OL97: How to Repair Corrupted or Damaged Help Files (260224)

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If the Help files are corrupted or damaged, Help may open and not display any topics, or the text within the Help windows my be unreadable. To resolve this problem, rename the Help files, and then reinstall Outlook.

The best way to reinstall the Help files is to rename all files that have the .chm file name extension. These files are located in the following folder:

How to Rename the Help Files

1. Click the Start button, point to Find (or Search) and then click Files or Folders.
2. In the Named box, type *.chm, and then click Find Now (or Search).
3. In the Results pane, right-click the first file name, and then click Rename.
4. Change the file name extension from ".chm" to ".old" (without the quotation marks), and then press ENTER.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for each file that is located in the Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\1033 folder.

For more information about searching for files or folders, click the Start button, click Help, and then type where to search for files or folders. Click the topic in the list.

For more information about renaming files or folders, click the Start button, click Help, and then type change the name of a file or folder. Click the topic in the list.

How to Reinstall Outlook or Microsoft Office

If you use Outlook as a part of Microsoft Office:

1. Quit all programs.
2. Click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
3. Double-click Add/Remove Programs.
4. Click Microsoft Office 2000 from the list of programs, and then click Add/Remove (or Change).
5. If you are prompted, insert the Microsoft Office compact disc in your CD-ROM drive, and then click OK.
6. Click Repair Office, click Reinstall Office, and then click Finish.

If you use Outlook as a stand-alone application:

1. Quit all programs.
2. Click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
3. Double-click Add/Remove Programs.
4. Click Microsoft Outlook 2000 from the list of programs, and then click the Add/Remove (or Change).
5. If you are prompted, insert the Microsoft Outlook compact disc in your CD-ROM drive, and then click OK.
6. Click Repair Outlook, click Reinstall Outlook, and then click Finish.

For additional information about installing and using Outlook Help files, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: