"the_ol_bonehead" <nospam@nowhere.com> wrote in message
news:uvbn1uW$DHA.916@TK2MSFTNGP10.phx.gbl...
> MSDN is installed, and help is accessible, but not via F1, etc.
>
> I've installed, uninstalled, installed again, and repaired.
>
> Nothing has helped.
>
> I don't understand why I can't find a solution to or an explanation for
what
> is apparently a common problem. I've seen a few posts here from others
> without adequate response, and I have searched microsoft.com, msdn, etc.,
> and the best I've been able to come up with so far is an explanation that
> kinda suggests the problem is by design and that does not in any way fix
the
> problem (though it pretends to).
>

"Justine Fang" <v-jfang@online.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:vrOYkwz$DHA.1268@cpmsftngxa06.phx.gbl...
> Hello,
>
> Thank you for your post here. Based on your description, you have the
> following two problems: 1. You are not able to access the MSDN help within
> the VS .NET IDE and 2. You receive some error (what error?) when you click
> on "Check for Updates". Based on my experience, these two issues are never
> said to be unresolved. I'll try to help you as follows:
>
> 1. Please go and check if your MSDN discs are labelled as "January 2003".
> If this is the case, your product package may contain the wrong MSDN
> library which can not be integrated in the VS .NET 2003 IDE. Please
contact
> Microsoft Support to ask for a free replacement.
>
> 2. As you mentioned, the "check for updates" feature always fails. Do you
> receive any specific error message? We have resolved some similar issues
by
> doing a REGSVR32 on URLMON.DLL. Please give it a try.
>
> Regards,
>
> Justine Fang
> Microsoft Online Partner Support
> Get Secure! - www.microsoft.com/security
> This posting is provided "as is" with no warranties and confers no rights.
>

"Peter van der Goes" <p_vandergoes@toadstool.u> wrote in message
news:OU8TJsf$DHA.1548@TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl...

> <snip>
>
> Have you tried this potential solution?
> "This article contains instructions for backing up, editing, and restoring
> the registry. Here's the URL:
> http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;256986
>
> With that said, here's the correction to attempt:
> There may be a flaw in the registry for the MSDN Visual Studio 2003
> documentation collection. Run the tool named regedit.exe (the Registry
> Editor). Open the tree on the left-hand side as shown below.
>
> HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
> SOFTWARE
> Microsoft
> VisualStudio
> 7.1
> Help
> 0x0409
> {32AF11EA-A804-47bd-BDAE-31653BD0CDD9}
>
> (Note that if you are using a language other than English-US, the
> hexadecimal value after "Help" will be different than shown above.)
>
> Select the long value enclosed in the curly braces. Then in the right side
> of the registry editor, look at the value named "VS_Docs". The data
> associated with that value should be "7.1". If it instead says "Not
> supported", then that string needs to be changed. To change it,
double-click
> the "VS_Docs" name, which opens that value in a small dialog box. In the
> "Value data" box, change "Not supported" to "7.1".
> Close the registry editor and restart Visual Studio.
>
> Do NOT change the "VS_Docs" data value for any other elements that you
find
> in that part of the registry."
>
>
> --
> Peter [MVP Academic]

"the_ol_bonehead" <nospam@nowhere.com> wrote in message
news:uH$6ya6$DHA.1224@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl...
> Hey, that worked!
>
> Don't know why I couldn't find it for myself ... just an ol bonehead, I
> guess.
>
> Thanks, Peter, for the help.
>