HELP for HELP

[blessani]

My windows help file is completely bust. I am running Win ME. It doesn't have any of the pages when you click the link.

[reghakr]

1st From Lockergnome:

Windows ME has changed the face of several things, including the operating system's help engine. No longer does Help result in the familiar .CHM interface you've come to know and love. HELPCTR.EXE is the party responsible for answering your questions these days, but it's not immune from difficulties of its own -- sometimes failing to respond entirely because of an application registration problem.

This can be fixed by clicking Start / Run and typing "helpctr -regserver" without quotes. This will re-register the application in the Registry and allow smooth operation once again. Using the "helpctr -url <url>" option takes you directly to a specific page if you know what you're looking for. For you system administrators, you can pass an Intranet help page to your users via this option, but the HelpCtr is only available in Windows ME, thus its use is rather limited. A complete list of the options can be had by running "helpctr -?" (sans quotes).

Cases off to Lockergnomie Steve Hammond for bringing this tip to light! Now, since there's nothing terribly complicated about the Windows 98 help system, remember that F1 will always do the trick. Go ahead - - try tapping the key right now and see what happens. Do it in just about any program for immediate context-sensitive help.

2nd from Microsoft:

Error Message When You Quit the Help and Support Tool

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The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition

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SYMPTOMS
When you try to quit the "Help and Support" tool while you are using a Microsoft Active Accessibility (MSAA) client, you may receive the following error message:

Helpctr

Helpctr has caused an error in MSHTML.DLL. [CLOSE]
Helpctr will now close.

If you continue to experience problems, try restarting your computer.

RESOLUTION
A supported fix is now available from Microsoft, but it is only intended to correct the problem described in this article and should be applied only to systems experiencing this specific problem.

To resolve this problem, contact Microsoft Product Support Services to obtain the fix. For a complete list of Microsoft Product Support Services phone numbers and information on support costs, please go to the following address on the World Wide Web:

http://support.microsoft.com/directory/overview.asp (http://www.winguides.com/external.php?url=http://support.microsoft.com/directory/overview.asp)

NOTE: In special cases, charges that are normally incurred for support calls may be canceled, if a Microsoft Support Professional determines that a specific update will resolve your problem. Normal support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for the specific update in question.

The English version of this fix should have the following file attributes or later:

Date Time Version Size File name
-----------------------------------------------------
8/08/2000 6:18pm 4.90.0.3001 110,864 Marscore.dll

STATUS
Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.

Additional query words: HTML PC Health Exception

reghakr