Windows 10: Can't read older *.hlp files on Windows-10

Some time ago I installed the fix given by Komeil Bahmanpour; it worked fine under Win10/64. I don't use .HLP often; when I recently invoked it, after updates including Win10 Anniversary, I got the infamous WinHlp32 stub message - Microsoft had taken over. I tried, as an alternative solution, to change the association of the .HLP extension to point to an XP WinHlp32.exe, but Microsoft wasn't having any of that.

While I expect that the solutions here work, to use help files occasionally, I have copied Win XP WinHlp32.exe (32-bit version works fine) onto a directory on my computer. If I need to open a help file I find its location (usually in the directory structure of a program invoking help, search it for .HLP files), then run WinHlp32.exe by clicking on it, and tell it to open the relevant .HLP file. It doesn't provide context-sensitive help, but otherwise is fine. I'm not recommending this as a solution in place of others given here, just a quick way to have access to .HLP files. (I don't know if this relies upon any localisation done with the original, overwritten, Komeil fix.)

HTH

 

Purely as a matter of interest: the file in page 2 of this thread identified as the x64 64-bit XP version of WinHlp32.exe is actually a 32-bit file, but with a higher version number, v5.2.3790.1830, than the "x86" file, v5.1.2600.5512. The PE header identifies both versions as 32-bit, and they both run fine under 32-bit Windows XP as well as 64-bit Windows 10. There's no problem: I expect either of these files will run under any 32- or 64-bit Windows of version XP or greater.

 

Every time there is a System Repair or Upgrade, Windows is overwriting the Win32Hlp.exe FIles.
With W10-AU, windows is not overwriting the files so easy, but a DISM Repair will give error and will not completed, this in case there are other Win32Hlp files manually put on System.
So, the best is to maintain the Komeil Fix somewhere and when it stops working just run Komeil Fix again.
I used the Windows 8.1 KB???? for the fix and modified Komeil Script for my needs.

 

worked like a charm except I had to change the owner of the original winhlp32.exe file to
Administrators first. I used the winhlp32.exe file suggested in another message.
I now have my offline help back in Office 97 under Windows 10.

 

From a while back
post25

 

Microsoft removed the ability to read .hlp files because .hlp format has an inherent security risk, it's possible to craft a malicious .hlp file. Is no one else concerned about this? I am, that's why I convert the .hlp files I need into the safe .chm format, as I described earlier.
Can't read older *.hlp files on Windows-10

 

Office 97 is SO twentieth century and running it on Win10 is very appalling *Mad

I run no less than either MS Office 2007 on any of my Win10 PCs - file formats for O2k7 are incompatible with Office 97 & earlier.

Microsoft revised support KB article 917607 in late October 2016 to note the following:

I don't think MS will ever develop an updated winhlp32 app for Win10. Anyways none of my apps use the old HLP files.

 

Hahaha. "Help not supported". What makes this funny is that the word "support" is a synonym for "help". Hence, Help is not helped.

Microsoft got jokes.

 

Apart from 'proof of concept' demonstrations that show it is possible to craft a malicious .hlp file, I think anyone would be hard put to find an example of any real world exploit using Windows help files.

The .CHM format is just as, if not more vulnerable as .hlp - to being crafted in such a way so that it can run malicious payloads from an external URL. In fact, the Cryptowall ransomware malware used exactly this method in 2015, described in the Bitdefender report at Cryptowall Makes a Comeback Via Malicious Help Files (CHM) – HOTforSecurity

However, there is nothing insecure in running help files in either .hlp or .chm format if the help files are supplied with bona fide software.

I had to*Roflmao2 when I read this. I didn't realise there were such ageist snobs about.

When you have been happily using an Office suite for 20 years, why change? The only difference between running Office 97 now and under Windows 98 on a i486 dx2 66, is that it flies on a modern machine.

Office 97 runs perfectly well on Windows 10, 32 or 64-bit (except for the .hlp files without applying the fixes stated earlier in this thread), and is much faster than recent office versions in use, and can utilise the Office 2007 file converters for office if needed.

I would challenge anyone to distinguish a printed document created in any version of Office from any other.

 

To only OPEN help files - but not as called from context help in software- just the files individually - you can create an association with the old win32hlp that you extract somewhere. But to enable context help there is no apparent solution but file replacement.

 

Context sensitivity, in two words.

 

Kissing the ground that this forum walks on. I'm using several old programs (Eudora 7, for one) for which the context help was broken, and I've sort of been thinking that was my problem. But today this fix solved the help access for an up-to-date tool that was really important to my career. And bonus: Eudora context help works just fine. *Smile Very happy.

 

Hi there

Why not load an XP Virtual machine and then convert all your .hlp files to xml / html or anything else that can be accessed by W10.

If you can find an XP .iso you can create the VM -- you have 30 days without needing a key before it stops working - I'm sure there are loads of places to find an XP .iso.

Use VBOX or VMWARE player (both free) to create the VM.

I find for any of these old formats using a VM to access / convert legacy file is still the best way by far to do this than mess around extracting "unofficial and unsupported" old .exe files and compromising your system.

On modern hardware with an SSD you can create an XP Guest in about 10 mins !!! - you don't need to install anything other than the bog standard install and then from within the VM install VM additions if using VBOX or VMWARE tools if using VMware --this will fix things like proper Video resolution etc.

Here's an XP Virtual Machine running on VMware (old Icelandic version) which can access Windows 10 files and files from 2 NAS boxes (Samba servers running CENTOS 7) (and of course the other way round too so file transfer not a problem).






Cheers

jimbo

 

Thanks for attaching the winhlp file - works as advertised!

 

Thanks for the procedure - easy fix. I'll be sure to pass on the credit.