can't open chm files all of a sudden

[John Salerno]

Hi all. I apologize since this is only remotely Python related, but I
hope someone might now the solution.

I tried opening my Python chm docs just now, as well as the one for
wxPython, and both are giving me an error dialog when I double-click
them and I can't open them. This happened apparently for no reason, just
today. I even reset but that didn't help.

Does anyone know what might cause this, and if it could affect the rest
of Python or wxPython as well?

Thanks.

[John Salerno]

John Salerno wrote:

Hi all. I apologize since this is only remotely Python related, but I
hope someone might now the solution.

I tried opening my Python chm docs just now, as well as the one for
wxPython, and both are giving me an error dialog when I double-click
them and I can't open them. This happened apparently for no reason, just
today. I even reset but that didn't help.

Does anyone know what might cause this, and if it could affect the rest
of Python or wxPython as well?

Thanks.

P.S. Here is part of the error, but not the long detailed section:

AppName: hh.exe AppVer: 5.2.3790.2453 ModName: itss.dll
ModVer: 5.2.3790.2453 Offset: 00006bec

The same thing shows up for both files.

[John Machin]

John Salerno wrote:

John Salerno wrote:

Hi all. I apologize since this is only remotely Python related, but I
hope someone might now the solution.

I tried opening my Python chm docs just now, as well as the one for
wxPython, and both are giving me an error dialog when I double-click
them and I can't open them. This happened apparently for no reason, just
today. I even reset but that didn't help.

Does anyone know what might cause this,

Many things might cause an error dialogue -- further info needed.

> and if it could affect the rest
of Python or wxPython as well?

It could. Depends on what "it" is. Have you noticed any symptoms of
other problems?

P.S. Here is part of the error, but not the long detailed section:

AppName: hh.exe AppVer: 5.2.3790.2453 ModName: itss.dll
ModVer: 5.2.3790.2453 Offset: 00006bec

The same thing shows up for both files.

1. This is like telling us only the last source file name and line
number in a Python traceback -- not very useful, especially w/o the
source.
Care to tell us what the text of the error message was?

2. Are these events resulting in a dump in your Dr Watson file
(C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Microsoft\Dr
Watson\drwtsn32.log)? Each dump starts with something like this:
"""
Application exception occurred:
App: C:\Program Files\Hewlett-Packard\HP OfficeJet T
Series\Bin\HPOstr05.exe (pid=2172)
When: 2/09/2006 @ 05:35:58.515
Exception number: c0000005 (access violation)
"""
.... search for hh.exe

3. Have you been installing other software since this last worked?
Fiddling with your path?

4. Have you done a full virus and spy-ware scan? Do you regularly
install Windows updates from Microsoft?

5. C:\windows\help has many .chm files -- pick a couple at random; do
you get the same problem with them?

6. Fire up a Comamnd Prompt window, and type this in:

\windows\hh \python25\doc\python25.chm
\windows\hh \windows\help\whatever.chm

Any difference to the results from double-click launch method?

....

I suspect that this is a narrowly focussed problem, probably a stuffed
DLL or a DLL conflict. I tried profiling hh.exe opening
c:\python25\doc\python25.chm with the dependency walker, and it visited
a kazillion DLLs before it got to itss.dll and another kazillion after
that till it stopped awaiting user input. If we don't get a clue from
your answers to the above questions, it would probably be worth doing
that on your machine. You could even do it yourself: google "dependency
walker" and follow your nose :-)

HTH,
John

[utabintarbo]

John Salerno wrote:

Hi all. I apologize since this is only remotely Python related, but I
hope someone might now the solution.

I tried opening my Python chm docs just now, as well as the one for
wxPython, and both are giving me an error dialog when I double-click
them and I can't open them. This happened apparently for no reason, just
today. I even reset but that didn't help.

Does anyone know what might cause this, and if it could affect the rest
of Python or wxPython as well?

Are these files on a network share?

>From http://support.microsoft.com/kb/892675/en-us :

"This problem occurs because security update 896358 and 890175 prevent
HTML content that is outside the Local Machine zone from creating an
instance of the HTML Help ActiveX control (HHCTRL). This change was
introduced to reduce security vulnerabilities in HTML Help."

HTH

[John Salerno]

John Machin wrote:

Many things might cause an error dialogue -- further info needed.

Thanks, I will try your suggestions when I get home. As far as I know,
this only started happening yesterday (although maybe I haven't opened
the files in a day or two). All I've installed/uninstalled since then
was HTML Kit. I'm not on a network, it's just me. I redownloaded the chm
file for Python24 and it does the same thing.

I'll see what else I can find at home, I just hope it doesn't affect
Python, and I desperately need my docs, especially for wxPython.

[Gabriel Genellina]

At Wednesday 4/10/2006 01:32, John Salerno wrote:

I tried opening my Python chm docs just now, as well as the one for
wxPython, and both are giving me an error dialog when I double-click
them and I can't open them. This happened apparently for no reason, just
today. I even reset but that didn't help.

AppName: hh.exe AppVer: 5.2.3790.2453 ModName: itss.dll
ModVer: 5.2.3790.2453 Offset: 00006bec

Try this: <http://support.microsoft.com/kb/275539/en-us>
Gabriel Genellina
Softlab SRL

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http://www.yahoo.com.ar/respuestas

[John Salerno]

Dennis Lee Bieber wrote:

On Wed, 04 Oct 2006 15:55:11 GMT, John Salerno
<jo******@NOSPAMgmail.comdeclaimed the following in comp.lang.python:

>the files in a day or two). All I've installed/uninstalled since then
was HTML Kit. I'm not on a network, it's just me. I redownloaded the chm
file for Python24 and it does the same thing.

Try some other help files... I'd be likely to suspect it was HTML
Kit that overlayed some DLL in the help system...

(Yeesh -- Just looked at the HTML Kit home page... In the words of Clara
Peller "Where's the beef?"... Lots of glitzy public relations copy, but
no details on exactly what it does, what tools it competes with, etc.)

::sigh:: I wouldn't be surprised. I didn't even like it and uninstalled
it right away anyway. If that's the problem, how would I fix it?

[John Salerno]

Gabriel Genellina wrote:

At Wednesday 4/10/2006 01:32, John Salerno wrote:

I tried opening my Python chm docs just now, as well as the one for
wxPython, and both are giving me an error dialog when I double-click
them and I can't open them. This happened apparently for no reason,

just

today. I even reset but that didn't help.

AppName: hh.exe AppVer: 5.2.3790.2453 ModName: itss.dll
ModVer: 5.2.3790.2453 Offset: 00006bec

Try this: <http://support.microsoft.com/kb/275539/en-us>

I don't know if this is my problem, but maybe I can find more on this site.

[Keith Perkins]

On Wed, 04 Oct 2006 16:34:43 +0000, Dennis Lee Bieber wrote:

On Wed, 04 Oct 2006 15:55:11 GMT, John Salerno
<jo******@NOSPAMgmail.comdeclaimed the following in comp.lang.python:

>the files in a day or two). All I've installed/uninstalled since then
was HTML Kit. I'm not on a network, it's just me. I redownloaded the chm
file for Python24 and it does the same thing.

Try some other help files... I'd be likely to suspect it was HTML
Kit that overlayed some DLL in the help system...

(Yeesh -- Just looked at the HTML Kit home page... In the words of Clara
Peller "Where's the beef?"... Lots of glitzy public relations copy, but
no details on exactly what it does, what tools it competes with, etc.)

I used HTMLKit when I still used Windows, and liked it a lot. It's really
a great HTML/PHP, etc. editor, if you can get past the front page.
That being said (if I remember correctly) hh.exe is a part of htmlkit, and
may have been the the cause of your problem by making itself the default
chm reader. (Check your settings under files to see what you have as the
default reader now. (and sorry, forgot how to do that, it's been almost
two years since I've had to fiddle with Windows, so I'm not sure of the
exact place to check for it.))
Keith

[John Salerno]

Keith Perkins wrote:

I used HTMLKit when I still used Windows, and liked it a lot. It's really
a great HTML/PHP, etc. editor, if you can get past the front page.
That being said (if I remember correctly) hh.exe is a part of htmlkit, and
may have been the the cause of your problem by making itself the default
chm reader. (Check your settings under files to see what you have as the
default reader now. (and sorry, forgot how to do that, it's been almost
two years since I've had to fiddle with Windows, so I'm not sure of the
exact place to check for it.))
Keith

Thanks for the response. I checked and hh.exe is the default, but should
it not be? It seems like the official program to open CHM files.

[John Machin]

John Salerno wrote:

Keith Perkins wrote:

I used HTMLKit when I still used Windows, and liked it a lot. It's really
a great HTML/PHP, etc. editor, if you can get past the front page.
That being said (if I remember correctly) hh.exe is a part of htmlkit, and
may have been the the cause of your problem by making itself the default
chm reader. (Check your settings under files to see what you have as the
default reader now. (and sorry, forgot how to do that, it's been almost
two years since I've had to fiddle with Windows, so I'm not sure of the
exact place to check for it.))
Keith

Thanks for the response. I checked and hh.exe is the default, but should
it not be? It seems like the official program to open CHM files.

hh.exe is the standard Windows CHM opener. Suspicion should be directed
at DLLs being replaced by HTMLKit.

************************************************** ********
*** What is the error message that you get ??? ***
************************************************** ********

[John Salerno]

John Machin wrote:

6. Fire up a Comamnd Prompt window, and type this in:

\windows\hh \python25\doc\python25.chm
\windows\hh \windows\help\whatever.chm

I tried this and got the same error. This is really upsetting.

[John Salerno]

John Machin wrote:

4. Have you done a full virus and spy-ware scan? Do you regularly
install Windows updates from Microsoft?

Well, this is certainly the last thing I expected to work, but it did!
There was something called an IECache cookie (which I've actually had
before) and after removing it my chm files open now! Thanks for
suggesting this! I was desperate! :)

[John Machin]

John Salerno wrote:

John Machin wrote:

6. Fire up a Comamnd Prompt window, and type this in:

\windows\hh \python25\doc\python25.chm
\windows\hh \windows\help\whatever.chm

I tried this and got the same error. This is really upsetting.

So that indicates that the problem is constant across
(a) how you invoke hh.exe
(b) your python chm and the windows-supplied chms.

Now get back to the more likely suspect: one or more wrong-version DLLs
dumped on you by that HTMLKit, or the absence of a needed DLL that was
thrown away when you uninstalled it -- was there a dialogue where you
were asked if you wanted to remove apparently unused DLLs?

And you *still* haven't answered the basic question:

************************************************** ********
*** What is the error message that you get ??? ***
************************************************** ********

[John Salerno]

John Machin wrote:

And you *still* haven't answered the basic question:

************************************************** ********
*** What is the error message that you get ??? ***
************************************************** ********

I'm not sure what you're asking for here. Did you not see my posts with
the two attachments? One had the full error details, and the other had
the dialog that apppeared.

[John Salerno]

Dennis Lee Bieber wrote:

On Wed, 04 Oct 2006 22:36:10 -0400, John Salerno
<jo******@NOSPAMgmail.comdeclaimed the following in comp.lang.python:

>John Machin wrote:

>>4. Have you done a full virus and spy-ware scan? Do you regularly
install Windows updates from Microsoft?

Well, this is certainly the last thing I expected to work, but it did!
There was something called an IECache cookie (which I've actually had
before) and after removing it my chm files open now! Thanks for
suggesting this! I was desperate! :)

Probably some stray left behind by HTML KIt <G>... Remember, the
rendering engine is NOT Internet Explorer only, it is shared by the
desktop file Explorer, the help viewer, etc....

LOL. I was also asking for help in the HTML Kit newsgroup, and of course
they assured me that HTML Kit does not change chm settings or replace
dlls, nor is it related to this piece of spyware. :)