CSE 142 MSVC / VC++ FAQ

F1 Help doesn't work

Q: I have installed MSVC 6.0 at home computer, but when I press F1 for help, the error message pops up and says "The MSDN collection does not exist. Please reinstall MSDN". What can I do in that case? I do not know how to install the MSDN collection.

A: Now that I think of it, I've only ever installed the Professional and Enterprise versions of MSVC.  It may be that MSDN is not included with the version you purchased.

In the versions of MSVC I'm familiar with, MSDN (Microsoft Developer's Network) is installed in an odd way.  Once the install seems to be done, there are still some dialog boxes to go through.  One of them is something like "Install Other Tools", and has a list of available tools in it, including MSDN.  You have to highlight MSDN and then hit some button ("Install", maybe), before hitting the big Next button at the bottom of the dialog.

In the versions of MSVC I've seen, MSDN is on separate CDs from the MSVC install CDs.  If you find those, put CD 1 in your CD drive and the MSDN install should start up.

If you don't have MSDN in your package, F1 help will not work.  However, the MSDN information is available online at http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp.

Be forewarned: this documentation is intended for professional programmers, not beginners.  You may find it useful, and it's definitely worth looking at if you get stuck, but don't be too discouraged if it is difficult or impossible to understand.