OFFXP: Office Assistant Not Answering Visual Basic for Applications Questions

If you ask the Office Assistant a question about Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications from within the program (not within the Visual Basic Editor), you may receive the following message: If you ask the Office Assistant a question about Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications from within the Visual Basic Editor, you may receive the following message:

These messages can appear when the Visual Basic Help files are not installed.

Both the Office XP product Help files and the Visual Basic Help files must be installed in order for the Office Assistant to answer Visual Basic questions.

If you are not using the Visual Basic Editor, press ALT+F11 to open the Visual Basic Editor, and then ask the Office Assistant your question. For example, in Microsoft Access, open any database and then open a module before you ask the Office Assistant your question.

If the Office Assistant still cannot answer your question while you are using the Visual Basic Editor, you must install the appropriate Help files.

Follow the steps for your computer's operating system.

Microsoft Windows 98, Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition, Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (Me), Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 SP6:

1. Quit all Office programs. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
2. In Control Panel, double-click the Add/Remove Programs icon.
3. On the Install/Uninstall tab, click Microsoft Office XP Product, where Product is the name of the Office product that you are using. If you are using a stand-alone version of one of the Office programs, click the appropriate program in the list. Click Add/Remove.
4. In the Setup dialog box, click Add or Remove Features, and then click Next.
5. Click the plus sign (+) next to the Office XP program you are using to expand the features list.
6. Click the icon next to Office program Help, where Office program is the Office program in which you are using Help, and then click Run from My Computer on the list that appears if the feature is not already at that state.
7. Click the plus sign (+) next to Office Shared Features to expand the features list.
8. Click the plus sign (+) next to Visual Basic for Applications.
9. Click the icon next to Visual Basic Help, and then click Run from My Computer on the list that appears.
10. Click Update.

Microsoft Windows 2000:

1. Quit all Office programs. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
2. In Control Panel, double-click Add/Remove Programs.
3. Click Microsoft Office XP Product, where Product is the name of the Office product that you are using. If you are using a stand-alone version of one of the Office programs, click the appropriate product in the list. Click Change.
4. In the Setup dialog box, click Add or Remove Features, and then click Next.
5. Click the plus sign (+) next to the Office XP program you are using to expand the features list.
6. Click the icon next to Office program Help, where Office program is the Office program in which you are using Help, and then click Run from My Computer on the list that appears if the feature is not already at that state.
7. Click the plus sign (+) next to Office Shared Features to expand the features list.
8. Click the plus sign (+) next to Visual Basic for Applications.
9. Click the icon next to Visual Basic Help, and then click Run from My Computer on the list that appears.
10. Click Update.

The Visual Basic Help files are not installed to your computer's hard disk when you select the Install Now (Typical) or Customize installation. The Visual Basic Help files are set to Installed on First Use by default. This requires that the installation media be available to install the Visual Basic Help files the first time that you try to access Visual Basic Help.