• Re: can help be made to default offline?

    From Shinji Ikari@3:633/280.2 to All on Sat Jul 5 00:20:00 2025
    Hello.

    "J. P. Gilliver" <G6JPG@255soft.uk> schrieb

    I've noticed that (unlike 7) for anything Microsoft - even charmap or >notepad, FGS! - selecting Help (including F1) goes online.

    Pull the LAN connection/ disconnect WLAN/ disable WWAN

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  • From Paul@3:633/280.2 to All on Sat Jul 5 09:53:23 2025
    On Fri, 7/4/2025 9:59 AM, J. P. Gilliver wrote:
    I've noticed that (unlike 7) for anything Microsoft - even charmap or notepad, FGS! -

    selecting Help (including F1) goes online.

    Can this default be changed? (Is the offline help even still _there_ in 10?)

    The W11 Notepad has the help in the Settings wheel.

    https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/help-in-notepad-4d68c388-2ff2-0e7f-b706-35fb2ab88a8c

    The W10 Notepad tried to do this.

    https://www.bing.com/search?q=get+help+with+notepad+in+windows&
    filters=guid:%224466414-en-dia%22%20lang:%22en%22&form=T00032&ocid=HelpPane-BingIA

    which would bring a tear to a glass eye.

    Paul

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  • From Shinji Ikari@3:633/280.2 to All on Sat Jul 5 12:03:50 2025
    Hello

    "J. P. Gilliver" <G6JPG@255soft.uk> schrieb

    On 2025/7/4 15:20:0, Shinji Ikari wrote:
    "J. P. Gilliver" <G6JPG@255soft.uk> schrieb
    I've noticed that (unlike 7) for anything Microsoft - even charmap or
    notepad, FGS! - selecting Help (including F1) goes online.
    Pull the LAN connection/ disconnect WLAN/ disable WWAN
    You didn't read what I asked.

    You want to know if you can make/use the help offline: Pull every
    online connection and what you get are the offline features.

    but just in case you might be right, I
    tried disconnecting from the wifi, then calling up help in Notepad - and
    got (a tab in my browser saying)
    Looks like you're not connected to the internet
    Let's get you back online!

    And that ist what you get.

    By the way. When I call c:\windows\notepad.exe in normal win10 (and
    11) pro there is no Help menue.
    So there is no help build in.
    What you get, when you push F1 is a search for links about the editor.
    And when this search is disconnected, then it cant show you and tells
    you that you are offline.

    So, to repeat my questions:
    1. Is the offline help even _there_ in Windows 10?

    For some functions there are help pages available
    open cmd windows and type
    help dir
    and it shows you some helpful info.
    But not every programm in windows 10 oder 11 does have a build in
    local help.

    2. If it is, can it be made the default?

    since it does not exist for every programm/function: no, it can't.

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  • From Shinji Ikari@3:633/280.2 to All on Sat Jul 5 20:46:00 2025
    Hello

    "J. P. Gilliver" <G6JPG@255soft.uk> schrieb

    On 2025/7/5 3:3:50, Shinji Ikari wrote:
    "J. P. Gilliver" <G6JPG@255soft.uk> schrieb
    On 2025/7/4 15:20:0, Shinji Ikari wrote:
    "J. P. Gilliver" <G6JPG@255soft.uk> schrieb
    I've noticed that (unlike 7) for anything Microsoft - even charmap or >>>>> notepad, FGS! - selecting Help (including F1) goes online.
    Pull the LAN connection/ disconnect WLAN/ disable WWAN
    You didn't read what I asked.
    You want to know if you can make/use the help offline: Pull every
    online connection and what you get are the offline features.
    In (certainly some earlier versions of - don't know about modern ones) >Office (Word etc.), help _defaulted_ to online,

    I thought you asked aboput windows 10 (maybe 11).
    There ist no office included. There may be a link to get a office
    version, but ist you ask about additional programms you can possibly
    instann in a windows system, it depends on the programm if it has an
    offline help or not.

    (As you are suggesting, I _think_ it
    presented the in-built if you went for help when not connected.)

    Wehn you disconnect you it shows, what it can display offline. If you
    do not get any helpfull help that way, then there is not offline help
    build in.

    And that ist what you get.
    Ja, wirklich ... (-:>

    yes really. Then there is no offline help installed.

    So, to repeat my questions:
    1. Is the offline help even _there_ in Windows 10?
    For some functions there are help pages available
    open cmd windows and type
    help dir
    and it shows you some helpful info.
    Yes; some of them also will give you the same if you type (e. g.)
    dir /?

    I know, but you asked for "help" so wrote help, because that is the
    same phrase you asked for.

    But not every programm in windows 10 oder 11 does have a build in
    local help.
    I wasn't thinking of command window commands, only GUI ones.

    Well it is includes in win 10/11 (but your mentioned office is not).

    (Do you speak German too?)>

    I am german.

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  • From John C.@3:633/280.2 to All on Sat Jul 5 23:07:33 2025
    J. P. Gilliver wrote:
    I've noticed that (unlike 7) for anything Microsoft - even charmap or notepad, FGS! - selecting Help (including F1) goes online. Can this
    default be changed? (Is the offline help even still _there_ in 10?)

    Don't know how much help this will be, but I just asked Copilot (https://copilot.microsoft.com/) and this is the conversation:

    You said
    Is offline help even available for Windows 10 anymore?

    Copilot said
    Not in the way it used to be. Windows 10 no longer includes a
    comprehensive offline help system like older versions (think Windows
    XP’s classic Help and Support Center). Instead, most help content is now delivered online through Microsoft’s support site or via Cortana and the built-in search bar—which, of course, require an internet connection.

    That said, some basic help is still available offline, especially for
    core system functions. For example:

    Typing a question into the Start menu search may return local help
    topics.

    Built-in apps like Notepad or Paint sometimes include minimal
    offline help.

    You can also download offline maps and use tools like Windows Media
    Player or Microsoft Office (if installed) without internet access.

    If you're looking for something more robust, there are workarounds:

    You can manually save web-based help articles as PDFs for offline reference.

    For developers or IT pros, Microsoft’s Help Viewer (used with Visual Studio) allows downloading documentation for offline use—but that’s more niche.

    Need help setting up a mini offline help library for your system? I can
    walk you through it.
    1answers.microsoft.comanswers.microsoft.com
    2umatechnology.orgumatechnology.org
    3learn.microsoft.comlearn.microsoft.com

    You said
    No thanks. Somebody else asked the question. I'll relay what you said to
    them. Thanks!

    Copilot said
    You're very welcome! Glad I could help you help someone else—that’s teamwork in action. If they have more Windows mysteries (or just really
    niche questions), send them my way anytime.

    You said
    Oh, one more thing. Isn't Cortana gone?

    Copilot said
    Yep, you're absolutely right—Cortana has officially been retired from
    Windows 10 and 11 as of late 2023. Microsoft phased it out as a
    standalone app and removed its integration from various services like
    Teams and Outlook mobile throughout 2023 and 2024.

    In its place, Microsoft has been rolling out Copilot, a more advanced AI assistant that’s integrated into Windows and Microsoft 365. It’s
    designed to handle more complex tasks and queries, and it taps into the
    latest AI tech to do so.

    So while Cortana may have bowed out, her spiritual successor is already
    on the scene—just with a new name and a lot more brainpower. Want to
    know what Copilot can do that Cortana couldn’t? 1support.microsoft.comsupport.microsoft.com

    You said
    Heh. YOU are Copilot!

    Copilot said
    Guilty as charged 😄 I’m Copilot—your ever-curious, ever-helpful AI sidekick. I may not sing lullabies like Cortana once tried to, but I’ve
    got a few more tricks up my digital sleeve.

    Whether it’s troubleshooting your device, unraveling obscure trivia, or
    just offering a clever turn of phrase when you need it, I’m here for it.
    If you ever want a peek under the hood of what makes me tick—or just
    want to throw some curveball questions my way—I’m game. Let's see where
    the conversation takes us.

    HTH.

    --
    John C. I filter crossposts, various trolls & dizem.com. Doing this
    makes this newsgroup easier to read & more on-topic. Take back the tech companies from India & industry from China.


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  • From ...winston@3:633/280.2 to All on Sun Jul 6 01:36:17 2025
    J. P. Gilliver wrote:

    In (certainly some earlier versions of - don't know about modern ones) Office (Word etc.), help _defaulted_ to online, but there _was_ some in-built. I _think_ there was some setting that presented the in-built
    even if you remained connected.

    *.chm and *.hlp(the extensions for local help files) was mostly
    deprecated starting with Win8.1 for Windows and Windows Server.

    While chm files are(were) normally stored in the same folder as the
    program installation, they can also be found elsewhere(user profile,
    other Windows folders)

    One can search for *.chm files in the C:\Windows\ folder or the
    subfolders \Program Files, \Program Files (x86)

    A search on Win10/11 should yield some results
    e.g. chm for Visual Basic, Management Console(MMC), .NET including 3rd
    party included chm files and also chm files for other Windows
    apps/programs.
    The chm can be opened(if the extension is not blocked)
    The chm when opened may also indicate help has been moved online


    *.hlp files, iirc needed conversion to chm to be opened on Windows
    10(and later)
    - a variety of online tutorials(ironic, yes) can be found for
    converting hlp to chm or opening hlp files(e.g. WinHlp32)

    Finally, Office(in the past) used a variety of local help(chm, hxs,
    hxn) - mostly much earlier versions. In some cases, online access was
    included but only if the Office program was configured to use local
    help(i.e. at that time, necessary to open the local which redirected to
    the online.
    Note: Offline Help was present in Office up until Office 2013. Office
    2016 and later - no longer present.

    --
    ....w¡ñ§±¤ñ

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  • From Shinji Ikari@3:633/280.2 to All on Sun Jul 6 02:10:59 2025
    Hello.

    "J. P. Gilliver" <G6JPG@255soft.uk> schrieb

    I suppose I should have asked: does _any_ of the software that comes
    with Windows 10 (and maybe later) - such as Notepad and charmap -
    actually _have_ any inbuilt help?

    Several (most?) software does not have a offline help (at least not
    anything helpfull) any more in Win10/11.
    Some does have (smaller) help functions, but since MS makes more money
    with online features than their OS, they press further on to make as
    much as possible online.
    So I guess even further on there will be less offline stuff (including
    help).

    IF none of it does, then my other
    question is moot: it can't be changed to default to inbuilt help if
    there isn't any.

    you got it.
    If you pull the LAN/WLAN/WWAN Connection you get everything windows
    can pull up offline.
    That is what you have (and get).

    (Do you speak German too?)>
    I am german.
    Ah, I thought so! Gruesse: ich wohnte im Ruhrgebiet, etwa 1966-197x >(Dortmund dann Muelheim/Ruhr).

    Just a question: why not ask in the german group?
    de.comp.os.ms-windows.misc

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  • From Paul@3:633/280.2 to All on Sun Jul 6 17:45:30 2025
    On Sat, 7/5/2025 11:36 AM, J. P. Gilliver wrote:

    Unfortunately, Copilot chose a bad example there - as we've established,
    W10 Notepad is one of those things that has no offline help at all!

    Well, you know the CoPilot.

    I hope you have taken the time to test the CoPilot.

    Oh, oh yeah, it doesn't come with a Help menu item either :-)

    *******

    My very first question for the machine was:

    "What are your capabilities?" # I had expected a terse, canned answer! Silly me.

    The machine went nuts.

    It's a very educational example of questions you must not ask :-)

    It has no introspection, or a self-image.

    Paul

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