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Author Topic: Windows Help Reader that can read both .chm and .hlp?  (Read 20775 times)

MilesAhead

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Windows Help Reader that can read both .chm and .hlp?
« on: November 09, 2011, 07:08 PM »
I recommended a free help reader I found online a couple of years ago that could read both .hlp and .chm formats.  I can't recall the name of it though.

Anyone familiar with such a dual format help reader freeware?

rgdot

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MilesAhead

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Re: Windows Help Reader that can read both .chm and .hlp?
« Reply #2 on: November 09, 2011, 07:27 PM »
Thanks for the reply.  But this was a few years ago when MS released Vista with no WinHlp32.exe on the machines.  I found some freeware that could display both the .hlp and .chm formats.  But I can't find a reference, bookmark, or download that rings a bell.

It's terrible when the memory acts up. :)

IainB

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Re: Windows Help Reader that can read both .chm and .hlp?
« Reply #3 on: November 09, 2011, 08:16 PM »
On my Win7-64:
.HLP files (this is an old/obsolete standard format) are opened by Microsoft Help.
.CHM files (this is the current standard) are opened by Microsoft HTML Help Executable.

I have recently been playing around with programs that can output to these formats, but I have not come across a proggy that can write to both or will read both.
I would be interested to know if you find anything like this.

MilesAhead

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Re: Windows Help Reader that can read both .chm and .hlp?
« Reply #4 on: November 09, 2011, 08:22 PM »
I found this one:

http://download.cnet...661.html?tag=mncol;1

I don't think it was the one I was looking for.  I saw a comment on another board that it's "shareware" that's gone out of development. The comment stated that it doesn't expire though. According to the sales copy it can read .hlp and htmlhelp 1.0 and 2.0.

I could get a download from that site.  But since I don't need it I haven't installed. I was just looking since someone was having problems getting WinHlp32.exe to work on Vista.  Drove me crazy I couldn't remember the other help reader. I could have sword it had a 'k' in the name somewhere.  But I can't find any download or the program on my system.

Oh well. If you try this one let me know if it works. If it's good I'll recommend to others before c-net pulls the download.

IainB

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Re: Windows Help Reader that can read both .chm and .hlp?
« Reply #5 on: November 09, 2011, 10:11 PM »
If you have already downloaded Help Explorer Viewer, I would be grateful if you could make it accessible (or email it) to me please. I can't find that file except it's on these sites that insist on forcing their spamming download proggy on you.

Curt

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Re: Windows Help Reader that can read both .chm and .hlp?
« Reply #6 on: November 10, 2011, 05:43 PM »
-the linked file is a download manager, so I didn't run it.


MilesAhead

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Re: Windows Help Reader that can read both .chm and .hlp?
« Reply #7 on: November 10, 2011, 06:02 PM »
The only download page I found that wasn't blanked is c-net. So I have no more access than anyone else.

The only related download I found is this:

http://www.softpedia...r-Software-7607.html


Curt

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Re: Windows Help Reader that can read both .chm and .hlp?
« Reply #8 on: November 10, 2011, 06:14 PM »
I couldn't help my curiosity, so I logged in and grabbed the file. It is 11MB, 22.6MB unpacked, and from 2006/2007. It comes with both a full set of files and an installer, so you have the choice of installing or just moving the unzipped folder to Program Files. Java/Firefox 3 -related error messages seems mandatory:

2011-11-11_005232.gif

2011-11-11_005724.gif

2011-11-11_005350.gif


click to enlarge:

2011-11-11_005134.gifWindows Help Reader that can read both .chm and .hlp?





MilesAhead

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Re: Windows Help Reader that can read both .chm and .hlp?
« Reply #9 on: November 10, 2011, 06:20 PM »
I found my old post.  The program was KeyHH.exe

Seems anyplace I try to download the browser just hangs or I get routed to some system cleaner utility download.  Really bizarre. I know I was using this when Vista came out.


Here's an old AutoIt3 post where someone was using it for AutoIt3 program help:

http://www.autoitscr...earch__1#entry170454


MilesAhead

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Re: Windows Help Reader that can read both .chm and .hlp?
« Reply #10 on: November 10, 2011, 06:42 PM »
I found this page with a download link:

Download at your own risk!

http://forum.hippoed...c78c7be98fcb10c84d92

down the page you'll see a link to download KeyHH.exe 24 kb command line program.

It comes up clean scanned with Malwarebytes, but that may not mean anything.

I don't know why this thing is so hard to get.

PhilB66

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Re: Windows Help Reader that can read both .chm and .hlp?
« Reply #11 on: November 10, 2011, 10:39 PM »
If you have already downloaded Help Explorer Viewer, I would be grateful if you could make it accessible (or email it) to me please. I can't find that file except it's on these sites that insist on forcing their spamming download proggy on you.

Download from http://web.archive.o...are.com/download.php

PhilB66

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Re: Windows Help Reader that can read both .chm and .hlp?
« Reply #12 on: November 10, 2011, 10:45 PM »
KeyHelp 1.2 - KeyHelp augments HTML Help by providing native HTML popups, embedded windows, an auto-sizing secondary window, content-level Information Types, and and various script extenstions.
 
KeyHH 1.1 - KeyHH is a program that augments HTML Help by providing a replacement for HH.EXE that allows you to make multiple calls which are displayed in a single window.
 
KeyTools 1.0 - KeyTools is a set of utilities for managing the WinHelp and HTML Help systems on your computer, and for optimizing those help systems for better performance.
 
HTML Help Switcher 1.3 - HHSwitch is a testing utility that allows you to switch between the various versions of HTML Help.


All available for download from http://web.archive.o...http://keyworks.net/

MilesAhead

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Re: Windows Help Reader that can read both .chm and .hlp?
« Reply #13 on: November 10, 2011, 11:40 PM »
Interesting archive link.  Thanks, I've bookmarked it.

It's weird how some of this stuff disappears so fast.

IainB

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Re: Windows Help Reader that can read both .chm and .hlp?
« Reply #14 on: November 11, 2011, 02:31 AM »
Thanks for those links.     :Thmbsup:

 I have downloaded and am about to play with them all.