Help Center Failure

Good morning:

When I click Start/Help, I get the message "The initialization of the Help
Center failed.
Please report the following error number to Microsoft
support: -2147143679".

Any ideas?

Joe

Joe,

The error message you are seeing when attempting to open Help & Support is
probably the result of installing the recent KB911562 hotfix either via
Automatic Update or from the Windows Update site.

The following should fix the problem:
Download and install MDAC 2.8 SP1 from
http://download.microsoft.com/downlo...f/MDAC_TYP.EXE
Check whether you can now access Help & Support. You should hopefully now
be able to do this.
Now visit the Windows Update site download and install KB911562 again.
Don't worry the patch for MDAC 2.8 SP1 has none of the problems associated
with the patch for MDAC 2.8 which is I suspect the version you are running
at present.

Please post back and let us know how you got on.
--
Mike Maltby



Joe wrote:

Good morning:

When I click Start/Help, I get the message "The initialization of the
Help Center failed.
Please report the following error number to Microsoft
support: -2147143679".

Any ideas?

I can confirm that Mike Maltby's advice will/can work, as I just noticed
this problem here.
My first attempt to repair using the instructions in KB 274736, "Error
Message - The Initialization of the Help Center Failed",
which references a different error number- 2147024893- was unsuccessful.

Fortunately, a quick Clusty search found Noel Paton's advice from this past
summer on the same problem.
DL'ing and installing the MDAC 2.8 SP1 package, from the Windows Download
Center, followed by letting Win Updates scan for and request the KB 911562
update AGAIN, completely resolved the Help & Support failure here.

N.B. My original 911562 update was done here by Win Updates on 4/12/2006,
which gives you some idea of how often I use Help & Support.

Happy Holidays everyone!
--
Jack E. Martinelli Former MS MVP 2002-06 for Shell/User / DTS
Help us help you: http://www.dts-L.org/goodpost.htm
------

"Mike M" wrote in message
...
Joe,

The error message you are seeing when attempting to open Help & Support is
probably the result of installing the recent KB911562 hotfix either via
Automatic Update or from the Windows Update site.

The following should fix the problem:
Download and install MDAC 2.8 SP1 from

http://download.microsoft.com/downlo...f/MDAC_TYP.EXE
Check whether you can now access Help & Support. You should hopefully now
be able to do this.
Now visit the Windows Update site download and install KB911562 again.
Don't worry the patch for MDAC 2.8 SP1 has none of the problems associated
with the patch for MDAC 2.8 which is I suspect the version you are running
at present.

Please post back and let us know how you got on.
--
Mike Maltby



Joe wrote:

Good morning:

When I click Start/Help, I get the message "The initialization of the
Help Center failed.
Please report the following error number to Microsoft
support: -2147143679".

Any ideas?

Hi Jack - VERY long time, no see!

Good to see you on the WinMe NG's again and welcome 'home'

Mart


"Jack E Martinelli" wrote in message
...
I can confirm that Mike Maltby's advice will/can work, as I just noticed
this problem here.
snipped

Hi stranger!

Good to see you around Jack. Hope you are keeping well and enjoying life.

Cheers,
--
Mike


Jack E Martinelli wrote:

I can confirm that Mike Maltby's advice will/can work, as I just
noticed this problem here.
My first attempt to repair using the instructions in KB 274736, "Error
Message - The Initialization of the Help Center Failed",
which references a different error number- 2147024893- was
unsuccessful.

Fortunately, a quick Clusty search found Noel Paton's advice from
this past summer on the same problem.
DL'ing and installing the MDAC 2.8 SP1 package, from the Windows
Download Center, followed by letting Win Updates scan for and request
the KB 911562 update AGAIN, completely resolved the Help & Support
failure here.

N.B. My original 911562 update was done here by Win Updates on
4/12/2006, which gives you some idea of how often I use Help &
Support.

Jack how are you these days, you've been missed, I even tried sending you
an email to try and find out how you were.
Glad to see you back and hope you're not going to disappear again g
Joan


Mike M wrote:
Hi stranger!

Good to see you around Jack. Hope you are keeping well and enjoying
life.
Cheers,

I can confirm that Mike Maltby's advice will/can work, as I just
noticed this problem here.
My first attempt to repair using the instructions in KB 274736,
"Error Message - The Initialization of the Help Center Failed",
which references a different error number- 2147024893- was
unsuccessful.

Fortunately, a quick Clusty search found Noel Paton's advice from
this past summer on the same problem.
DL'ing and installing the MDAC 2.8 SP1 package, from the Windows
Download Center, followed by letting Win Updates scan for and request
the KB 911562 update AGAIN, completely resolved the Help & Support
failure here.

N.B. My original 911562 update was done here by Win Updates on
4/12/2006, which gives you some idea of how often I use Help &
Support.

"Jack E Martinelli" wrote:


Happy Holidays everyone!

Hello Jack.

Good to see you back in the newsgroups again.

Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP (1997 - 2006)
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca
Syberfix Remote Computer Repair

"Anyone who thinks that they are too small to make a difference
has never been in bed with a mosquito."

Hi, Mike:

I finally got a chance to deal with this. I installed MDAC 2.8 SP1 as
directed, I think. The installer called it SP1, and dasetup.log ends with:

Executing Action: REGMDACVERSION
arg1: '2.81.1117.6'
arg2: '(null)'
args: '"2.81.1117.6"'
REGMDACVERSION Version: '2.81.1117.6'
REGMDACVERSION Update FullInstallVer value from '2.80.1062.0' to
'2.81.1117.6'
REGMDACVERSION Setting FullInstallVer key to '2.81.1117.6'
Return HR: 0x0

But when I tried to install KB911562 ( I used the version specific to SP1) I
got an error message saying that the versions of the file and the hotfix do
not match or setup is unable to determine the version currently installed.
In this case, dahotfix_3.log says:

[17:34:16]: Windows Version Information:
Type: Win9x/Me
Version: 4.90
Terminal Services: No
MUI Enabled: No
FullInstallVer: 2.80.1062.0

and:

[17:34:28]: Loading function CheckMDACVersionExact from internal function
list.
[17:34:28]: 2.81,true[17:34:28]: Checking version of Microsoft Data Access
Components that is currently installed on the machine.
[17:34:39]: The action CheckMDACVersionExact(2.81) returned FALSE.
[17:34:39]: This action was deemed critical, skiping other actions in this
package
Failure in the PreInstallActions for this package, skipping this package.
[17:34:39]: Destroying Job Queues.
[17:34:57]: Ending Windows Message Pump.
[17:34:57]: Destroying Main Dialog.
[17:34:57]: Checking state of setup at end of installation.
PendingFileRenameOperations:
Setup was NOT successful.
[17:34:57]: Shutting down Hotfix Installer, Return Code: -1

Now what?

Thanks,
Joe

"Mike M" wrote in message
...
Joe,

The error message you are seeing when attempting to open Help & Support is
probably the result of installing the recent KB911562 hotfix either via
Automatic Update or from the Windows Update site.

The following should fix the problem:
Download and install MDAC 2.8 SP1 from

http://download.microsoft.com/downlo...f/MDAC_TYP.EXE
Check whether you can now access Help & Support. You should hopefully now
be able to do this.
Now visit the Windows Update site download and install KB911562 again.
Don't worry the patch for MDAC 2.8 SP1 has none of the problems associated
with the patch for MDAC 2.8 which is I suspect the version you are running
at present.

Please post back and let us know how you got on.
--
Mike Maltby



Joe wrote:

Good morning:

When I click Start/Help, I get the message "The initialization of the
Help Center failed.
Please report the following error number to Microsoft
support: -2147143679".

Any ideas?

If you use the Windows Update site to load your hotfixes such as 911562 as
I suggested in my original post you will be offered the correct version
for your system.

Now what?

A good start would be to follow the instructions I posted earlier
including using the link I posted to get MDAC 2.1 SP1 rather than visiting
the download centre as it is so easy to select the wrong versions.
--
Mike Maltby



Joe wrote:

Hi, Mike:

I finally got a chance to deal with this. I installed MDAC 2.8 SP1 as
directed, I think. The installer called it SP1, and dasetup.log ends
with:

Executing Action: REGMDACVERSION
arg1: '2.81.1117.6'
arg2: '(null)'
args: '"2.81.1117.6"'
REGMDACVERSION Version: '2.81.1117.6'
REGMDACVERSION Update FullInstallVer value from '2.80.1062.0' to
'2.81.1117.6'
REGMDACVERSION Setting FullInstallVer key to '2.81.1117.6'
Return HR: 0x0

But when I tried to install KB911562 ( I used the version specific to
SP1) I got an error message saying that the versions of the file and
the hotfix do not match or setup is unable to determine the version
currently installed. In this case, dahotfix_3.log says:

[17:34:16]: Windows Version Information:
Type: Win9x/Me
Version: 4.90
Terminal Services: No
MUI Enabled: No
FullInstallVer: 2.80.1062.0

and:

[17:34:28]: Loading function CheckMDACVersionExact from internal
function list.
[17:34:28]: 2.81,true[17:34:28]: Checking version of Microsoft Data
Access Components that is currently installed on the machine.
[17:34:39]: The action CheckMDACVersionExact(2.81) returned FALSE.
[17:34:39]: This action was deemed critical, skiping other actions in
this package
Failure in the PreInstallActions for this package, skipping this
package. [17:34:39]: Destroying Job Queues.
[17:34:57]: Ending Windows Message Pump.
[17:34:57]: Destroying Main Dialog.
[17:34:57]: Checking state of setup at end of installation.
PendingFileRenameOperations:
Setup was NOT successful.
[17:34:57]: Shutting down Hotfix Installer, Return Code: -1

Now what?

Mike:

I'm losing something in translation here. I did use your link to get MDAC
2.1 SP1, and I had Help and Support afterword, so I assumed it was right. I
started with the Windows Update site to get the hotfix, but when I scanned
for updates I was offered no criticals and only the .NET Framework and the
Euro Conversion tool otherwise. So I selected the Windows Catalog link,
still from Windows Update. Where's the error here? In selecting "Security
Update for Microsoft Data Access Components 2.8 Service Pack 1 (KB911562)"
instead of "Security Update for Microsoft Data Access Components 2.8
(KB911562)", maybe?

Thanks,
Joe

"Mike M" wrote in message
...
If you use the Windows Update site to load your hotfixes such as 911562 as
I suggested in my original post you will be offered the correct version
for your system.

Now what?

A good start would be to follow the instructions I posted earlier
including using the link I posted to get MDAC 2.1 SP1 rather than visiting
the download centre as it is so easy to select the wrong versions.
--
Mike Maltby



Joe wrote:

Hi, Mike:

I finally got a chance to deal with this. I installed MDAC 2.8 SP1 as
directed, I think. The installer called it SP1, and dasetup.log ends
with:

Executing Action: REGMDACVERSION
arg1: '2.81.1117.6'
arg2: '(null)'
args: '"2.81.1117.6"'
REGMDACVERSION Version: '2.81.1117.6'
REGMDACVERSION Update FullInstallVer value from '2.80.1062.0' to
'2.81.1117.6'
REGMDACVERSION Setting FullInstallVer key to '2.81.1117.6'
Return HR: 0x0

But when I tried to install KB911562 ( I used the version specific to
SP1) I got an error message saying that the versions of the file and
the hotfix do not match or setup is unable to determine the version
currently installed. In this case, dahotfix_3.log says:

[17:34:16]: Windows Version Information:
Type: Win9x/Me
Version: 4.90
Terminal Services: No
MUI Enabled: No
FullInstallVer: 2.80.1062.0

and:

[17:34:28]: Loading function CheckMDACVersionExact from internal
function list.
[17:34:28]: 2.81,true[17:34:28]: Checking version of Microsoft Data
Access Components that is currently installed on the machine.
[17:34:39]: The action CheckMDACVersionExact(2.81) returned FALSE.
[17:34:39]: This action was deemed critical, skiping other actions in
this package
Failure in the PreInstallActions for this package, skipping this
package. [17:34:39]: Destroying Job Queues.
[17:34:57]: Ending Windows Message Pump.
[17:34:57]: Destroying Main Dialog.
[17:34:57]: Checking state of setup at end of installation.
PendingFileRenameOperations:
Setup was NOT successful.
[17:34:57]: Shutting down Hotfix Installer, Return Code: -1

Now what?