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Thread: [RESOLVED] "Unable to Display Help" Error for VB 6, VC 6

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    Resolved [RESOLVED] "Unable to Display Help" Error for VB 6, VC 6

    For several years I have been using more recent VB.NET versions of Visual Basic for development, such as currently in Visual Studio 8. Recently, I had a need in my work to return to using VB 6 Pro SP6 which I have kept installed on my personal WinXP Pro computer.

    When I try to open the Help function in VB6, say by selecting Help/Contents from the Help menu in the VB6 IDE, all I get is an error popup that says "Unable to Display Help" and that is it. No Help information is available from within the VB 6 IDE anywhere, such as when entering code in a form Code screen.

    I have refreshed/reinstalled VB6 itself (from the Add/Remove app's Reinstall/Modify function, and I have installed the MSDN Library for Visual Studio 6 new (I also have MSDN 1999 on this PC), and the information is available if I just run the MSDN apps independently, all the files and such are there and in perfect working order. They are just not linked to the VB 6 application any longer.

    Nor are the Help functions available in VC** 6 Pro, which I also have installed. I do get another message that says a control is missing, and asks that I reinstall VC+ 6, but when I did so (by repeating the installation again as with VB 6) it also did not help. I also tried reinstalling the MSDN apps, no differnce.

    I have no doubt this is somehow related to the later versions of VS I have installed over the years since I used VB 6, I have been adding each newer version of VS as it comes out, but I thought I could keep the VB 6 on the same PC.

    Can anyone help me find the problem? Does anyone have a solution for this problem?

    Thanks
    Pete B

  2. #2

  3. #3

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    Re: "Unable to Display Help" Error for VB 6, VC 6

    Quote Originally Posted by MartinLiss View Post
    I don't remember what the name of the help file is (it's some dll) but it probably just needs to be registered.
    I am aware of that, the file name is VSHelp.dll From KB Article #250334 which describes this problem and gives that solution). I found the dll, but when I tried to register it I got the following message:

    "...VSHelp was loaded but the dll register server entry point was not found. This file cannot be registered".

    Thanks for the reply

    Pete B

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    Re: "Unable to Display Help" Error for VB 6, VC 6

    MartinLiss, I am eternally grateful to you, that resolved the problem!!

    Many thanks
    Pete B

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  7. #7

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    Re: [RESOLVED] "Unable to Display Help" Error for VB 6, VC 6

    Right, him too!!

    Thanks all. That download did the trick..

    Pete B

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    Re: [RESOLVED] "Unable to Display Help" Error for VB 6, VC 6

    Problem solved, thank you very much.

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    Cool Re: [RESOLVED] "Unable to Display Help" Error for VB 6, VC 6

    Quote Originally Posted by MartinLiss View Post
    Did you mean to reply to this thread? It's 6 years old.
    I am reinstalling VB6 and your post served me. Thank you very much for the tip.

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    Re: [RESOLVED] "Unable to Display Help" Error for VB 6, VC 6

    Quote Originally Posted by cpmario View Post
    I am reinstalling VB6 and your post served me. Thank you very much for the tip.
    If anyone reading this installs the latest version of the help, you may find that it is dominated with VB.NET stuff.
    The help was released AFTER VB6 came out, and MS decided to quietly announce that -
    'If you applied, they will give you a years subscription to MSDN'. The MSDN CDs came quarterly.
    They kept updating the Help, but as more .NET stuff was added, more VB6 stuff disappeared (or were harder to find).
    I settled on OCT 2000 (from memory)
    Additionally if you did not like juggling 4 CDs, you could get it as a single (quarterly) DVD instead.

    Rob

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    Re: [RESOLVED] "Unable to Display Help" Error for VB 6, VC 6


  13. #13
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    Re: [RESOLVED] "Unable to Display Help" Error for VB 6, VC 6

    Quote Originally Posted by cpmario View Post
    If they are legit, and free you should start a new thread, with a meaningful name. Not sure which of our forums would be best.
    Over the years, there have been many plaintiff cries (pleads) for integrated help in the VB6 IDE

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    Re: [RESOLVED] "Unable to Display Help" Error for VB 6, VC 6

    Very grateful!

    C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\VS98
    regsvr32 VSHELP.DLL

    I have been using Windows 10-32 bit for a long time and this got it working with 64-bit.

    Merry Christmas 2020

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