Help Opens Minimized

[egghead]

I use Office 2000. Whenever I want to use Help, it briefly flashes on the screen in its normal, 5x7 or so, size, then minimizes (title bar only) to the top left corner of my screen.

It doesn't matter if I open Help directly or use a topic that the Office Assistant recommends.

Any ideas as to why?

[jscher2000]

Can you resize the window from there?

When I first installed Office2000, it annoyingly positioned itself side-by-side with the application window. I finally managed to make it open as a regular window. Unfortunately, I don't remember whether there were any settings involved.

[MaryJ]

there might be a setting too, but I just drag it away from the screen so it no longer is docked to stop the annoying resizing of the application window.

[Oana Koran]

I have the same problem with Help in Office 2000. When I first open it in an application, let's say Word, it briefly flashes resizing itself up to three times then I suddenly have a ca. 5 cm long title bar in the top left screen corner.

If I resize it to the size and position I want to have it, then close it by holding <Shift> and clicking the right-top X button, it reopens as I want it to be - but only for the current application session.

I hope someone else will have a solution, it's annoying.

OanaK

[MaryJ]

what happens if you close it just by clicking the x?

[Oana Koran]

If I close it just by clicking the x it reopens as title bar. Same thing if I close the application and open another one.
OanaK

[jscher2000]

Closest thing I see in MSKB is <A target="_blank" HREF=http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q253/2/89.ASP>OFF2000: Visual Basic Editor Window Is Resized When You Start Help</A>. It says to start Access and VBE, but you might just way to try it with whatever Office application you have open, since the same behavior occurs throughout the suite.

[Oana Koran]

Thanks, Jscher, I opened VBE and, miracle, Help opened normally (that is it hesitated as usual which form to assume, flashed in three different sizes across the window and finally stabilized itselt in a quasi-normal form, that is it took more than the upper half of the screen without maximizing. I closed VBE and opened Help, by turns, in all the other applications. Same nice behaviour.

I logged off and on, opened Word, opened Help, had window flashes and a little toolbar snapping to the upper left corner...
It gets curiouser and curiouser!

But isn't there a file where the dimensions and position of the opening Help window are mentioned? I remember that was the case with Windows 3.x and W for Workgroups, the file was called Winhelp.ini or something like that...

Anyway,thanks again,
OanaK

[MaryJ]

HKCUSoftwareMicrosoftOffice<your version>CommonHelpViewer

everything is in hex - try renaming keys and see if they are recreated. (in my tests they are - whether any of the keys apply to your or not, who knows). maybe see if you can get it docked them pull off the edge and maintain the size?

[Phil Rabichow]

Hi Oana:

For what it's worth, I have similar behavior with Help. It hesitates, then flashes a few times, but finally opens the way I've closed it. This behavior started after I installed one of their service packs, Uactlsec.exe. This was to prevent a security vulnerability. It also prevents the "Show me" links in Help from working.

However, I haven't had the problem that you describe with it only opening minimized. Sorry I don't have a solution.

[Oana Koran]

Thank you, Mary,
I did what you suggested. The keys were recreated, the first instance of Word Help opened minimized but after I did the voodoo with <Shift> + X, closed Word then reopened it, Help opened like I wanted it to(after flashing, of course).
It seems it needed that little kick.
OanaK
BTW, I got to the third key (I renamed them one after the other)

[Oana Koran]

Hi Phil,

I thought of the service packs, too, but I didn't install Uactlsec.exe. I just looked it up in the KB, it says
"This update removes this unsafe functionality, with the result that the "Show Me" and pop-up window definition functions are turned off in Office 2000".

My "Show Me" still works, so it must have been something else.

Anyway, thanks for the solidarity, it's worth a lot,
OanaK

[egghead]

Thanks for the suggestion. I did not open the VB window, just did the right click, move, enter. That worked! Thanks.