RED X instead of graphics

Problem

You open a PowerPoint presentation and find that some or all of your graphics have been replaced with a large red X icon or a blank rectangle with a small red x icon in the upper left corner.

Solution

The red X is PowerPoint's way of telling you "I can't display this graphic". Unfortunately, it doesn't tell you why.

Microsoft has been able to identify and fix some causes of Red-X graphics, but the problem still occurs. You may be able to help solve it once and for all. Microsoft needs:

Presentations that display Red-X instead of graphics
The original graphics files (separate from the PPT file) that show up as Red-Xs in PPT
A detailed list of the steps needed to reproduce the problem, starting with a presentation in which the graphics appear correctly and ending with one in which they appear as Red Xs

For the information and files to be useful, you must be able to reproduce the problem on demand. If you can do this, please let us hear from you on the PowerPoint newsgroup.

How do I join the PowerPoint newsgroup?

If you're got a case of Red-X-itis, here are some things to check:

Don't use CMYK images in PowerPoint. An attendee at the October 2003 PowerPoint Live conference mentioned that they'd researched the problem at their advertising agency and found that when they could locate the original image that went Red-X on them in PowerPoint, it was a CMYK file in most if not all cases.
Check to see whether the image is linked to a file, and if so, whether the file is where it's supposed to be. Links to image files break easily. Earlier versions of PowerPoint used a different icon to indicate that a linked graphic was missing, but current versions use the same Red X for all "can't draw it" image problems.
Turn off Fast Saves. Choose Tools, Options (or Tools, Preferences on the Mac). Click the Save tab. Remove the checkmark next to Allow Fast Saves. Do it NOW. Never turn it on again.
Apply the latest SR (Service Release) patch from Microsoft. MS fixed at least some of the problems that cause Red-X.
Reduce the number of Undos. Evidence collected by one of the MVPs in the PowerPoint newsgroup (thanks, Austin!) suggests that the higher the Undo level (Tools, Options), the more likely you are to run into Red-X and other file corruption problems.
Never save to/open from diskettes or other removable media, and avoid opening from/saving to network drives (especially if you're on a Novell network or using NFS mounted drives). Instead, copy the file to your local hard drive, open it from there. When done working with it, save back to your hard drive and then copy the file back to the network or removable media.
Running a Visual Basic macro that saves a presentation (including some MS-supplied ones like Pack and Go) can cause the Red-X problem. Microsoft has corrected this particular problem in Office Service Release 2 (SR-2).
Lack of resources can cause Red-X problems. Windows uses a fixed pool of GDI resource memory, totally unrelated to the amount of physical RAM and HDD space you have. If this runs out, all manner of odd things can happen. If you suspect this might be the cause of your Red-X problem, restart Windows, then try the problem file again in PowerPoint with no other programs running. Changing your video display settings (resolution, color depth) may also help - in fact, it can't hurt to try all of the suggestions in the general problem-solving FAQ.

There's also Rich Weil's explanation, which seems as likely as any of the others:

I'm pretty sure the problem is Martians that have invaded my laptop, and they are apparently copulating, or whatever it is Martians do, and the red X is their version of our NC-17 movie rating. Essentially they don't want me looking, but clicking on the X and opening and closing the data sheet multiple times makes their ride bumpy and they stop. I am satisfied with this explanation for the moment, but if anyone has any brainier ideas about what's going on, I'd appreciate hearing about it.

The Red-X problem is one of the most intractible ones we've seen in PowerPoint - there's no reliable solution for it, because so far there's been no reliable way to deliberately provoke the problem. Until you can provoke it, you can't figure out what's caused it, and until you know the cause, you can't fix it.

If you know of any reproducible way to provoke Red-X, PLEASE visit the newsgroup and let your fellow PowerPointers in on the secret.
The MVPs will make sure the info gets passed along to the right people at Microsoft. There are thousands of people out there just waiting to be eternally grateful to you. This is worth LOTs of karmic bonus miles, folks.

But in the meanwhile, practice safe computing and keep the Martians annoyed.

And have a giggle here. Hover your mouse over the RedExed graphic.