DAMN!! After all this time... I finally fixed it!!!!!!!!!

Yes, DAP is the problem, but you don't have to uninstall it, you just need
to uncheck the IE integration and BAM! You get your online search
capabilites back.

You can still download with DAP by right-clicking and clicking "download
with DAP", works perfect.

I hope those with this same problem can see this post! It was driving me
NUTZ!

Take care all...

Dan B
imtigger

"jmike" wrote:

az,

You are correct! Installing DAP caused the KB results to stop and
uninstalling it returned them again. Thanks. I was running out of hair to
pull out over this issue. Perhaps, Microsoft or one of the download manager
vendors would like to do a more exhaustive study of this to develope a fix,
but I am 'appy with being able to use HSC again. Tell the world!



"jmike" wrote:

az

Thanks, I think you are probably correct in you asumptions. My curiosity is
up now so I will install and uninstall DAP to see what happens. I'll let you
know... But, first a backup, so...



"az" wrote:

I'm not a windows expert, by any means, but I am an experienced computer
programmer and admin, so the following is my understanding of what was
happening.

The Netscape SmartDownload manager tries to help you out with Web downloads
by remembering where the file was coming from, and allowing you to restart a
download half way through when, for example, your internet connection dies.
It tries to do this for all download from any browser. Invented in the days
of dodgy modem connections to the internet.

In order to do that, it has to somehow intercept all attempts to download
files from any browser. How it does this, I don't know. But what I surmise
is that it was also intercepting the attempts to download data from the
knowledge base, but that whatver it was doing was not compatible with Help
and Support Center.

I'm sure there are other programs which do this too -- I guess the DAP you
mention is one of them, and Getright is another.

I've seen Getright mentioned ias a potential cause of this problem, but
never knew what it was. The articles in this topic got me thinking and
prompted me to try uninstalling SmartDownload, and it worked for me.

Anything which gets involved in the process of downloading files from the
Internet has to somehow interfere with or hijack the procedure the browser
itself is using. Help And Support Center is just another browser, and will
use much the same procedures as IE, so anything which interferes with
external downloads might be the culprit if Help and Support can't get to
external resources on the knowledge base.

My best guess is that if you install this DAP, your problem will return, but
that uninstalling it will make the problem go away again. I doubt you'd have
to re-install Windows, but don't rely on that, it's only my best guess!

"jmike" wrote:

az,

Ok, sounds reasonable. Could you be a little more specific. I mean, how does
it put itself in the way of the remote connection? Is my download program the
culprit? I notice that Getright and "Smart Download" from Netscape have been
responsible for causing the error. Is that what you are referring to? (In the
way of the remote connection)? I was using DAP when the problems occurred on
my machine. I don't have it installed now, though, and I don't currently have
the problem. Not sure if I want to tempt fate, just finished a long-winded
reinstall of my system. Its running fine now.

Thanks for the response.



"az" wrote:

"jmike" wrote:

My Help and Support Center suddenly stopped receiving responses from
Microsoft Knowledge Base. It lists "0 results" for knowledge base while the
other searches continue to respond as before.

After having this problem for who knows how long, I finally found what was
causing it for *me*. I had Netscape browser installed with "Smart Download".
When I uninstalled SmartDowload the problem went away (all of five minutes
ago after many many, hours of looking for solutions). !!!! Happy me!!!

My suggestion to anyone with this problem is to look at any software you
have installed which might put itself in the way of a remote connection.