the file extension to .jpg after the fact, - - - Do note that if the file was indeed saved as a bitmap, just changing the file extension does NOT change the format of the file to jpg. The program you use to open them with might be identifying the real format silently when you attempt to open it, but the difference between a bitmap and a jpeg is more than the file extension. ~ ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/save-as-bmp-why/301636/4 "2005-04-29T01:00:19Z")
You have two options (besides clearing your IE cache): 1. Select Save Picture As … and you should be able to save the image in its native format. 2. Dump IE for Mozzilla or Firefox and you’ll be better off, in more ways than one. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/save-as-bmp-why/301636/5 "2005-04-29T03:40:40Z")
What is the benefit of the bitmap format, anyway? I figure it must be pretty significant to justify the enormous file size. ---
**Author:** ![critter42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ba0ec/32.png) [@critter42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/critter42)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/save-as-bmp-why/301636/6 "2005-04-29T03:42:44Z")
actually, this is a known issue when you can only save an image as .bmp in IE. It usually means there is some ActiveX object that is damaged and needs to be removed. Go to Tools-\>Internet Options. On the general tab, click the Settings button in the Temporary Internet Files section, then click on the “View Objects” button. It will then list the ActiveX objects installed. More than likely you will see one or more objects that are listed as “Damaged” or “Unknown”. Delete those objects (confirm that you’re sure you want to remove them) and restart Internet Explorer (you don’t necessarily have to restart, but I do it because I don’t trust IE as far as I can throw it). There was a microsoft knowledgebase article on this issue, but I can’t find it ATTM - all the articles I can find refer to clearing the cache and disk writing issues. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/save-as-bmp-why/301636/7 "2005-04-29T04:18:13Z")
> [@Patty O'Furniture](#): > > What is the benefit of the bitmap format, anyway? I figure it must be pretty significant to justify the enormous file size. Short answer, a .bmp is a non-lossy image format, and .gifs and .jpgs “fudge” a bit to get the file size down. With (most) .bmps every single pixel is assigned a full RGB value. (ie; "This dot at X0,Y0 has a “red” level of 255, a “blue” level of 255, and a “green” level of 0. " and hey presto, the top left pixel is purple. Repeat for every other pixel in the picture.) Jpegs make the file size smaller by averaging the colour for larger _areas_. “Put a big block of purple here. Put a darker purple next to it.” Gifs make the file size smaller reducing the number of colours, and referring to a colour table. Say it’s a sixteen colour gif. You have an index that says “Colour 1 is 255,255,0… colour 2 is 0,255,255… colour 3 is 148,148,148.” Then you still assign every pixel a colour, but you have less information specified for each pixel. The pixel at 0,0 is “colour 1” Additionally, the data in .jpgs and .gifs are mathematically compressed. (Algorithms are used to express the information with minimal redundancy.) This means that the software has to do a bit more work to “decode” them than simply displaying a bitmap file. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/save-as-bmp-why/301636/8 "2005-04-29T21:36:28Z")
Nothing is marked as damaged or unknown. There is a {}alphanumeric string Active Data Info Class Active Data Object Class Three different Java Runtime Environments, 1.4.2 and 1.5.0 twice LSSupCtl Class Shockwave Active X Control Shockwave Flash Object Thassit. ---
**Author:** ![TastesLikeBurning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@TastesLikeBurning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TastesLikeBurning)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2005, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/save-as-bmp-why/301636/9 "2005-04-30T02:37:26Z")
Have you tried what others have suggested in regards to clearing your IE cache? I get the same problem occasionally and clearing the cache always fixes it. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2005, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/save-as-bmp-why/301636/10 "2005-04-30T03:30:12Z")
I’ve cleared the cache, so until I attempt a save, I won’t know if the fix is successful. Thanks for your assistance.