function db_query($db_string, $file, $line)
{
	global $db_cache, $db_count, $db_connection, $db_show_debug, $modSettings;
 
	// One more query....
	$db_count = !isset($db_count) ? 1 : $db_count + 1;
 
	// Debugging.
	if (isset($db_show_debug) && $db_show_debug === true)
	{
		// Initialize $db_cache if not already initialized.
		if (!isset($db_cache))
			$db_cache = array();
 
		if (!empty($_SESSION['debug_redirect']))
		{
			$db_cache = array_merge($_SESSION['debug_redirect'], $db_cache);
			$db_count = count($db_cache) + 1;
			$_SESSION['debug_redirect'] = array();
		}
 
		$db_cache[$db_count]['q'] = $db_string;
		$db_cache[$db_count]['f'] = $file;
		$db_cache[$db_count]['l'] = $line;
		$st = microtime();
	}
 
	// First, we clean strings out of the query, reduce whitespace, lowercase, and trim - so we can check it over.
	if (empty($modSettings['disableQueryCheck']))
	{
		$clean = '';
		$old_pos = 0;
		$pos = -1;
		while (true)
		{
			$pos = strpos($db_string, '\'', $pos + 1);
			if ($pos === false)
				break;
			$clean .= substr($db_string, $old_pos, $pos - $old_pos);
 
			while (true)
			{
				$pos1 = strpos($db_string, '\'', $pos + 1);
				$pos2 = strpos($db_string, '\\', $pos + 1);
				if ($pos1 === false)
					break;
				elseif ($pos2 == false || $pos2 > $pos1)
				{
					$pos = $pos1;
					break;
				}
 
				$pos = $pos2 + 1;
			}
			$clean .= ' %s ';
 
			$old_pos = $pos + 1;
		}
		$clean .= substr($db_string, $old_pos);
		$clean = trim(strtolower(preg_replace(array('~\s+~s', '~/\*!40001 SQL_NO_CACHE \*/~', '~/\*!40000 USE INDEX \([A-Za-z\_]+?\) \*/~'), array(' ', '', ''), $clean)));
 
		// We don't use UNION in SMF, at least so far.  But it's useful for injections.
		if (strpos($clean, 'union') !== false && preg_match('~(^|[^a-z])union($|[^[a-z])~s', $clean) != 0)
			$fail = true;
		// Comments?  We don't use comments in our queries, we leave 'em outside!
		elseif (strpos($clean, '/*') > 2 || strpos($clean, '--') !== false || strpos($clean, ';') !== false)
			$fail = true;
		// Trying to change passwords, slow us down, or something?
		elseif (strpos($clean, 'sleep') !== false && preg_match('~(^|[^a-z])sleep($|[^[a-z])~s', $clean) != 0)
			$fail = true;
		elseif (strpos($clean, 'benchmark') !== false && preg_match('~(^|[^a-z])benchmark($|[^[a-z])~s', $clean) != 0)
			$fail = true;
		// Sub selects?  We don't use those either.
		elseif (preg_match('~\([^)]*?select~s', $clean) != 0)
			$fail = true;
 
		if (!empty($fail))
		{
			log_error('Hacking attempt...' . "\n" . $db_string, $file, $line);
			fatal_error('Hacking attempt...', false);
		}
	}
 
	$ret = mysql_query($db_string, $db_connection);
	if ($ret === false && $file !== false)
		$ret = db_error($db_string, $file, $line);
 
	// Debugging.
	if (isset($db_show_debug) && $db_show_debug === true)
		$db_cache[$db_count]['t'] = array_sum(explode(' ', microtime())) - array_sum(explode(' ', $st));
 
	return $ret;
}

db_query("InsERT into TABLA values ('bla', 'Jojojo', '$variable')" , __FILE__, __LINE__)

siguiendo tu esctructura, yo haría algo así

Código:

<?php
echo "<table><tr>";
                $contador=1;
		while($row = mysql_fetch_array($result)){			
			if($contador > 3){
				//saltamos de línea
				echo = "<tr>";
				$contador = 1;
			}
			echo "<td><a href='?action=detalle&id=" . $row['idContacto'] . "'>";
			echo "<img src='http://localhost/directorio/directorio/" . $row['path'] . " width=100></a>";
			
                       $contador ++;
		}
		echo "</table>";
?>

<table>
<?php
$x = 0;
while($data = mysql_fetch_array($result) ){
	$x ++;
	if($x == 1) echo '<tr>';
	echo '<td>aqui los datos y demás</td>';
	if($x == 5) {
                echo '</tr>';
                $x=0;
            }
}
?>
</table>

<table><tr>
<?php
for($i=0; $i<mysql_num_rows($resultado); $i++)
	echo "<td> AQUI LA IMAGEN </td>".(($i+1)%3 == 0 ? "</tr>\n<tr>" : "");
?></tr></table>