Update: OK, I took the risk and opened Mozilla. The images load fine, so it is Internet Exploder! It's been a bit unstable ever since I installed the recent updates and security patches. Microsoft!
Incidentally, when I did that patching and updating, Microsoft informed me that I needed a patch for something called "Direct X." It was a two minute download that needed to be installed by itself, so I left it for last. After it was downloaded, and the install began, another dialog box popped up saying that Microsoft was downloading...Direct X! The estimated time for dowload was 48 minutes. Microsoft had told me I need a security patch for a progam I didn't even have on my computer, and then downloaded the program itself (with the "cancel" box grayed out so I couldn't use it) just so they could have something into which to plug the unnecesary patch! As I said: Microsoft!
Does anybody know if the free version of Opera can be used as an off-line browser? I'm ready to put up with their ad banner, if it gets me out from under Bill's smelly thumb!
Further Update: I was mistaken. IE is not loading images from its cache off-line. It was earlier, but now it seems to have lost most everything but plain text from every web page. The progress bar claims that the program is downloading x nuber of items, but they do not load. That little hourglass icon clings to the cursor like a limpet. I'm back on Mozilla, for the time being. I have no idea what's gotten into IE, and I'd rather not start over with a fresh install of the program, and then go load all those updates and patches one by one. It's looking more and more as though it will soon be Mac time.