Some expanded notes related to this Thread Post https://eileenslounge.com/viewtopic....569efb#p281642

…. Associating wonks…
We are looking for a solution to get the .hlp files to come up when double clicking on it
In particular here, we are investigating a suggested solution which involves doing once something of this form:
- Right-click a .hlp file.
- Select Open With... from the context menu.
- If you see winhlp32.exe, select it and tick the check box 'Always use this app to open .hlp files'. then click OK.
- If not, click 'More apps', then scroll down and select 'Look for another app on this PC'.
- Browse to C:\Windows\System32, locate and select winhlp32, then click OK.
In short: that works well. I had success with this. Sometimes some tweaking was necessary… The following are the notes from that.

Vista

I had a couple of different situations which required different actions to get the thing working
Situation 1 ( Vista )
On some Vista computers, double clicking on a .hlp does nothing.
Right clicking on a .hlp file gave me an error, which in English translates to something like
No program is assigned to the file to carry out this action. Create an assignment in the "Control Panel" under "Assignments".
I went looking where that error told me to look, but such a thing did not exist. By luck, on typing in the suggested thing in the explorer top right search bar, I saw something along the lines of Standard Program , which looked promising
After clicking around a bit I Got to a window similar to what you often get after a ---Right-click on a file ---- - Select Open With ---- action
I then did something which is my German equivalent of something like Look for another app on this PC'.
- Browse to C:\Windows\System32, locate and select winhlp32.exe , then click OK.. ( I don’t yet have my winhlp32.exe at a typical Windows system type place. So I navigated to where it was and did the German equivalent of select and OK on it. )
That seemed to do the job, - then after a double click on my .hlp file opened it up
( Note however, that whilst the double left click opens the help file, the right click followed by Open With still gives me the original error )


Situation 2 (Vista)
This is the more common situation.
Double clicking on a .hlp file brings up a window telling you that the hlp stuff is out of date and unsupported . ( You will find a lot of reports on the internet from people who see this window a lot. Often this process and/or the associated file is somehow referred to with the word “Stub”** ).
Right clicking on the .hlp file and selecting Open With shows you that some program is assigned. -** A general concept similar to this may be referred to as a “help stub” , a sort of Microsoft support but without any support at all. All of the downloads suggested there, or at other Internet sites , either aren’t available anymore, or don’t work.
If you simply ignore the suggested “stub” file association , then browse to find the winhlp32.exe where ever you have it, then select it and then OK.
1_RightClickOpüenWith 2_Browse 3_Select 4_Open(Select) 5_OK
That seemed to do the job, - there after, a double click on my .hlp file opened it up


A last Note on Vista
I don’t have an infinite number of Vista machines, and based on some googling I expect sometimes a solution like I needed in my Windows 7 machines might be needed: Start using keys MicrosoftSymbol+r or some similar route via the start menu ( bottom left Microsoft Symbol ). …_
Microsoft Symbol Run.JPG , GetIntoVistaRegisterEditor.JPG : http://i.imgur.com/VwprMgF.jpg ; http://i.imgur.com/ai1s0JN.jpg
_.. etc.. as in next section Windows 7 for how to to delete a file association …
Even if the dissociation is not necessary , it does Appear to tidy things up a bit. The disassociation clears away the Stub, and if you then re do the right click open with browse Select OK stuff, the stub will be replaced by the Microsoft help – It is the Registry entry in HKEY_CURRENT_USER ….. which is responsible for the Stub unhelpful help window

Windows 7
Initially the situation appeared to be similar to that last situation 2 Vista: Right clicking on the file gets me an open with option, and that suggest some program is assigned to it.
Double clicking on a .hlp file brings up a window telling you that the hlp stuff is out of date and unsupported
At this point it differs from the Vista situation, in that after doing, (from that right click , open with) the browsing, selecting, OK stuff, we find the situation has not changed and we have the same situation as at the beginning.
_... I followed the first part of this How to delete a file association in Windows 7 ***
After this, I got as they suggested at that link, on a right click on a help file, a new window
I then find that the working solution is to do something via the Control panel, similar to the very first situation 1 Vista
http://i.imgur.com/cD7mrtT.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/oJ0in2l.jpg
I finally end up with these ( new ) registry entries
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.hpl http://i.imgur.com/wz8jVsr.jpg
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.hlp\OpenWithList http://i.imgur.com/ulLwM3T.jpg
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.hlp\OpenWithProgids http://i.imgur.com/INpVZNE.jpg



*** Using unassoc.exe https://eileenslounge.com/viewtopic....281746#p281746 , https://app.box.com/s/e7dd2hopzyinrrb2fdkk72scikw4rr6n
https://www.winhelponline.com/blog/u...ndows-7-vista/
An alternative for disassociating …
Vista: I examined the two entries, HKEY_CURRENT_USER ….. and HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT , in the registry before and then after below.
Using the software , unassoc.exe , I only had the the second delete option : http://i.imgur.com/mEB7aLo.jpg , http://i.imgur.com/QkXP0Ip.jpg , http://i.imgur.com/jJWVIXP.jpg
The .hlp no longer appears in the list after taking that delete option
The software seemsed to take off the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.hlp only: Even after a computer restart, the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.hlp is still there
After following the usual way to re associate, the .hlp reappears in the list, but the removed entry does not re appear for HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT … so I have no HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT Here is the after for the other
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.hlp\OpenWithList http://i.imgur.com/1npC9iP.jpg
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.hlp\OpenWithProgids http://i.imgur.com/Y4uRKQi.jpg
Initially I seemed to have success.
The icon was blue suddenly. Double clicking stopped working and instead resorted back to the help that’s no help window.
After following the usual way to re associate, the icon turned yellow, the automatic opening worked, and an entry re appeared at
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT http://i.imgur.com/nJzZYn7.jpg


Windows 7: The two entries appeared to be the same as in Vista
On running the software, I appear to have both options available. http://i.imgur.com/UUjBg8L.jpg
So I tried the first option first http://i.imgur.com/wiFxg7M.jpg , after which the first option became greyed out, http://i.imgur.com/fJGSmfN.jpg
The .hlp still appears in the list , and both entries are still in the registry, and the right click-Open With-Browse-Select/Open- my downloaded winhlp.exe association thing does not result in a successful opening of the .hlp file on double clicking on it. ( Note: the right click-Open With-Browse-Select/Open- my downloaded winhlp.exe association thing brings back the first option
Taking the second option, http://i.imgur.com/IO2MxTj.jpg , http://i.imgur.com/msWhKn5.jpg , removes the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.hlp only and removes the .hlp in the unassoc.exe list.
After this we lose the blue question mark icon, and have no rightclick OpenWith option, and on double clicking on the, now plain, icon, we get the new window. http://i.imgur.com/ZnFx1xx.jpg
Following the browsing from this new window appears to have no effect, other than strangely bringing back the blue question mark icon and the right click OpenWith option
The newly re available route of right click-Open With-Browse-Select/Open- my downloaded winhlp.exe association appears to have no effect.
At this point the situation is that in the Registry we have nothing in no HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT and no entry for .hlp in the unassoc.exe list.
Strangely we have now three entries in HKEY_CURRENT_USER …..
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.hlp\OpenWithList http://i.imgur.com/AxiJxxE.jpg
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.hlp\OpenWithProgids http://i.imgur.com/efTpjNQ.jpg
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.hlp\UserChoice http://i.imgur.com/C5p0aKn.jpg

So I now delete the registry HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.hlp … , which effectively leaves me with now no Registry entry.
Initially the .hlp file icon is blue , we have no OpenWith option and a double click leads to the new window. On a Computer restart , the blue question mark icon is replaced by no icon. unassoc.exe list has no .hlp and a single entry has appeared in the registry
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.hlp\OpenWithList http://i.imgur.com/Jz8zPFi.jpg
After double clicking I get the new window, and taking that route to make a new association , it takes some time before I get the window from which to browse. http://i.imgur.com/0GPeTGc.jpg
After this, all is OK, and note that the icon is yellow. http://i.imgur.com/W4TUt61.jpg
Here are the final Registries
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT http://i.imgur.com/O3lKV4b.jpg
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.hlp\OpenWithList http://i.imgur.com/jVacdaq.jpg
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.hlp\OpenWithProgids http://i.imgur.com/hwpbLdq.jpg
( a .gid File also appeared )
unassoc.exe has a .hlp , the first option is greyed out, and after trying the second option, the yellow ? on the icon disappeared., we are back to the new window only after double click option… etc…
In the registry I have these
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.hlp\OpenWithList http://i.imgur.com/A0Y7cbY.jpg
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.hlp\OpenWithProgids http://i.imgur.com/I3D3XEP.jpg
I repeat the new window associate route, finally all is yellow ? well and Registry entries again
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT http://i.imgur.com/JS1AjEJ.jpg
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.hlp\OpenWithList http://i.imgur.com/FjEcyC1.jpg
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.hlp\OpenWithProgids http://i.imgur.com/jnxXxd0.jpg