Comments on: Windows Help program (WinHlp32.exe) is no longer included with Windows

By: louise tilley

louise tilley — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 09:13:34 +0000

i have just bought a computor with vista on it and cannot create a backup of my books – needs winhlp32.exe – have been on microsofts download site, been sent around in circles – i have a computor with xp pro on it – can i find the file there and try to install on vista? pse advise

By: eggpap

eggpap — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 13:17:07 +0000

I’ve installed winhlp for Vista, but the hlp files are neither visible from the “helped” task nor running the hlp file alone.
The only thing has changed after the update is the message I get from Vista. Before I got the invitation to download the winhlp version for Vista, after the update I got the message “Impossible to open the help file. Try to open the new file. If you gat always this message try to copy the new file on a new unit and retry”

By: Tom Midgley

Tom Midgley — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 09:38:56 +0000

FYI there is a broken link in the comments :

http://annoyances.com/exec/show/article07-500

should read

http://annoyances.org/exec/show/article07-500

.org not .com

By: Al Negron

Al Negron — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 22:20:52 +0000

I have a customer who needed to look at the help file for one of our company’s programs. He is on a new laptop from Toshiba and he went to the M$ link for the winhlp32.exe download. After downloading, he started having problems with the laptop. He tried to restore to a previous point but that didn’t work. He can’t uninstall winhlp because it doesn’t show up anywhere. Micro$oft says call Toshiba, Toshiba says nothing should be wrong. Any ideas?

By: Usable Help - So long, WinHelp

Usable Help - So long, WinHelp — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 16:33:06 +0000

[...] So long, WinHelp The Hackzine website provides a fix for broken Help in Windows Vista. The venerable WinHelp engine, which debuted with Window 3.1, is not included with Vista. Attempting to access help files supplied in WinHelp format (.hlp) opens a Windows Help and Support page entitled “Why Can’t I Get Help From This Program?” Chris Pirillo predicts that Microsoft will reverse this decision in the future, but for now you must download the missing and unsupported engine from Microsoft to restore access to your Help. See also: So Long, Clippy. [...]

By: 思考と習作: Windows HelpはVistaには入ってないらしい

思考と習作: Windows HelpはVistaには入ってないらしい — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 06:26:48 +0000

[...] Windows HelpはVistaには入ってないらしいリンク：Windows Help program (WinHlp32.exe) is no longer included with Windows ~ Chris Pirillo 紹介元：Windows Help files not supported in Vista – Download Squad Windows3.1の頃から使用されていた、Windows Help(WinHlp32.exe)はVistaには含まれていないらしい。 Technorati Tags: WinHlp32.exe, Vista, Windows Help 昔のHelpファイルを見たい人は、今年の早い時期にMicrosoft社が用意する該当プログラムをサイトからダウンロードしてインストールしないと見る事が出来ないと．．．○｜￣｜＿ ●お探し物は見つかりましたか？まだの方は以下の検索をご利用下さい。 [...]

By: Rob in Denver

Rob in Denver — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 23:19:27 +0000

There’s a workaround:

http://annoyances.com/exec/show/article07-500

By: Karl Sheldon

Karl Sheldon — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 21:56:54 +0000

Hmm just hit this one for my self, stupid, follow the link, hmm Not included as its not been developed for a long time, but the 16 bit version is included !! Then it says that the updated download will be available – hmm When !! What a stupid situation, just include it on the DVD in an extras folder if it needs some thought before install – Vista does seem rushed and unfinished in places for sure – even after all this time !

By: Reality

Reality — Sat, 03 Feb 2007 09:41:18 +0000

To be fair, Microsoft claims security concerns with winhlp32.exe for wanting to get rid of it. The replacement HTML Help .chm files have been around since Windows 98. But still no word on when the winhlp32 download will be available. WinHelp.exe is for 16 bit .hlp files and the winhlp32.exe included in Windows Vista is only there to show you the error message.

By: Reality

Reality — Sat, 03 Feb 2007 09:06:32 +0000

Nicholas is wrong. Pfft!!! The very reason Microsoft is doing this is because developers are still using winhlp32.exe and they want to force them to stop! But the result of this stupid decision is that none of your 32 bit .hlp files are usable. Do a search and you probably have a thousand of them on your system! Vista was released last month and there STILL is no download for this from Microsoft.

By: Nas

Nas — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 15:32:21 +0000

Well, the WinHlp32.exe file exists in the Windows installation directory. From my Vista Business install (fresh install on Thursday of last week), it is compiled on 11/02/2006. Meanwhile, there is also a WinHelp.exe file, too.

By: Jody Fanning

Jody Fanning — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 07:02:06 +0000

Actually it is going to be a huge pain in the %&!#. Where I work we have several applications that were developed 8 years ago and are still supported. They all use .HLP files. So now we have to migrate them all to HTMLHelp. Doesn’t help at all that they are compiled in MFC under Visual Studio 6 and that version of MFC doesn’t have direct support for HTMLHelp. Very sucky.

By: Eric Ellenberg

Eric Ellenberg — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 03:17:51 +0000

You should be glad they’re getting rid of the old help system. It’s ugly. If MS had made more moves like this with Vista, we wouldn’t see crap like the Add Font dialog still around…

By: Harry

Harry — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 13:50:41 +0000

I just found this out when I installed Vista Business and then installed some old help programs that I wanted to use. The MLS Style Guide, Crafty Guide Research, and the Chicago Style Guide. These are useful guides and I hope I will be able to use them again.

Does anyone know of any other guides of this type that I can use? Thanks

By: Windows Help program (WinHlp32.exe) is no longer included with Windows Vista » D’ Technology Weblog — Technology, Blogging, Gadgets, Fashion, Life Style.

Sat, 27 Jan 2007 12:45:32 +0000

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