I'd suggest that you download the free KeyTools utility and
use its "Find HTML Help Components" feature to look for multiple
registered copies of hhctrl.ocx. You can obtain KeyTools from here:
http://www.keyworks.net/keytools.htm
If any instance of hhctrl.ocx other than the one in
%windir%\system32 is registered, you might try unregistering it
from the command line with this command:
regsvr32 /u
path_to\hhctrl.ocx
Then, for good measure, try unregistering and reregistering
the copy of hhctrl.ocx in %windir%\system32. This is the only
instance of the control that needs to be registered.
The following is a fairly standard set of troubleshooting
exercises that can help to fix a broken HTML Help installation. I'm
not confident that any of these exercises will fix your particular
problem, but they may be worth trying.
1) Ensure that you have the latest Windows Updates applied,
and so have up-to-date HTML Help viewer components.
2) Delete or rename the file hh.dat, which you should find in
this hidden folder:
C:\Documents and Settings\%username%\Application
Data\Microsoft\HTML Help
The hh.dat file stores user-specific information on all the
HTML Help files on your system (favourite topics, changes that
you've made to the size and position of a help window, etc.), and
can cause the files to misbehave if it has somehow been corrupted.
Windows will create a new version of hh.dat when you next open any
HTML Help file.
3) Empty your Temporary Internet Files (TIF) folder. A full
TIF folder can cause HTML Help files to misbehave.
4) Watch out for the Windows security restriction that
disables HTML Help ActiveX control commands in help files that are
stored remotely. This restriction is described here:
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=892675
By the way, in case there's any doubt about it, anyone who
has ever had any dealings with Rob Chandler is fully aware of the
depth of his knowledge and his willingness to help others. Like
Rick (Captiv8r), he's an exemplary MVP.
Pete