Help & Support hangs

[Mikkel Z. Herold]

Hi.

My Help & Support Center no longer works as it should (I am using XP
Home). When I open it (from the Start menu or via F1), nothing seems to
happen. Then, after a few minutes, the help center does open, but when I
type something in the search field and hit Enter, the windows turns all
white and the programme stops responding.

I have tried all the suggestions at http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com, but
nothing has helped. I also found a KB article that described the
symptoms, but the only available solution was to install the latest SP,
and I already have that.

Does anyone have a solution to this problem? I don't remember when it
started, but it used to work.

Mikkel

--
"At first just a rustle of canvas
And the gentlest breath on my face
But a galloping line of white horses
Said that soon we were in for a race"
Sting - The Wild Wild Sea

http://www.mzh.dk

 

[Mark L. Ferguson]

Helpfix.txt: http://www.geocities.com/marfer_mvp/Helpfix.txt

 

[Mikkel Z. Herold]

Helpfix.txt: http://www.geocities.com/marfer_mvp/Helpfix.txt

Thanks, but I have already tried that procedure (it is described at
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/).

I can complete Step 2 ("rebuild the original Help and Support Center"),
but it does not help.

When I move on to Step 3 ("completely refresh the Help and Support
Center"), I can complete steps a through g, but when I enter "net start
helpsvc" at the command prompt, I get an error message saying that the
service name is invalid and that I can get more information by entering
"NET HELPMSG 2185".

Perhaps I should mention another oddity here: I have tried running a
System File Checker, but each time it asks for the original XP CD, it
asks for XP *Professional* not *Home Edition*, and I am forced to press
Cancel to move on...

Any advice?

Mikkel

--
"At first just a rustle of canvas
And the gentlest breath on my face
But a galloping line of white horses
Said that soon we were in for a race"
Sting - The Wild Wild Sea

http://www.mzh.dk

 

[Mark L. Ferguson]

The sfc message about Pro is just an error in the process. If you press "R" for Retry many, many times, the sfc should complete.
If no help, remove sp2, and repair the system.

875350 - How to remove Windows XP Service Pack 2 from your computer: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=875350 How to
Perform a Windows XP Repair Install: http://michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm

If you run an XP "Repair"setup, from the original, or "Gold" version of the setup CD, and you have SP2 installed, it might go into a
setup loop, and you could lose your install. Uninstall SP2, BEFORE you Upgrade setup from CD (that lacks sp2 on it.)

 

[Mikkel Z. Herold]

The sfc message about Pro is just an error in the process. If you press "R" for Retry many, many times, the sfc should complete.
If no help, remove sp2, and repair the system.

It didn't work - I pressed "Retry" a zillion times, but it kept giving
me the warning.

875350 - How to remove Windows XP Service Pack 2 from your computer: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=875350 How to
Perform a Windows XP Repair Install: http://michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm

That did not work either.

I removed SP2 and repaired XP, but the problem persists. And now I have
a new problem:

Windows Update says I should download and install Windows Installer
version 3.1, but when I do, the installation fails.

I have downloaded the actual installation file and tried to install it
manually, but have not succeeded - it gives me an "access denied" error
and then restarts my computer.

Also, I cannot install new programmes that require Windows Installer, so
it seems corrupted.

I have tried the solution described at
http://computers.douglasthrift.net/winxpfaq/#faq1, but with no luck.
When I reboot in safe mode and type "msiexec /regserver", I get a
cryptic error saying something like "the service could not get access to
some subscriptions" (translated).

Does anyone have any idea what is going on here?

Mikkel


--
"At first just a rustle of canvas
And the gentlest breath on my face
But a galloping line of white horses
Said that soon we were in for a race"
Sting - The Wild Wild Sea

http://www.mzh.dk

 

[Mark L. Ferguson]

If a repair fails, it's usually some spyware/virus at work.