diff --git a/Classes/PHPWord/Media.php b/Classes/PHPWord/Media.php
index 03328184..5fac968b 100755
--- a/Classes/PHPWord/Media.php
+++ b/Classes/PHPWord/Media.php
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ class PHPWord_Media
                     $media['createfunction'] = $memoryImage->getImageCreateFunction();
                     $media['imagefunction'] = $memoryImage->getImageFunction();
                 } else {
-                    $imageType = exif_imagetype($src);
+                    $imageType = PHPWord_Shared_File::imagetype($src);
                     if ($imageType === IMAGETYPE_JPEG) {
                         $extension = 'jpg';
                     } elseif ($imageType === IMAGETYPE_GIF) {
diff --git a/Classes/PHPWord/Section/Image.php b/Classes/PHPWord/Section/Image.php
index fcaa1cc9..b8272e89 100755
--- a/Classes/PHPWord/Section/Image.php
+++ b/Classes/PHPWord/Section/Image.php
@@ -61,7 +61,6 @@ class PHPWord_Section_Image
      */
     private $_isWatermark;
 
-
     /**
      * Create a new Image
      *
@@ -78,7 +77,7 @@ class PHPWord_Section_Image
             throw new InvalidImageException;
         }
 
-        if (!in_array(exif_imagetype($src), $supportedImageTypes)) {
+        if (!in_array(PHPWord_Shared_File::imagetype($src), $supportedImageTypes)) {
             throw new UnsupportedImageTypeException;
         }
 
diff --git a/Classes/PHPWord/Shared/File.php b/Classes/PHPWord/Shared/File.php
index 26a206ba..43b0cad4 100755
--- a/Classes/PHPWord/Shared/File.php
+++ b/Classes/PHPWord/Shared/File.php
@@ -33,12 +33,11 @@ class PHPWord_Shared_File
     /**
      * Verify if a file exists
      *
-     * @param    string $pFilename Filename
+     * @param string $pFilename Filename
      * @return bool
      */
     public static function file_exists($pFilename)
     {
-        // Regular file_exists
         return file_exists($pFilename);
     }
 
@@ -50,18 +49,13 @@ class PHPWord_Shared_File
      */
     public static function realpath($pFilename)
     {
-        // Returnvalue
-        $returnValue = '';
-
-        // Try using realpath()
         $returnValue = realpath($pFilename);
 
-        // Found something?
-        if ($returnValue == '' || is_null($returnValue)) {
+        if (!$returnValue) {
             $pathArray = explode('/', $pFilename);
-            while (in_array('..', $pathArray) && $pathArray[0] != '..') {
+            while (in_array('..', $pathArray) && $pathArray[0] !== '..') {
                 for ($i = 0; $i < count($pathArray); ++$i) {
-                    if ($pathArray[$i] == '..' && $i > 0) {
+                    if ($pathArray[$i] === '..' && $i > 0) {
                         unset($pathArray[$i]);
                         unset($pathArray[$i - 1]);
                         break;
@@ -71,7 +65,36 @@ class PHPWord_Shared_File
             $returnValue = implode('/', $pathArray);
         }
 
-        // Return
         return $returnValue;
     }
-}
+
+    /**
+     * PHP Words version of exif_imagetype to return the Image Type from a file
+     *
+     * @param string $filename
+     * @return int|bool
+     */
+    public static function PHPWord_imagetype($filename)
+    {
+        if ((list($width, $height, $type, $attr) = getimagesize($filename)) !== false) {
+            return $type;
+        }
+        return false;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Return the Image Type from a file
+     *
+     * @param string $filename
+     * @return int|bool
+     */
+    public static function imagetype($filename)
+    {
+        if (function_exists('exif_imagetype')) {
+            return exif_imagetype($filename);
+        } else {
+            return self::PHPWord_imagetype($filename);
+        }
+        return false;
+    }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/Classes/PHPWord/Writer/Word2007.php b/Classes/PHPWord/Writer/Word2007.php
index e62341bf..110ba392 100755
--- a/Classes/PHPWord/Writer/Word2007.php
+++ b/Classes/PHPWord/Writer/Word2007.php
@@ -212,7 +212,7 @@ class PHPWord_Writer_Word2007 implements PHPWord_Writer_IWriter
         if (stripos(strrev($src), strrev('.php')) === 0) {
             $extension = 'php';
         } else {
-            $imageType = exif_imagetype($src);
+            $imageType = PHPWord_Shared_File::imagetype($src);
             if ($imageType === IMAGETYPE_JPEG) {
                 $extension = 'jpg';
             } elseif ($imageType === IMAGETYPE_GIF) {