Word 2007 cannot see graphics/screen captures in Draft view

[KenM]

After converting to 2007 I no longer see graphics in Draft view; I see them
in Print Layout, Full Screen Reading and Web Layout but not in Draft. I've
checked all settings to match my settings from Word 2003:
(1) Show Drawings and Text Boxes on Screen is on.
(2) Show Picture Placeholders is off.
(3) In Line with Text is on.
If I save the 2007 document in .doc format I see my graphics again but can't
see them in .docx saved format --- what's wrong? Please help.

 

[runtime]

This is one of the many new wonderful "features" of Word 2007. You cannot see
your images in Draft View (previously Normal View). Why you cannot even see a
placeholder (an outline, a shaded area, something!!) is beyond me. It is now
almost impossible to work with images in Normal - sorry, draft view, anymore

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

You're not meant to deal with graphics in Draft view. It's strictly for
typing text.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org

 

[Bob Zwicker]

First, I want to compliment egghead cafe in its honesty on this technical point. Other forums stated that it is possible to view pictures (pasted inline with text) while in draft view using Word 2007, but for docx files I was unable to view them in spite of following all of the standard instructions. I am able to view them in draft view only if the file is in Word 2003 format.

Doesn't Microsoft realize that this is a painful loss of functionality? Why remove functionality that was previously available?

I agree with the implied sentiment of the person to whom you replied.

When I am working I want to get the most from my monitor display area. This was provided in Word 2003 by Normal View. Print layout view wastes my display area showing blank edges; this is useless to me most of the time. Often I use Word to document my own test data which includes pictures from my oscilloscope. I may never print the file, and thus I may never care about the appearance of the printed page. Margins and "printed page" are irrelevant. I just want to get the clearest view of my work including pictures, and what used to be Normal view is the best way to see that.

I view the Office 2007 ribbon similarly. Inability to customize it wastes display space by taking a lot of junk which I never use and placing it "front and center". I heard that Microsoft corrected this error in Office 2010 but I do not get to use that yet.

IMHO "draft view" inability to display pictures is a way in which Word 2007 is inferior to Word 2003. Why make new products worse than the ones they replace?