Windows help files

[Steve]

Obviously, I'd like access to my programs' help files. But Microsoft
apparently requires WGA to download WinHlp32.exe. In general, I don't
want anything to do with WGA. Is there any disadvantage to simply
copying this file from my XP installation?

Incidentally, Microsoft's explanation seems absolutely ludicrous,
particularly since this is its own product - "The Windows Help program
has not had a major update for many releases and no longer meets
Microsoft standards."


--

Whenever I dwell for any length of time on my own shortcomings,
they gradually begin to seem mild, harmless, rather engaging little things,
not at all like the staring defects in other people's characters.

....Margaret Halsey

 

[Andrew McLaren]

Before Microsoft made the download available, I just copied across the
winhlp32.exe from an XP machine to System32 on my Vista machine, overwriting
the small "stub" file in Vista. Everything worked fine, I could open *.hlp
files. (You might need to check the "run this program without asking"
checkbox, first time round). So I think you'll be fine.

Re the security aspect: well I hate to be an apologist for Microsoft, but
.... this is actually a Good Thing. It shows that Microsoft has set high
standards for security in Vista, and it is sticking by them. Otherwise, it
would have just snuck winhlp32 in there, with all the undisclosed security
problems. Any program which does a lot of string handling in executable code
would have security vulnerabilities; I can imagine tightening up WinHlp32 to
the necessary standard would be a major job. And since *.hlp is a dead-end
format, it just wasn't worth it. CHM and XML are the way of the future.

Re the WGA aspect: well again, I hate to be an apologist for Microsoft
but ... in practical terms it hasn't caused me any grief, on a dozen or so
Vista machines. But I can understand there might be philosophical objections
....

Hope it helps,
Andrew