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Why can I load my WinHelp (.HLP) files in Vista?

April 26, 2017files load Vista winhelp

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Why can I load my WinHelp (.HLP) files in Vista?

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Microsoft decided to drop support for WinHelp in Vista. WinHelp was last updated in 1997, so it is ancient in computing terms, but is still used in many programs and will be missed. Anyway, nostalgia aside, we have to move on. Fast-Help will still compile to WinHelp, but you will not be able to view your HLP files on Vista. You will need to copy them to XP etc, in order to view them. The recommended alternative to WinHelp is HtmlHelp, i.e. CHM files. Because Fast-Help is a single-source editor, you can simply compile to any of the 7 compile formats. This will also be the same with any new compile formats that we add, thereby protecting your investment in your help text. Turning on WinHelp Options under Vista Fast-Help will automatically hide WinHelp options under Vista, but you can enable them from the “Project Settings” screen by checking the “Show WinHelp Options under Vista” option.