BleepingComputer.com: Why do I keep losing the check on "show pictures"?

I use both Internet Explorer and Firefox browsers and for the last couple of days I have begun to lose graphic images as I surf from one web page to another. This is not very consistent, and I don't necessarily lose all of the images on a given page. E.g., I have the time gadget up as a clock face on iGoogle on my IE home page. Sometimes it will be gone, although other graphic elements will still be there. Invariably, if I check 'Internet Options" under "Tools", Advanced tab, Multimedia, Show Pictures, it will be unchecked. So I recheck it, hit OK, go back to the page and do a hard refresh, and Voila!, there it is. But soon, I go to a few other pages, and all at once, the same type problem reappears.

Works the same way with Firefox as IE, although I think I'm having a little more trouble right now with Firefox (hasn't always been so). I'm running Windows XP Pro with a DSL line.

Any light that anyone can shed will be much appreciated. I just joined your group.