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General discussion

I can't get a "preview" with images

Feb 13, 2006 11:32AM PST

I have a fairly new e-machine PC and can't bring up a preview image when in the filmstrip mode. E-machine said I had to reload Windows XP, which means backing up EVERYTHING amd reloading ALL SOFTWARE PROGRAMS! But I already have a whole bucket of things on my computer: software programs, images galore, docs, etc. There HAS to be another way. Ideas?

Discussion is locked

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Is there an...
Feb 13, 2006 11:56AM PST

error message? Is the picture blank or black? Is that on all image types (gif, jpg, png, etc)? Does thumbnail preview work... not the film strip one, but the actual thumbnails?

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to answer your questions...
Feb 13, 2006 11:29PM PST

The area where the preview should be while in filmstrip mode is blank with the words "no preview available". Just a big area with nothing in it and the filmstrip below. It doesn't matter if the image is in jpg, gif or even nef, it won't show a thing! And thumbnails doesn't have an area for previews. I have a hard time buying the idea that I have to back up everything, wipe the slate clean, reload ALL software, then reload ALL data, etc. just because I don't have preview with filmstrip. I sure do hope that you have an idea. Thank you in advance for all of your help.

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I don't know how to solve your problem, but I think you are
Feb 14, 2006 6:27AM PST

right to question reloading Windows. It seems that when tech support can't fix a problem, or wants to get you off the phone, they tell you to uninstall and reload. In my experience, that rarely helps.

If Windows says "no preview available", that sounds like it can't read the file for some reason. Have you tried deleting the thumbs.db from the directory? That would force Windows to rebuild it. What is writing these files to your hard drive?

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what is thumbs.db and
Feb 15, 2006 11:23AM PST

where can I find it in the directory? I'll try anything!

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When you double click...
Feb 14, 2006 7:48AM PST

the pictures, can you then see the pictures in full... or does it still say that?

Anyway, I've been looking online and found some sites you might want to read through to determine if you did any of the things mentioned on those sites...

http://www.infopackets.com/channels/en/windows/gazette/2003/20030213_windows_thumbnails_wont_appear_part_2.htm

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=292499

If your problem should be still not resolved, and the information was not helpful, come back and we'll keep on working until it's fixed, because you are right, you shouldn't have to re-install windows... and you won't have to!

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Double clicking will open the image in whatever application
Feb 14, 2006 10:15AM PST

is linked to the file type. An image editor for example. However, a single left click sometimes tells Windows to work on a particular picture.

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yeah, but...
Feb 15, 2006 11:24AM PST

double clicking brings it into the entire page. I just wanna preview it quickly. Ideas?

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Did you look at...
Feb 16, 2006 7:37AM PST

the links in my previous post? Were they no help?

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What is filmstrip mode?
Feb 15, 2006 4:30PM PST

I am not familiar with it?
What does the poster want to do with it?
Kiddpeat, I am Macintosh and also PC, yet filmstrip is a new one for me and to preview that app. How about reinstalling that app? Sounds like a conflict with his app. Not Windows.
If I ever had a real problem with an application, i would reinstall it. Not the OS.
Last Saturday, I was running Adobe Illustrator at work and went to the filters. I did not have any filters available. Why is that?
Reinstalled the app and everything is OK now.
I am not sure of how Filmstrip works, but how about trashing the preferences first. Restart the computer and the preferences would be rebuilt for Filmstrip.
May work to view preview again.
Preferences sometimes will get corrupted.
Mac or PC? Who cares. Just fix it with new preferences or reinstall the app again. Should do it.

Kiddpeat, have you ever run into a problem like this before?
Hardly anything works or you have the app quit or crash repeatedly?
I have found that trashing the prefs and rebooting will work most of the time. Reinstalling is the second step. NEVER the OS. Has nothing to do with the OS.
Mac or PC?same fix-it solutions. What are your thoughts here?

-Kevin

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Filmstrip mode is an option in Windows Explorer that, within
Feb 16, 2006 8:28AM PST

an image directory, will display the files as thumbnails in a single row at the bottom of the screen and a currently selected thumbnail as a much larger image on the rest of the screen. All the files will usually not fit, so 'panning' must be done to bring other thumbnails into view.

The directory (or folder) must have a particular property before film strip will be available for selection as a viewing option.

There is also a small database called Thumbs.db which stores the thumbnail images. I'm wondering if this database is corrupted. You normally do not see Thumbs, but, if you reset the folder property so that hidden files are seen, you will see it.

A quick test would be to set up a new subdirectory, and copy some image files to it. Then view it in explorer in either thumbnail or filmstrip mode. If you can see the images, then you know the problem is a corrupted thumbs file. If you still can't see it, then whatever Windows uses to view common picture formats like jpg and tif has been impaired. It may indeed be necessary to reinstall Windows to get this function back if it is damaged.

However, the person is getting a no preview available message. This probably means that Windows can't read the file as a known image file type. We do need to know, after a thumbs problem is eliminated, what type of files these are, and what is creating them. For example, Windows cannot display a Photoshop PDS file. It doesn't know how to read it. Also, the file may be damaged which would prevent Windows from reading and displaying it.

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Filmstip mode
Feb 16, 2006 3:25PM PST

Nice help from you kiddpeat.
Now all I have to do is to interpret what you have just told me.
Wow, am I ever lost. Kind of shows you where I have been for the last four years. Into Mac only.
I really have to take a refresher course with Windows. I have Windows 95 to run games. Not really into Windows, yet I am willing to learn.
Probably have to join a State University and learn from scratch.
I am still learning all the ins and outs about the Mac Tiger OSX presently. So much to learn and to be able to use that info.

So much available with OSX and Windows XP. Kind of mind boggling to learn all!

I hope your info will be of help to the original poster. Sounds accurate and logical to me. How come you are you so smart? Ah-ha, college!
Keep the good info coming. :