Help and Support Centre

[georgeb]

Apologies if this has been asked before. I am using Windows XP Home Edition and for some reason the Help and Support link is no longer working. When I click Help and Support the mouse changes to an hour glass then nothing.

This was working a few weeks ago and I have installed new application software but nothing that I imagine would confict with XP Help and Support.

Any suggestions would be most appreciated.

Thanks

George

[snowmonkey]

DO you mean Microsoft Support Center: http://support.microsoft.com/
of some other site ?

cheers

[georgeb]

Sorry I was referring to the Help in Windows XP itself - Start > Help and Support.

George

[snowmonkey]

Did you try to force it manually by pressing F1 ?


cheers

[georgeb]

Yes I've tried that but to no avail.

I suspect something in the Registry has changed (or been changed) but I don't know where to look and I'm reluctant to mess around with it.

Thanks

George

[Jazz]

Hi georgeb

Browse to C:\WINDOWS\inf - right click on pchealth.inf and select Install. Have your XP CD handy.

NB It is a hidden folder by default, therefore, Tools > Folder Options > View > check 'Show hidden files and folders' and uncheck 'Hide extensions for known file types' and 'Hide protected operating system files'.

[georgeb]

I've tried that but unfortunately Windows XP Home Edition was pre-installed on my (Fujitsu Siemens) PC and the only CD available is their OEM Recovery CD and it cannot locate the relevant files in order to re-install Help and Support.

Any other suggestions?

Thanks George

[Jazz]

That is the correct and preferred method to reinstall Help and Support on XP.

However, if you really want to reinstall Help and Support, without using the online M$ Technical Database (Knowledge Base), then backup all your important data, etcetera, Fdisk your computer and reinstall your system as per your OEM Recovery CD.

Better still, if you have a genuine qualifying Windows 98/ME/W2K CD, then you can invest in a genuine Windows XP upgrade CD and perform a full 'clean install', which is the correct way to install any OS, IMO.

Fdisk: -

http://www.blackviper.com/Articles/OS/fdisk/fdisk1.htm

Clean Install: -

http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/cleanxpinstall.html

Good luck anyway………