Hi, Mekon. Thanks for replying.
"Windows 7 (+ SP1): click the start button. In the box where it states in italics "Search programs and files", enter the word 'Help'. When I do that, the choice of 'Help & Support' is made available."
I've recently re-installed Windows 7 using the set of recovery DVDs that I made when the computer was first set up in, I think, 2012. I have actually done this reinstallation on two different hard drives. After each reinstallation, I ran all the available updates, and had the same issue with both of them! Then, I called my son, who is 2,500 miles away and using Windows 7 on a different machine: he also can't get any results when duplicating my process within "Windows Help and Support."
Just for the hell of it, I reproduced what you did, beginning with the Start button. I entered the word "help," and hit <Enter> . Windows promptly opened my Firefox browser and loaded a recently-visited page about a different software product! This, obviously, is not what's supposed to happen, but I think that it's a different problem.
"For me, hitting F1 does nothing: I don't know why you think that doing that produces any 'Help' info. Perhaps my PC is configured different to yours."
For your information, I have been using Microsoft operating systems since 1984, as well as software from many sources. I've also worked in this industry. <F1> has been the standard help keystroke for all these years: <F1> is the classic computer command for help!
Microsoft has put out a number of statements to professionals indicating that they no longer support their former Help methods in applications, and urging them to change to the newer system. However, what I'm talking about is not within any application, but within "raw" Windows itself: I'm just on the native Windows desktop.
And in this environment, the Help and Support window works every time when I press the time-honored keystroke for it: <F1>.
The issue that persists is that if I try to search for anything in this window, it finds nothing. I'm beginning to accept that this function may have degraded for everybody and not worry about it any more. To be honest, yes, since 1984, I've found Mosoft's explanations for things to be difficult to understand, and, thanks to the internet, I usually get clearer answers from other sources.
One thing that I've found Microsoft's embedded help good for is that when one gets an answer, the text often contains embedded links that are useful. So, I do miss that.
I hope that my issue is clearer now.
