Unable To Display Help error in Access 2007

[victorcamp]

Platform: Microsoft Access 2007 on Vista

When I hit F1 for context-sensitive help within the Visual Basic editor, I
get the error: "Unable to display help." Its only explanation is that it
can't find the Help .exe file. If I choose Help from the menu and search for
the item, it usually finds it. This error happens with common items like
"OpenForm" or "QueryDef". VBA has always been very good at bringing up Help
via F1 when the cursor is on a language term. I've checked the references,
and all the correct ones are checked and working; there are no compile
errors.

How do I fix the busted link? Where and how are the various help files
managed? Is there a place (e.g., Registry) that all the VBA help files are
listed, along with their appropriate paths? How does it coordinate the
searching of the various help files, and is that something that needs to be
regenerated?

 

[Cindy M.]

Hi Victorcamp,

Since you haven't gotten a response here, try in a newsgroup dedicated to
Access.

Platform: Microsoft Access 2007 on Vista

When I hit F1 for context-sensitive help within the Visual Basic editor, I
get the error: "Unable to display help." Its only explanation is that it
can't find the Help .exe file.

Cindy Meister
INTER-Solutions, Switzerland
http://homepage.swissonline.ch/cindymeister (last update Jun 17 2005)
http://www.word.mvps.org

This reply is posted in the Newsgroup; please post any follow question or
reply in the newsgroup and not by e-mail

 

[victorcamp]

I have since posted this question to several other newsgroups, none of which
prompted a reply. I then even got Microsoft involved, and he, too, got the
error. Though he has not replied with updated info in the last week, I hope
it prompted Microsoft to look into it.

Incidentally, I found some additional conditions as to when it errors and
when it doesn't.

This is the followup I sent last Friday to the Microsoft Help tech:

-----Quote:-----
I found a new twist on when Help works and when it doesn't!

When I first open Access 2007 and go directly to the VB Editor and click F1
on, for example, "OpenRecordset" or "QueryDefs", it opens Access Help
correctly and gives me the proper reference, in the Access 2007 Help style.

If I then click F1 on "Database", it shows two choices in a small
intermediate popup: "VBA", "DAO". Choosing either one of those, it brings up
a Help file (though neither example is of the Object type). From that point
on, going back to either of the other keywords produces the error "Unable to
load Help".

If I close Access and reopen it, the F1 Help again works properly, up to the
point of choosing something from that small intermediate popup. (That is, if
I get the small popup offering a choice, but cancel it, the other Help
continues to work properly.)

Since that small intermediate popup is in the old VBA Help style (going back
to Access 95), and the new style brings up the full Help system with choices
listed as links, that tells me that certain Help files re-orient Help to the
old style in memory only. Once Access 2007 has looked up something in an
old-style Help file, it has trouble jumping back to the new style.

Since I now know this quirk in the Help system, I can avoid it or work
around it. Perhaps the Access designers can come up with a fix in a later
update.
----------

 

[Cindy M.]

Hi Victorcamp,

I then even got Microsoft involved, and he, too, got the
error. Though he has not replied with updated info in the last week, I hope
it prompted Microsoft to look into it.

If you get an answer, I'd be interested in what might cause this. I have a
similar problem with Web Expression that I never was able to straighten out.

I've been told that, given the quality of that help, I'm not missing anything
But still, it would be nice to see what's there.

Cindy Meister
INTER-Solutions, Switzerland
http://homepage.swissonline.ch/cindymeister (last update Jun 17 2005)
http://www.word.mvps.org

This reply is posted in the Newsgroup; please post any follow question or
reply in the newsgroup and not by e-mail

 

[Terry UK]

Hi

I had a similar problem a number of years back with Office 2000 on Windows
2000.

It cropped up again on XP so I refered back to the original Microsoft
article I found at the time.

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;249065

It solved the problem again.

I hope it helps you.