Windows Help and Support Not Working

Question

My Windows Help and Support function has stopped working.  When I try to run Help and Support from the Start menu (in Vista), I receive the message

"Help Topic Not Found, This content under construction, We were unable to retrieve the reqested topic."

Answer 1

To anyone who is having this same problem, I was able to find a solution!  I created a new User Account, and when I signed in under this new account, I was able to access my Windows Help and Support at last!  To create a new User Account, do the following:

1. Click the Start Button, and then click Control Panel.
2. Click to a Classic View in left panel.
3. Double-click User Accounts.
4. Click Manager Another Account.

Note: Please click "Continue" if the User Account Control (UCA) window prompts.

5. Click "Create a new account".
6. Type in the account name and select an account type, either Administrator or Standard user (I used Administrator, not sure if it will work with a Standard User Account).  Then, click Create Account.
7. Then restart the computer, and sign in with the new User Account.  Your Windows Help and Support should now be available.

P.S. My thanks to Sabrina Shen at Microsoft Support for this solution (*** Email address is removed for privacy ***).  She was helping me with another issue (I was unable to access the Microsoft Update site), and I found that the solution worked for this problem, too.  Many thanks, Sabrina!

Answer 2

Help?  Any more suggestions?  I need my Help and Support function!

Answer 3

Hello.  I ran the scan.  It came back: "Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations."  But my Help and Support function still does not work.

Answer 4

JanetteE,

Try reinstalling the Help files from this link:

Windows Help program (WinHlp32.exe) for Windows Vista

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=6EBCFAD9-D3F5-4365-8070-334CD175D4BB&displaylang=en

Let us know if that does not work.

Thanks,

---

Gloria

Microsoft Answers Support Engineer

Visit our Microsoft Answers Feedback Forum and let us know what you think.

Answer 5

JanetteE,

Thank you for visiting the Microsoft Answers community forum.

It sounds like some system files may have gotten corrupted.  Run the System File Checker to find and fix and corrupted system files:

To run the System File Checker tool, follow these steps:

Click Start, and then type cmd in the Start Search box.

Right-click cmd in the Programs list, and then click Run as administrator.

If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type your password or click Continue

At the command prompt, type the following line, and then press ENTER:

sfc /scannow

When the scan is complete, test to see whether the issue that you are experiencing is resolved.

Let us know if that doesn't work.

Thanks,

---

Gloria

Microsoft Answers Support Engineer

Visit our Microsoft Answers Feedback Forum and let us know what you think.