WinHelp32 Fix Not Working

[retroman]

Hello folks,

In Vista Home Basic, I can't get the new version of WinHelp32.exe to work without
error messages. The fix to suppress the messages is described on this page under the
heading "How to enable macros":

"The Windows Help (WinHlp32.exe) program is no longer included with Windows operating
systems starting with Windows Vista"
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/917607

I installed the new version as instructed, as well the registry keys. Even so, in
many (but not all) applications, there is a persistent warning message on picking a
help item from a WinHelp index tab:

"There was a problem running the macro (1037)".

Microsoft published a registry solution in the page referenced above. The fix
requires adding a new key to the registry:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WinHelp

According to Microsoft,

"... users must add a DWORD value that is named AllowProgrammaticMacros to this
subkey. If the value for AllowProgrammaticMacros is set to 1, the macros will be
turned on. If the value is set to 0, the macros will be turned off."

I created a .REG file in Notepad to enable macros:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WinHelp]
"AllowProgrammaticMacros"="1"
"AllowIntranetAccess"="1"

The key is created as expected, but it does nothing. The message persists in all
applications that previously showed it.

Is my syntax wrong? Has anyone gotten this fix to work in Home Basic? If this is a
bug, where should I report it?

Thanks for your assistance.

Doug M. in NJ

 

[retroman]

Well, with a little research, I managed to answer my own question. My syntax was
wrong. Here is the corrected text for the REG file to fix the Vista version of
WinHelp32:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WinHelp]
"AllowProgrammaticMacros"=dword:00000001
"AllowIntranetAccess"=dword:00000001

This file was tested on Vista Home basic and WinHelp now works perfectly.

Doug M. in NJ

 

[Guest]

I posted to another thread (the announcement about the .hlp fix) asking if it
seemed safe to install. I just found your post. Any other problems. I have
Vista Ultimate. Is it safe to assume the same things will work?

willz

 

[retroman]

... now I need to make the registry edit.
When I do this, can I just cut and paste
into the appropriate location in the registry?:

No, the syntax above is for a .REG file. Paste the lines into Notepad,
then save and merge the file, as described here:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310516

I am not on a network; do I need to
include the intranet portion of this entry?

Probably not, but I didn't test without that line. There is no harm
in including it.

Doug M. in NJ

 

[AlexB]

Have you seen this?

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/917607

Known issues
The following list shows the known functionality regressions from previous
releases of WinHlp32.exe. •Macros are disabled

By default, the following macros are disabled in Windows Help for Windows
Vista: •ExecFile
•RegisterRoutine
•ShellExecute
•ShortCut
•Generate
•Test
•ExecProgram
However, all other macros in .hlp files will function as in past releases.
Therefore, if an .hlp file that depends on these macros is opened after you
install Windows Help for Windows Vista, some functionality for the file may
not function correctly. Users will also receive the following error message:

 

[Ramesh, MS-MVP]

Make sure you run the 64-bit version of the installer, which is Windows6.0-KB917607-x64.msu. Windows6.0-KB917607-x86.msu is for 32-bit Windows.

--
Regards,

Ramesh Srinivasan, Microsoft MVP [Windows Shell/User]
Windows® Troubleshooting http://www.winhelponline.com
Winhelponline.com blog http://www.winhelponline.com/blog



I've got 64 bit Vista, not luck on winhlp32 so far.

I've tried-the microsoft fix, will not install even though it starts up
ok
-added the winhlp in the registry, made a txt file as mentioned above,
must have made it correctly, because it says not meant for this
operating system.

 

[Ramesh, MS-MVP]

Hi RunBeerRun,

Is it possible that the fix is already installed in your system? When trying to replicate the error in my system, I got the same error when installing the fix the 2nd time.

What happens when you type Winhlp32.exe in Start Search box?

--
Regards,

Ramesh Srinivasan, Microsoft MVP [Windows Shell/User]
Windows® Troubleshooting http://www.winhelponline.com
Winhelponline.com blog http://www.winhelponline.com/blog



Sorry about that, I have 32-bit Windows, the 86-fix is the one that
starts up ok, but doesn't actually install.