can not open files

[dr. j]

g'day mates...here's me problem. somehow or another
whenever i try to open a file from the web, i get a
message that says, "this is not a valid bitmap file, or
its format is not currently supported." when i switch the
files and try to open them with internet explorer, it
will not open at all.
as you can tell, i'm a bit jiggy with the workins of a
computer. i don't know what i did, nor do i know what to
do. is there anyone out there who can help me, ay?