WinXX Help File Problems

Recently, users have experienced problems with the Help feature provided in the various WinXX applications (Win96, Win97, and Win99). When attempting to use the Help feature, by pressing F1 or via the Help menu, a Help window would be displayed. The Index or Table of Contents would appear on the left, as expected, but the right-hand pane would display an error message. This problem is caused by a recent Microsoft security update which addresses a potential vulnerability with Windows' HTML Help. Unfortunately, the "fix" provided by the update seems to break many existing Help files.

If you are experiencing problems loading one (or more) of the WinXX programs' Help files, try the following. (Note: the text below specifically describes Win96, but the procedure is the same for Win97 and Win99).

If the Help window appears, but the right-hand pane says "Action canceled", "The page cannot be displayed", or something similar:
1. Open Windows Explorer, and navigate to the directory where you installed Win96
2. Right-click on the file Win96Help.chm and select "Properties"
3. Select the "General" tab
4. If there is a button or checkbox labeled "Unblock", click it
5. Click the OK button, and try to use Help from within Win96
If you see an error message that says "Unable to locate the file Win96Help.chm", and you're using a shortcut to run Win96:
1. Right-click on the shortcut and select "Properties"
2. On the "Shortcut" tab, make sure the "Start in" field points to the directory where Win96.EXE resides. For example, if the "Target" field shows "C:\Program Files\WinXX\Win96.exe", make sure "Start in" contains "C:\Program Files\WinXX"

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