The problem is where right-clicking on an image brings up the option in Internet Explorer to (only) save that image as a Bitmap file, aka .bmp.

The symptoms are rather obvious: Internet Explorer, even with all of the most recent updates, may sometimes refuse to let you save images in any format other than Bitmap. The problem is caused when a “damaged” or “unknown” program is sitting in your “%systemroot%\Downloaded Program Files” folder (usually C:\WINDOWS\Downloaded Program Files).

The fix is simple. First, empty your Temporary Internet Files to clear the cache (In IE, go to Tools: Internet Options, and chose “Delete Files” in the “Temporary Internet Files” section of the first tab). This can take several minutes to complete if you have allocated a lot of space. Next, browse to your ‘Downloaded Program Files’ folder, and delete any program that is listed as either “unknown” or “damaged.” That should do it. Some users have found that other applications downloaded into that folder can cause the problem. If the above fix does not work, you may need to start removing those applications one by one to find the offender. Once the offending program is deleted, you should be able to save as the appropriate image type again.