I seem to have encountered a program glitch in O2K, and I'm wondering if
anyone with a long memory has encountered it, or knows how to fix it. The
problem is that the Help files in Word and Excel can only be called up from
either the drop down menu or the icon with great difficulty, and in fact the
first attempt at it (using Win2000) once an application is open freezes the
machine, and I have to back out with task manager.

The help files are WDMAIN9.chm and XLMAIN9.chm. If I put shortcuts to these
on the desktop Help will open up lightning fast, but that is a pretty
cumbersome way to access Help.

Hi Roger,

Have you tried repairing your Office installation (eg Help|Detect & Repair)?

--
Cheers
macropod
[Microsoft MVP - Word]


"Roger Fink" <fink@manana.org> wrote in message news:eCj9FMDWKHA.5368@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
>I seem to have encountered a program glitch in O2K, and I'm wondering if
> anyone with a long memory has encountered it, or knows how to fix it. The
> problem is that the Help files in Word and Excel can only be called up from
> either the drop down menu or the icon with great difficulty, and in fact the
> first attempt at it (using Win2000) once an application is open freezes the
> machine, and I have to back out with task manager.
>
> The help files are WDMAIN9.chm and XLMAIN9.chm. If I put shortcuts to these
> on the desktop Help will open up lightning fast, but that is a pretty
> cumbersome way to access Help.
>
>

Yes, I did that in connection with another problem a short while back, so it
would have been corrected then, but obviously it wasn't.

Actually, after I posted I realized that the Help files I created shortcuts
to only have a Contents section. The menu-accessed Help files have a
Contents, an Index, and an "Answer Wizard" (all useful, IMO), so the problem
is more complicated than I described, and the shortcut fix isn't very good.

Don't use Help that much, so this is more of an annoyance than anything
else, but it would be nice to have things working as they should.

macropod wrote:
> Hi Roger,
>
> Have you tried repairing your Office installation (eg Help|Detect &
> Repair)?
>
>
> "Roger Fink" <fink@manana.org> wrote in message
> news:eCj9FMDWKHA.5368@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
>> I seem to have encountered a program glitch in O2K, and I'm
>> wondering if anyone with a long memory has encountered it, or knows
>> how to fix it. The problem is that the Help files in Word and Excel
>> can only be called up from either the drop down menu or the icon
>> with great difficulty, and in fact the first attempt at it (using
>> Win2000) once an application is open freezes the machine, and I have
>> to back out with task manager.
>>
>> The help files are WDMAIN9.chm and XLMAIN9.chm. If I put shortcuts
>> to these on the desktop Help will open up lightning fast, but that
>> is a pretty cumbersome way to access Help.

Hi Roger,

Try reinstalling the Help files via Add/Remove Programs in the Control Panel. Use a 'Change' installation with 'Add or Remove
features' and make sure the Help files actually get included.

--
Cheers
macropod
[Microsoft MVP - Word]


"Roger Fink" <fink@manana.org> wrote in message news:%23QGn%23ZDWKHA.5208@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
> Yes, I did that in connection with another problem a short while back, so it
> would have been corrected then, but obviously it wasn't.
>
> Actually, after I posted I realized that the Help files I created shortcuts
> to only have a Contents section. The menu-accessed Help files have a
> Contents, an Index, and an "Answer Wizard" (all useful, IMO), so the problem
> is more complicated than I described, and the shortcut fix isn't very good.
>
> Don't use Help that much, so this is more of an annoyance than anything
> else, but it would be nice to have things working as they should.
>
> macropod wrote:
>> Hi Roger,
>>
>> Have you tried repairing your Office installation (eg Help|Detect &
>> Repair)?
>>
>>
>> "Roger Fink" <fink@manana.org> wrote in message
>> news:eCj9FMDWKHA.5368@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
>>> I seem to have encountered a program glitch in O2K, and I'm
>>> wondering if anyone with a long memory has encountered it, or knows
>>> how to fix it. The problem is that the Help files in Word and Excel
>>> can only be called up from either the drop down menu or the icon
>>> with great difficulty, and in fact the first attempt at it (using
>>> Win2000) once an application is open freezes the machine, and I have
>>> to back out with task manager.
>>>
>>> The help files are WDMAIN9.chm and XLMAIN9.chm. If I put shortcuts
>>> to these on the desktop Help will open up lightning fast, but that
>>> is a pretty cumbersome way to access Help.
>
>

Macro that was a great piece of advice. "Help" now runs like a Ferrari.
Thanks.

macropod wrote:
> Hi Roger,
>
> Try reinstalling the Help files via Add/Remove Programs in the
> Control Panel. Use a 'Change' installation with 'Add or Remove
> features' and make sure the Help files actually get included.
>
>
> "Roger Fink" <fink@manana.org> wrote in message
> news:%23QGn%23ZDWKHA.5208@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
>> Yes, I did that in connection with another problem a short while
>> back, so it would have been corrected then, but obviously it wasn't.
>>
>> Actually, after I posted I realized that the Help files I created
>> shortcuts to only have a Contents section. The menu-accessed Help
>> files have a Contents, an Index, and an "Answer Wizard" (all useful,
>> IMO), so the problem is more complicated than I described, and the
>> shortcut fix isn't very good.
>>
>> Don't use Help that much, so this is more of an annoyance than
>> anything else, but it would be nice to have things working as they
>> should.
>>
>> macropod wrote:
>>> Hi Roger,
>>>
>>> Have you tried repairing your Office installation (eg Help|Detect &
>>> Repair)?
>>>
>>>
>>> "Roger Fink" <fink@manana.org> wrote in message
>>> news:eCj9FMDWKHA.5368@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
>>>> I seem to have encountered a program glitch in O2K, and I'm
>>>> wondering if anyone with a long memory has encountered it, or knows
>>>> how to fix it. The problem is that the Help files in Word and Excel
>>>> can only be called up from either the drop down menu or the icon
>>>> with great difficulty, and in fact the first attempt at it (using
>>>> Win2000) once an application is open freezes the machine, and I
>>>> have to back out with task manager.
>>>>
>>>> The help files are WDMAIN9.chm and XLMAIN9.chm. If I put shortcuts
>>>> to these on the desktop Help will open up lightning fast, but that
>>>> is a pretty cumbersome way to access Help.

Actually there was a typo in there. Make that a "Chevy Nova". Seems to have
reverted back to its old ways, but I'll live with it.

Roger Fink wrote:
> Macro that was a great piece of advice. "Help" now runs like a
> Ferrari. Thanks.
>
> macropod wrote:
>> Hi Roger,
>>
>> Try reinstalling the Help files via Add/Remove Programs in the
>> Control Panel. Use a 'Change' installation with 'Add or Remove
>> features' and make sure the Help files actually get included.
>>
>>
>> "Roger Fink" <fink@manana.org> wrote in message
>> news:%23QGn%23ZDWKHA.5208@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
>>> Yes, I did that in connection with another problem a short while
>>> back, so it would have been corrected then, but obviously it wasn't.
>>>
>>> Actually, after I posted I realized that the Help files I created
>>> shortcuts to only have a Contents section. The menu-accessed Help
>>> files have a Contents, an Index, and an "Answer Wizard" (all useful,
>>> IMO), so the problem is more complicated than I described, and the
>>> shortcut fix isn't very good.
>>>
>>> Don't use Help that much, so this is more of an annoyance than
>>> anything else, but it would be nice to have things working as they
>>> should.
>>>
>>> macropod wrote:
>>>> Hi Roger,
>>>>
>>>> Have you tried repairing your Office installation (eg Help|Detect &
>>>> Repair)?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> "Roger Fink" <fink@manana.org> wrote in message
>>>> news:eCj9FMDWKHA.5368@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
>>>>> I seem to have encountered a program glitch in O2K, and I'm
>>>>> wondering if anyone with a long memory has encountered it, or
>>>>> knows how to fix it. The problem is that the Help files in Word
>>>>> and Excel can only be called up from either the drop down menu or
>>>>> the icon with great difficulty, and in fact the first attempt at
>>>>> it (using Win2000) once an application is open freezes the
>>>>> machine, and I have to back out with task manager.
>>>>>
>>>>> The help files are WDMAIN9.chm and XLMAIN9.chm. If I put shortcuts
>>>>> to these on the desktop Help will open up lightning fast, but that
>>>>> is a pretty cumbersome way to access Help.