"There are no help topics available that match your request."

[JimH (FM)]

I am getting the above message every time I try to use Help functions in any
of the Office 2007 applications. Naturally, I would like Help to work.

I am using Office 2007 Professionals on Windows Vista. The system was
purchased earlier this year and came with a trial version of Office Home and
Student installed. I uninstalled this; there was no noticeable effect on the
error.

 

[Charlie G in VAB]

I have exactly the same problem. I'm running Office Enterprise 2007 on Vista
Home Premium. The Office Enterprise 2007 is a complete install and replaced
Student & Teachers' 2007, which has been uninstalled. I have run OE 2007
Repair twice ("successfully") without being able to regain access to the help
files.

 

[Ron Fredericks]

I too cannot get help to work. I have uninstalled and reinstalled many
times. This is maddening because all the menus are different in Microsoft
Office 2007 so having a help system is more than just a luxury.

The problem shows up in all Office applications, not just word. When I
click on “?†to launch help, I get :
“Configuring Microsoft Office Professional 2007…†which takes a few minutes

Then Microsoft Office Help Viewer pops up in a background window that is all
blue, with a foreground message asking me to reboot to complete setup. If I
reboot, then no help can be given. If I don’t reboot I get this message along
with a background window changing to “Word Help†instead of “Microsoft Office
Help Viewerâ€:
“There are no help topics available that match your requestâ€
I click OK and both help related windows are closed with no error message.
I can then repeat this process with the same effect every time.
Any ideas?

 

[Ron Fredericks]

I too cannot get help to work. I have uninstalled and reinstalled many
times. This is maddening because all the menus are different in Microsoft
Office 2007 so having a help system is more than just a luxury.

The problem shows up in all Office applications, not just word. When I
click on “?†to launch help, I get :
“Configuring Microsoft Office Professional 2007…†which takes a few minutes

Then Microsoft Office Help Viewer pops up in a background window that is all
blue, with a foreground message asking me to reboot to complete setup. If I
reboot, then no help can be given. If I don’t reboot I get this message along
with a background window changing to “Word Help†instead of “Microsoft Office
Help Viewerâ€:
“There are no help topics available that match your requestâ€
I click OK and both help related windows are closed with no error message.
I can then repeat this process with the same effect every time.
Any ideas?

 

[Charlie G in VAB]

I finally got this fixed in January with help from the folks in Bangalore,
India. The tech had to take control of my PC and then performed a total
removal of Office 2007. That included extensive removal of line items in the
registry. You might want to try a "regular" uninstall, then delete or
move/rename any Office 12 folders. Reboot and perform a registry backup.
Then go hunt for any remaining "Office12" entries in the registry and remove
them. Reboot and then reinstall Office.
Good luck!

 

[Luciano A]

Try changing the language options in "Configure language...", force office to
use the corresponding language as the version of this on my PC began
operating aid options normally.

 

[Aaron]

I had a similar issue and basically it's to do with a corrupt help folder
from either a previous installation of Office 2007 or during the latest
installation. What you need to do is locate the following folder in the drive
where you've installed Office 2007:
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft Help

1. Rename the folder to "Microsoft HelpOld"
2, Rerun the Office 2007 installation CD. When you're given the options with
the following title "Change your installation of Microsoft Office <edition>
2007".
Choose the "Repair" option and click on the "Continue" pushbutton
3. After the "Repair" has completed it, you will be prompted to reboot your
PC. Select "Yes".
4. Go into your Microsoft Office application and select the Help function,
you should now be able to see the Help file for the application.
5. Another check would be to also check that a new "C:\ProgramData\Microsoft
Help" folder has been created.

Hope that helps.

 

[ivy]

The solution described below does not help in my situation. I have the same
error while trying to view the help file by either clicking on the help icon
on the top right or pressing F1. In my C drive there is no
'ProgramData\Microsoft Help' could be located despite my try using 'Search'
from my Start Menu that is running in Windows Vista Home Premium. However, in
Excel, Powerpoint, etc. The Help run without any problem. (P/s: I am using
Microsoft Office 2007 Home & Student version)

I wonder how is it possible to resolve the error.

 

[xoggoth]

Aaron's suggestion of renaming the help folder worked for me, although I did not need to run repair. Just started up Excel and it was ok. Found a new Microsoft Help folder had been created automatically.