XP Pro Help won't work properly..........

Hi

I click on Start.....Help........
I get the hourglass but the Help GUI does not Open.
Task Manager shows HelpCtr.exe and HelpSvc.exe as OK.
If I click on Start.........Help again, Task Manager shows another
instance of HelpCtr.exe but I do not get the GUI.
I ran sfc /scannow.........No problem
I ran the pchealth.inf.......... It asked for certain files
in SP3. I found them and the re-install of Help seemed
to work OK but still nothing. Even after a reboot.
I reached the end of my rope where I can't find hrlp with help or for help.
Please Help

--
Ahmed

Ahmed wrote:
I click on Start.....Help........
I get the hourglass but the Help GUI does not Open.
Task Manager shows HelpCtr.exe and HelpSvc.exe as OK.
If I click on Start.........Help again, Task Manager shows another
instance of HelpCtr.exe but I do not get the GUI.
I ran sfc /scannow.........No problem
I ran the pchealth.inf.......... It asked for certain files
in SP3. I found them and the re-install of Help seemed
to work OK but still nothing. Even after a reboot.
I reached the end of my rope where I can't find hrlp with help or
for help. Please Help

Now is a great time to point you to one of the easiest ways to find
information on problems you may be having and solutions others have found:

Search using Google!
http://www.google.com/
(How-to: http://www.google.com/intl/en/help/basics.html )

Example search, in context...
http://www.google.com/search?q="Windows+XP"+"Help+and+Support"+does+not+ work

I like this hit:
http://groups.google.com/group/micro...b8ee4a29ae246/

Which has these suggested fixes (at least):

TaurArian suggestion (1)
Click Start then select Run and type in:

helpctr -regserver
regsvr32 itss
regsvr32 hhctrl.ocx
regsvr32 jscript

Press OK after each one
/TaurArian suggestion (1)

TaurArian suggestions (2)
To solve this problem, follow these steps:

- Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open Windows Task Manager.
- Click the Processes tab and then click the Image Name
heading to sort the list in alphabetical order.
- Highlight each instance of Helpctr.exe in the list and
click the End Process button. Repeat until all instances
are gone from the list and then close Task Manager.
- Open Control Panel's Services option (in the Administrative
Tools group, under Performance And Maintenance Options).
- Select Help And Support from the list of services, right-click,
and then choose Restart.

After completing this procedure, you should be able to restart the Help And
Support Center.

Start Menu/Help and Support doesn't work: Go to Start/Run and type in:
helpctr -regserver

If required - Rebuild Help
http://windowsxp.mvps.org/rebuildhelp.htm
/TaurArian suggestions (2)

Kelly suggestions
Start Menu/Help and Support
Go to Start/Run and type in: helpctr -regserver

Restore winhlp32.exe for XP (Line 57)
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

Workaround: Replace the one from the servicepackfiles with the one
listed under System32.

If you want to view only the locally stored Windows XP Help
documentation in the Classic View:
Go to Start/Run and type in: hh windows.chm

To reinstall Help and Support: Go to C:\Windows\inf\pchealth.inf
Right click and choose install. Have your CD handy.
/Kelly suggestions

Twayne suggestion
Reinstalling Help and Support Center in Windows XP

Credits: Rebecca Chen [MS]

Please use the following steps to reinstall the
Help and Support Center:

Step I - End the Help and Support services
Click Start, click Run and type Taskmgr and click OK.
This opens Task Manager. Click the Process tab. Stop
all of the following processing if running:
· helpsvc.exe
· helphost.exe
· helpctr.exe

Step II - Reinstall Help and Support
· Click Start, click Run and type CMD, and click OK.
· In Command Prompt, type the following commands and press Enter after
each line: (Alternately, create a Batch file and run.)

net stop helpsvc
cd /d %windir%\pchealth\helpctr
rd packagestore /s /q
rd installedskus /s /q
cd binaries
start /w helpsvc /svchost netsvcs /regserver /install
start /w helpsvc /register

Note: The "start /w helpsvc /svchost netsvcs /regserver /install"
command line reinstalls Help and Support, which may take several
minutes.
Twayne suggestion

Come back - let us know what worked, if anything. As you can see - things
like this are archived for long periods of time.

--
Shenan Stanley
MS-MVP
--
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

Thanks for the very fast (and detailed reply).
I had found a similar solution to yours (by Ramesh) from a few years ago.
His batch file worked like a charm (after I had, naturally, stopped the Help
svc
instances in Task Manager.
What would we amateurs ever do without the kind help and assistance
of experts around the World?
Thank you, again
--
Ahmed


"Shenan Stanley" wrote:

Ahmed wrote:
I click on Start.....Help........
I get the hourglass but the Help GUI does not Open.
Task Manager shows HelpCtr.exe and HelpSvc.exe as OK.
If I click on Start.........Help again, Task Manager shows another
instance of HelpCtr.exe but I do not get the GUI.
I ran sfc /scannow.........No problem
I ran the pchealth.inf.......... It asked for certain files
in SP3. I found them and the re-install of Help seemed
to work OK but still nothing. Even after a reboot.
I reached the end of my rope where I can't find hrlp with help or
for help. Please Help

Now is a great time to point you to one of the easiest ways to find
information on problems you may be having and solutions others have found:

Search using Google!
http://www.google.com/
(How-to: http://www.google.com/intl/en/help/basics.html )

Example search, in context...
http://www.google.com/search?q="Windows+XP"+"Help+and+Support"+does+not+ work

I like this hit:
http://groups.google.com/group/micro...b8ee4a29ae246/

Which has these suggested fixes (at least):

TaurArian suggestion (1)
Click Start then select Run and type in:

helpctr -regserver
regsvr32 itss
regsvr32 hhctrl.ocx
regsvr32 jscript

Press OK after each one
/TaurArian suggestion (1)

TaurArian suggestions (2)
To solve this problem, follow these steps:

- Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open Windows Task Manager.
- Click the Processes tab and then click the Image Name
heading to sort the list in alphabetical order.
- Highlight each instance of Helpctr.exe in the list and
click the End Process button. Repeat until all instances
are gone from the list and then close Task Manager.
- Open Control Panel's Services option (in the Administrative
Tools group, under Performance And Maintenance Options).
- Select Help And Support from the list of services, right-click,
and then choose Restart.

After completing this procedure, you should be able to restart the Help And
Support Center.

Start Menu/Help and Support doesn't work: Go to Start/Run and type in:
helpctr -regserver

If required - Rebuild Help
http://windowsxp.mvps.org/rebuildhelp.htm
/TaurArian suggestions (2)

Kelly suggestions
Start Menu/Help and Support
Go to Start/Run and type in: helpctr -regserver

Restore winhlp32.exe for XP (Line 57)
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

Workaround: Replace the one from the servicepackfiles with the one
listed under System32.

If you want to view only the locally stored Windows XP Help
documentation in the Classic View:
Go to Start/Run and type in: hh windows.chm

To reinstall Help and Support: Go to C:\Windows\inf\pchealth.inf
Right click and choose install. Have your CD handy.
/Kelly suggestions

Twayne suggestion
Reinstalling Help and Support Center in Windows XP

Credits: Rebecca Chen [MS]

Please use the following steps to reinstall the
Help and Support Center:

Step I - End the Help and Support services
Click Start, click Run and type Taskmgr and click OK.
This opens Task Manager. Click the Process tab. Stop
all of the following processing if running:
· helpsvc.exe
· helphost.exe
· helpctr.exe

Step II - Reinstall Help and Support
· Click Start, click Run and type CMD, and click OK.
· In Command Prompt, type the following commands and press Enter after
each line: (Alternately, create a Batch file and run.)

net stop helpsvc
cd /d %windir%\pchealth\helpctr
rd packagestore /s /q
rd installedskus /s /q
cd binaries
start /w helpsvc /svchost netsvcs /regserver /install
start /w helpsvc /register

Note: The "start /w helpsvc /svchost netsvcs /regserver /install"
command line reinstalls Help and Support, which may take several
minutes.
Twayne suggestion

Come back - let us know what worked, if anything. As you can see - things
like this are archived for long periods of time.

--
Shenan Stanley
MS-MVP
--
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html