No Help Index

  • Thread starter Thread starter Knack
  • Start date Start date
K

Knack

WinXP Pro (SP1, with other many other updates)

The verticle rectangular pane at the left side of the Help window is blank
after I click on the Index button. That empty space is where the Index
should be. It's almost like the file for Help's Index must be missing.

Anyone know the name of the Help> Index file, or how I can get it to open
and display in Help?
 
The running of helpctr -regserver didn't change anything.

I noticed that the installed file winhlp32.cnt is only of size 1KB, and that
the file winhlp32.hlp is only 21KB. Both of these files are dated 8-18-2001;
not 8-29-2002 like most of SP1. Are these the correct sizes and dates? If
not, then they need to be replaced. However, I installed SP1 via the web and
do not have these files. I do have a 261KB sized file installed for
winhlp32.exe dated 8-29-2002, which appears to be identicle in size to the
one you provide for restoring that file for SP1.

I tried right-clicking on the file pchealth.inf > Install. Then I directed
Windows to find the file it needed in the i386 folder of the original WinXP
CD. But then it wanted me to insert the SP1 CD. So I had to click Cancel, as
I don't have that CD yet. (I installed SP1 via the download-install process
of the Microsoft web site.)

I guess I'll have to obtain an SP1 CD in order to do the repair?

--
Remove the antispam letter 'x' in my address to send mail to my Inbox

Kelly said:
Hi,

See if anything here helps:

Why doesn't Help and Support work?
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/top10faqs.htm
Click to expand...
 
Have you tried pointing it to the C:\WINDOWS\ServicePackFiles folder?

/top10faqs.htm


Knack said:
The running of helpctr -regserver didn't change anything.

I noticed that the installed file winhlp32.cnt is only of size 1KB, and that
the file winhlp32.hlp is only 21KB. Both of these files are dated 8-18-2001;
not 8-29-2002 like most of SP1. Are these the correct sizes and dates? If
not, then they need to be replaced. However, I installed SP1 via the web and
do not have these files. I do have a 261KB sized file installed for
winhlp32.exe dated 8-29-2002, which appears to be identicle in size to the
one you provide for restoring that file for SP1.

I tried right-clicking on the file pchealth.inf > Install. Then I directed
Windows to find the file it needed in the i386 folder of the original WinXP
CD. But then it wanted me to insert the SP1 CD. So I had to click Cancel, as
I don't have that CD yet. (I installed SP1 via the download-install process
of the Microsoft web site.)

I guess I'll have to obtain an SP1 CD in order to do the repair?
Click to expand...
 
Hello Knack,

My Help Index disappeared a few months ago (XP Home w/SP1). Since MS doesn't
seem to have addressed this bug yet, I've been trying the suggestions from
the group, (short of the repair install), with no luck! Just wanted to tell
you, though, that I just tried the "pchealth.inf > Install" and it didn't
work either. I'm wondering if anyone else, who's had this problem, has tried
the repair install and if it worked?

Hope for the best,
JP


Knack said:
The running of helpctr -regserver didn't change anything.

I noticed that the installed file winhlp32.cnt is only of size 1KB, and that
the file winhlp32.hlp is only 21KB. Both of these files are dated 8-18-2001;
not 8-29-2002 like most of SP1. Are these the correct sizes and dates? If
not, then they need to be replaced. However, I installed SP1 via the web and
do not have these files. I do have a 261KB sized file installed for
winhlp32.exe dated 8-29-2002, which appears to be identicle in size to the
one you provide for restoring that file for SP1.

I tried right-clicking on the file pchealth.inf > Install. Then I directed
Windows to find the file it needed in the i386 folder of the original WinXP
CD. But then it wanted me to insert the SP1 CD. So I had to click Cancel, as
I don't have that CD yet. (I installed SP1 via the download-install process
of the Microsoft web site.)

I guess I'll have to obtain an SP1 CD in order to do the repair?
Click to expand...
 
Just now I again tried right-clicking on the file pchealth.inf > Install.
The program then wanted the file HCAPPRES.dl_ but it was not to be found in
the folder C:\WINDOWS\ServicePackFiles\i386. So as before I pointed it back
to the original WinXP CD for that. Then it wanted helpctr.exe. So for this
one I pointed it back to ServicePackFiles\i386 and it got it. Then it wanted
pchdt_w3.cab, but like HCAPPRES.dl_ it was not in the ServicePackFiles\i386
folder so once again I had to point back to the WinXP CD for it. This time
the program ran to completion but there was no improvement.

Next, I reran pchealth.inf > Install. This time Again I had to toggle back
and forth between old and new sources of needed files, and somehow it
progressed to where it got one additional new one, hscupd, from the
ServicePackFiles\i386 folder. That file did not exist anywhere on the WinXP
CD. Still no improvement.

I guess old and new files for Help can't be mixed. I tried to take them all
from one source or the other, but had to settle for a mixture of sources.
Perhaps the registry script file pchealth.inf can run with needed files
taken exclusively from the SP1a CD. So I ordered a SP1 CD today...
 
JP, do you have the SP1a CD, or have you been wasting time like me with that
SP1 "express" download-install. I'll never use that horrendous process again
(10-hours on my dialup Internet connection that initially handshaked at
28.8KB/sec with a 56K modem). When I had WinNT4 I always obtained every new
SP CD and their installations always went along without a hitch.
 
Good luck!

/top10faqs.htm


Knack said:
Just now I again tried right-clicking on the file pchealth.inf > Install.
The program then wanted the file HCAPPRES.dl_ but it was not to be found in
the folder C:\WINDOWS\ServicePackFiles\i386. So as before I pointed it back
to the original WinXP CD for that. Then it wanted helpctr.exe. So for this
one I pointed it back to ServicePackFiles\i386 and it got it. Then it wanted
pchdt_w3.cab, but like HCAPPRES.dl_ it was not in the ServicePackFiles\i386
folder so once again I had to point back to the WinXP CD for it. This time
the program ran to completion but there was no improvement.

Next, I reran pchealth.inf > Install. This time Again I had to toggle back
and forth between old and new sources of needed files, and somehow it
progressed to where it got one additional new one, hscupd, from the
ServicePackFiles\i386 folder. That file did not exist anywhere on the WinXP
CD. Still no improvement.

I guess old and new files for Help can't be mixed. I tried to take them all
from one source or the other, but had to settle for a mixture of sources.
Perhaps the registry script file pchealth.inf can run with needed files
taken exclusively from the SP1a CD. So I ordered a SP1 CD today...
Click to expand...
 
It's the OEM disk containg SP1 that came with the computer. Doesn't appear
to be the "a" version.
JP
 
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