# Seeing AOL email embedded images... **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 2, 2000, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeing-aol-email-embedded-images/18337 "2000-05-02T05:26:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Louie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c68b51/32.png) [@Louie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Louie)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2000, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeing-aol-email-embedded-images/18337/1 "2000-05-02T05:26:51Z")
Okay here’s the problem… In AOL, there’s a feature in email called embedding images. You just click on the image you want to put in the email and ta-da! the image is right there. Simple and easy. Now the problem. Everytime I get an email from one of my buddies from AOL that has pictures in it, I see this message all the time : \*\* [Unable to display image] \*\* I don’t have AOL anymore, and I’m sick and tired of seeing this message in the email. I use Outlook Express 5.0 Is there any way to get to see these images in AOL email without teaching those AOL morons how to send an attachment? ---
**Author:** ![vandal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/858c86/32.png) [@vandal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vandal)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2000, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeing-aol-email-embedded-images/18337/2 "2000-05-02T05:54:57Z")
the embedded images will only appear in aol 4.0 or higher. and they will only appear in aol – that is, any other email suite will not display the image, such as outlook express 5. ---
**Author:** ![GaWd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f08c70/32.png) [@GaWd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaWd)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2000, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeing-aol-email-embedded-images/18337/3 "2000-05-02T06:21:18Z")
Sorry brother, .ART images are only for AOL. It is a proprietary file extension. ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2000, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeing-aol-email-embedded-images/18337/4 "2000-05-02T07:07:00Z")
Another brick in the wall of my theory that AOL is evil. ---
**Author:** ![Louie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c68b51/32.png) [@Louie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Louie)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2000, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeing-aol-email-embedded-images/18337/5 "2000-05-03T05:39:15Z")
> [@](#): > > the embedded images will only appear in aol 4.0 or higher. and they will only appear in aol – that is, any other email suite will not display the image, such as outlook express 5. Didn’t I just say that in the OP? 😛 So there’s no plug in or anything like that to get to see the images instead of getting the error message? ---
**Author:** ![GaWd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f08c70/32.png) [@GaWd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaWd)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2000, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeing-aol-email-embedded-images/18337/6 "2000-05-03T06:30:43Z")
Louie, Do you actually read the responses to your OP? Or are they hard to understand or something? .ART images are AOl’s _ **PROPRIETARY** _ File format. (READ: proprietary means they, and they alone OWN it). Microsoft who is mortal enemies of the Nutscrape/AOL team isn’t going to build some stupid little plug-in so you can read your friend’s mail. Why don’t you ask him to send his mail with attachment instead of trying to use AOL-only features for people outside of AOL? ---
**Author:** ![vandal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/858c86/32.png) [@vandal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vandal)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2000, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeing-aol-email-embedded-images/18337/7 "2000-05-03T06:34:34Z")
[quote] **So there’s no plug in or anything like that to get to see the images instead of getting the error message?** [quote] no louie, there is no plug in. if you want to see the embedded images, you must either use aol 4 or aol 5. ---
**Author:** ![Louie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c68b51/32.png) [@Louie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Louie)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2000, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeing-aol-email-embedded-images/18337/8 "2000-05-03T07:40:57Z")
Well, color me stupid, there’s isn’t a plug in. Sorry about that GaWd. > [@](#): > > .ART images are AOl’s _ **PROPRIETARY** _ File format. (READ: proprietary means they, and they alone OWN it). > > Microsoft who is mortal enemies of the Nutscrape/AOL team isn’t going to build some stupid little plug-in so you can read your friend’s mail. Actually, Microsoft did make “some stupid little plug-in” to view the .ART images for their browser. Go to [http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com](http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com) and check for yourself. What I was wondering if there was a plug in like the .art viewer plug-in of the browser that can be used on OE. And it looks like there was none. Sorry for wasting your precious time. > [@](#): > > Why don’t you ask him to send his mail with attachment instead of trying to use AOL-only features for people outside of AOL? Because everytime I tell them to do that, they always say “Attach? How do you do that?” and I have to waste 10 minutes teaching each of my buddies how to attach a file. Then they get all frustrated with me and never bother to send it anyways. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2000, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeing-aol-email-embedded-images/18337/9 "2000-05-03T23:41:06Z")
Louie, try the AOL newsgroups, there are plenty & there are people like you there: Here is one letter: I’m non AOL user, cable modem subscriber with what seems to be an odd problem. People who are AOL users frequently attempt to send pics, usually in .jpeg format to my home address, but I get a message saying, “Unable to display image.” At other times though the images comes through just fine. I’ve even been able to receive AOL’s .art format at times. My email client is Outlook Express. This only happens with AOL users. If anyone can shed light on this problem please reply to [sophor@yahoo.com](mailto:sophor@yahoo.com). Thanks.