Getting some useful help files for Win 10.

[hutch--]

I used to be able to use the Whistler edition Win2000 CHM help files but with the advent of later versions it would not install so I had to pick my way through the individual CHM files to get something like useful reference material. As there is later info that is commonly needed after the old Whistler edition, I went on the hunt for something that would actually install.

After scouring through the Microsoft site I found an installation for server 2003 called "PSDK-amd64.exe" which is a web based install. Plonked it in as it would actually install and got a full set of "hxs" help files. Problem was nothing in Win 10 64 bit would open it. Did some further ratting around in the Microsoft site and found reference to a file called "H2viewer.exe" which I also installed. Ran it after scouring through the C: drive to find it and after picking my way through a few options, it will actually open the main entry point to the entire help file collection.

Placed it on the QE help menu and its just 2 clicks away from actually being useful. After not having coherent help reference material available since I stopped using XP, this is a new luxury of not having to piss around trying to find something useful in MSDN. 

[LiaoMi]

H3Viewer
Features:
VS 2010 help in a traditional help viewer (similar to VS DExplore) with full TOC and Index.
Multiple document tabs. Ctrl+click to open links in new tabs. Shift+click for new window.
The embedded topic navigation (LoBand experience) can be removed (See Ctrl+Shift+T command main menu). We use simple Browser DOM calls to hide the DIV section
Debug window displays URLs of all API calls made (so you can learn from it).
TTS (Text to Speech) reader (F9).
Set as default VS 2010 help Viewer.

http://mshcmigrate.helpmvp.com/viewer

but it only works with Visual Studio 2010  :(

[TWell]

Donkey's Help2 Viewer is good too.
http://www.donkeysstable.com/files/Help2%20Viewer.zip

Visual Studio 2015 use help 3 engine ? Microsoft Help Viewer 2.x engine.

Visual Studio 2010  Microsoft Help Viewer 1.0
Visual Studio 2012  Microsoft Help Viewer 2.0
Visual Studio 2013  Microsoft Help Viewer 2.1
Visual Studio 2015  Microsoft Help Viewer 2.2 ?

Windows SDK Help v7.0 is in package WinSDKDocWin32_x86.msi in Windows SDK for Windows 7 and 7.1

[Vortex]

Windows Server 2003 SP1 Platform SDK ISO Install :

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=15656

https://download.microsoft.com/download/7/5/e/75ec7f04-4c8c-4f38-b582-966e76602643/5.2.3790.1830.15.PlatformSDK_Svr2003SP1_rtm.img

h2Viewer :

http://www.helpwaregroup.com/download

[mineiro]

You can use 'extractnow' to extract hxs files to html

[hutch--]

Thanks Erol,

I had not bothered to keep track of the links while ratting around looking for anything that was useful.