G
George Hester
I don't know why it is but Microsoft is doing a number on HTML Help. It might be because nowadays HTML Help poses a security risk. Not sure. But I can tell you their efforts to fix Windows products in this security risk are one hell of an issue. There are many Knowledge Base articles on this at Microsoft:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;811630
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;840315
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;822989
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;810847
The last one is the Cumulative Update for IE that started it all.
Let me just say, the issue also occurs in Windows XP and I bet you dollars to donuts in Every Operating system that can use HTML Herlp.
They keep breaking it and fixing it and breaking it and fixing it. I was at SP4 in Windows 2000 and I couldn't fix it. Because the issue has a hotfix which is Pre-SP4 (so won't install - 811630) and it was fixed in SP4 (Tell that to my system). I was finally able to fix it but I can tell you it always takes some new method.
So the best thing to do to see if your HTML Help is broke (or not) is go here in Windows 2000 Help: In XP all you need to do is find a similar link. I think you search on system restore and try to start the wizard from Support and Help. In Windows 2000 Help:
Start | Help | Contents pane | double-click Networking | double-click TCP\IP | double-click How To... | double-click Install and Configure TCP\IP | select Install TCP\IP | Click Network and Dial-Up Connections in right-hand side pane.
If you get your Network and Dial-Up connections Control Applet pane then you are fine. But if you get a script-error then chalk it up to the security fixes that Microsoft has been putting out. And this should be done after every Security Fix Microsoft comes out with for IE or Outlook Express after it is installed. Every one. 811630 will fix the issue in Windows 2000 SP3 and in Windows XP SP1. I can fix it in Windows 2000 SP4 but you have to apply another hotfix that Windows 2000 SP4 is unaware of: In Windows XP SP2 well... sorry I don't have that fix. But if you lose your Support and Help in Windows XP SP2 what I've been discussing is why. They keep breaking it and fixing it breaking it and fixing it. Actually I fix it Microsoft breaks it.
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;828750
this one. You can get it here:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/downloads/critical/828750/default.mspx
This will install in Windows 2000 SP4. Then you return IE back to IE 5.01; then re-install SP4; then go to Windows Update site and apply the lstest update to IE 5.01 SP4.
I hope you can see from this that we should NEVER EVER install a Service Pack for Windows 2000 with a higher version of IE then what came with the system and that is IE 5.01. For if you do it is issues such as this that cannot be fixed. And they will happen. You cannot remove any version of IE once you install a Service Pack over it in Windows 2000:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;293907
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;811630
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;840315
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;822989
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;810847
The last one is the Cumulative Update for IE that started it all.
Let me just say, the issue also occurs in Windows XP and I bet you dollars to donuts in Every Operating system that can use HTML Herlp.
They keep breaking it and fixing it and breaking it and fixing it. I was at SP4 in Windows 2000 and I couldn't fix it. Because the issue has a hotfix which is Pre-SP4 (so won't install - 811630) and it was fixed in SP4 (Tell that to my system). I was finally able to fix it but I can tell you it always takes some new method.
So the best thing to do to see if your HTML Help is broke (or not) is go here in Windows 2000 Help: In XP all you need to do is find a similar link. I think you search on system restore and try to start the wizard from Support and Help. In Windows 2000 Help:
Start | Help | Contents pane | double-click Networking | double-click TCP\IP | double-click How To... | double-click Install and Configure TCP\IP | select Install TCP\IP | Click Network and Dial-Up Connections in right-hand side pane.
If you get your Network and Dial-Up connections Control Applet pane then you are fine. But if you get a script-error then chalk it up to the security fixes that Microsoft has been putting out. And this should be done after every Security Fix Microsoft comes out with for IE or Outlook Express after it is installed. Every one. 811630 will fix the issue in Windows 2000 SP3 and in Windows XP SP1. I can fix it in Windows 2000 SP4 but you have to apply another hotfix that Windows 2000 SP4 is unaware of: In Windows XP SP2 well... sorry I don't have that fix. But if you lose your Support and Help in Windows XP SP2 what I've been discussing is why. They keep breaking it and fixing it breaking it and fixing it. Actually I fix it Microsoft breaks it.
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;828750
this one. You can get it here:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/downloads/critical/828750/default.mspx
This will install in Windows 2000 SP4. Then you return IE back to IE 5.01; then re-install SP4; then go to Windows Update site and apply the lstest update to IE 5.01 SP4.
I hope you can see from this that we should NEVER EVER install a Service Pack for Windows 2000 with a higher version of IE then what came with the system and that is IE 5.01. For if you do it is issues such as this that cannot be fixed. And they will happen. You cannot remove any version of IE once you install a Service Pack over it in Windows 2000:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;293907
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