What Can Hang Up a JPEG?

What looks like a file error might signal a larger problem.

If you're trying to open or save a JPEG file in an image-editing application but your system hangs each time, your problem can stem from your file, your software or your computer. You can narrow down the cause of your difficulty by examining each potential source individually. It's easier to start by looking for a problem with an existing file than with an entire application or your computer as a whole. However, be careful not to base your troubleshooting on an assumption that prevents you from discovering the real issue.

JPEG Corruption

• File-opening failures can reflect corruption in your JPEG, your application preferences, the application itself or your operating system. If you can open the same JPEG file successfully in another application on your own or someone else's computer, that's the easiest and quickest way to rule out your JPEG file itself as the source of the problem. On the other hand, if the file won't open for anyone who tries, or it opens but parts of the image appear distorted or missing, that's a sign of file corruption. Replace your corrupt file with a backup copy or create a new JPEG from an uncompressed source image.

Wrong Image Format

• The JPEG file format both requires and precludes various file attributes. For example, if you create an image file in bilevel format, in which every pixel is either black or white, you can't save your file as a JPEG because the format won't accept bilevel data. These mismatches between your image type and your intended file format shouldn't cause your software to hang, but you should rule out your file data as the source of your inability to save your document.

Application Preferences

• Your JPEG problem may signal corrupt application preferences, which can cause myriad forms of software instability. Move, rename or delete the program's preferences files and start up your software again, which creates a new set of preferences in the process. With fresh preferences controlling your software, try opening or saving JPEG files. You can rule out or identify this form of corruption as the source of your trouble if your trouble vanishes with your preference files.

Application Corruption

• If new preferences and fresh copies of otherwise troublesome files don't resolve your JPEG problems, you may be forced to uninstall and reinstall your image-editing application. Make sure you follow the software manufacturer's recommendations for how to remove all traces of the program. If you're using an application such as Adobe Photoshop, which employs software activation as a means of authenticating genuinely licensed product installations, deactivate or deauthorize your program before you uninstall it.

System Problems

• As you cross off the smaller, easier-to-solve problems from your list of culprits, you're left with broader and more sinister prospects to investigate. Dig out the diagnostics software provided with your computer or operating system, or a third-party troubleshooting product you've purchased, and test your system thoroughly. If your computer falls under the tech-support supervision of a corporate IT department, be ready to give the help desk representative a clear, thorough description of your problem and the steps you've taken to investigate it.