HELP AND SUPPORT MISSING

jimnjack,

Have you tried using your System Restore?

I've restored back onemonth and still no HELP and SUPPORT menus. I've only had the computer 2 months -- is there any way to find the file and relink it?

Look for the folder C:\WINDOWS\PCHEALTH\HELPCTR\System_OEM. Does it exist on your system? If so, do you see the file "HomePage_Desktop.htm" in there? If that folder is corrupted, System Restore will not help, since it is configured by default to not monitor it. If you have the folder, but not the file I was mentioning, you can simply delete it, and will be back to the default Windows XP help system at least. You can also reinstall the Help System Customizations from Dell if that is what you want.

I do have the C:\WINDOWS\PCHEALTH\HELPCTR\System_OEM folder and the Homepage_Desktop. I just feel the link is not there for the START MENU -- HELP and SUPPORT button to open this up. What is the difference between this HELP AND SUPPORT and the default Windows XP HELP system if I would delete this file? Also, (sorry to be so long), but where can I go to reinstall the Help System Customizations from Dell?

- I do have the
- C:\WINDOWS\PCHEALTH\HELPCTR\System_OEM folder and
- the Homepage_Desktop. I just feel the link is not
- there for the START MENU -- HELP and SUPPORT button
- to open this up.

Hmm, what happens if you double-click on that file? If you do that, the Help Center should open in IE. Next question: Does the file C:\WINDOWS\PCHEALTH\HELPCTR\Binaries\HelpCtr.exe exist? What happens if you run that?

- What is the difference between
- this HELP AND SUPPORT and the default Windows XP
- HELP system if I would delete this file?

Not much: You won't have that fancy background image with the Dell logo, and the links to Dell Support will not be there.

- Also,
- (sorry to be so long), but where can I go to
- reinstall the Help System Customizations from Dell?

Well, if you can open Homepage_Desktop.htm using at least one of the methods described above, then your System_OEM folder is not the culprit, and deleting the OEM folder will not do you any good. That would be the end of my rope, then.

http://www.derfisch.de/xpnf.htm

answer to question 19.

Create a text file and paste the following lines between --beginn-- and --end-- into
that text file. Rename the text file to i.e. help.reg, double-click it.

Be careful you're going to edit your registry!

This patch worked on my Dell Inspiron 8200. Help and Support do work fine
now and msinfo32 work again too.

STJ / 10. Juni 2003

-------------------------- beginn --------------------------
REGEDIT4
; Restore Help access in Windows XP caused by ToniArts EasyCleaner
; 12:21 AM 10/10/2001
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\CLASSES\TypeLib\{FC7D9E00-3F9E-11D3-93C0-00C04F72DAF7}\1.0\0\win32]
@="C:\\WINDOWS\\PCHealth\\HelpCtr\\Binaries\\HelpCtr.exe\\1"
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\CLASSES\TypeLib\{FC7D9E00-3F9E-11D3-93C0-00C04F72DAF7}\1.0\HELPDIR]
@="C:\\WINDOWS\\PCHealth\\HelpCtr\\Binaries\\HelpCtr.exe\\"
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\CLASSES\TypeLib\{FC7D9000-3F9E-11D3-93C0-00C04F72DAF7}\1.0\0\win32]
@="C:\\WINDOWS\\PCHealth\\HelpCtr\\Binaries\\HelpCtr.exe\\2"
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\CLASSES\TypeLib\{FC7D9000-3F9E-11D3-93C0-00C04F72DAF7}\1.0\HELPDIR]
@="C:\\WINDOWS\\PCHealth\\HelpCtr\\Binaries\\HelpCtr.exe\\"
-------------------------- ende --------------------------