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Is there a way to fix chm files?

Most of the time I receive them, I can read the index but not the content.

That is, I can open them up and see the table of contents down the left navigation pane, but when I click any of the topics in the list, nothing happens.

I can't tell if it's because they have not been compiled correctly or if it's a problem with my (Vista) machine.

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3 Answers

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i recommended a program called HelpExplorer in another thread.

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up vote 6 down vote

This annoyed me at first as well, you are likely experiencing the same thing. Right-click the .chm file and at the bottom you will see an unblock button, click it then hit apply. Microsoft automatically blocks you from running certain files downloaded on the internet for your safety (or annoyance):

alt text

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Thanks, I can actually open it and read the index but the content part is not visible. – lipton Aug 31 '09 at 5:21
is there a pound sign (#) in the filename? Windows also has trouble with those. – John T Aug 31 '09 at 5:22
I haven't noticed that. – lipton Aug 31 '09 at 5:57
the question is about chm, not pdf. – Natrium Aug 31 '09 at 6:07
@Natrium, the file type in the picture does not matter. It was to show the unblock method. It doesn't work any differently on a chm file... – John T Aug 31 '09 at 6:33
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up vote 5 down vote

.chm files cannot be opened from the network (security implications). Copy the localy and you'll be able to open them up without a problem.

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This is probably the problem. I know I've run into this exact issue in the past. – bobbymcr Aug 31 '09 at 5:37
yup, this might be it. – Natrium Aug 31 '09 at 6:06
the files are always local. – lipton Aug 31 '09 at 6:22
If the files are always local, then which folder are they in? I've also ben incases where the .chm file has to be placed in one of the trusted/safe locations, such as My Documents. – J Sidhu Sep 1 '09 at 16:36
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