[YAC/Caller ID Delay—Requires Service?]

Ponch, many thanks for the reply. I'm not quite sure I understand. The YAC server is sitting in my family room, downstairs, providing the caller ID information to a number of other computers, including my personal computer which I am presently typing on, a second computer for family members and guests, and a computer in my dad's ham radio room. It is in my house, on my internal LAN.

Regardless, I'll run the TCP port listener shortly, and find out if the packets are arriving on time or are being delayed.

[YAC/Caller ID Delay—Requires Service?]

Hi, all! I've got a bit of a head scratcher on my hands, and I am hoping someone can help me out with it.

I am running two different YAC Clients, the stock YAC listener, and Ascendis Caller ID, to display the name and number of folks calling in. I have a server with Ascendis Caller ID on it with a USB modem, and when a call comes in, it sends the information out in the YAC format to YAC listeners, as enumerated by IP address or Windows name. On two of the computers, when the phone rings, the YAC message pops up immediately after caller ID data is forwarded by the server. However, on two computers that have been heavily nLited, there is a massive delay, which makes the entire enterprise quite frustrating; the point of caller ID is to see who is calling at that moment, not 25 to 30 seconds later!

When I use YAC to send a test call, it pops up immediately on the nLited machines. However, when a regular phone call comes in, although it pops up quickly on my computer, on the more heavily nLited computers, there is a large delay until the information shows up. My guess is that there is some service that is required, or, something that is somehow delaying the data. The YAC clients (listeners) use TCP on port 10629.

Here are my questions:

1) Should I install Ethereal/Wireshark on the clients to verify that the packet is getting to the client first? This seems prudent, as it would determine whether the packet is arriving, and then there is a delay, or, whether the packet is being "held up" somewhere.

2) Is it likely that there is something removed from nLite which is causing the delay? Here is a list of services on the computer where the YAC listener responds promptly:

These Windows services are started:

Application Layer Gateway Service

Ati HotKey Poller

Bonjour Service

COM+ Event System

Computer Browser

Cryptographic Services

DCOM Server Process Launcher

DHCP Client

Distributed Link Tracking Client

DNS Client

Event Log

HID Input Service

LightScribeService Direct Disc Labeling Service

Logical Disk Manager

Net Driver HPZ12

Network Connections

Network Location Awareness (NLA)

Plug and Play

Pml Driver HPZ12

Print Spooler

Protected Storage

Remote Procedure Call (RPC)

Security Accounts Manager

Server

Shell Hardware Detection

System Event Notification

TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper

Telephony

Terminal Services

Themes

VMware Authorization Service

VMware DHCP Service

VMware NAT Service

VMware Virtual Mount Manager Extended

WebClient

Windows Audio

Windows Firewall/Internet Connection Sharing (ICS

Windows Management Instrumentation

Windows Time

Wireless Zero Configuration

WMI Performance Adapter

Workstation

The command completed successfully.

Here is a list of services on the computer where there is a very long delay:

These Windows services are started:

Cryptographic Services

DCOM Server Process Launcher

DHCP Client

DNS Client

Event Log

Logical Disk Manager

Net Driver HPZ12

Network Connections

Plug and Play

Pml Driver HPZ12

Print Spooler

Remote Procedure Call (RPC)

Server

Shell Hardware Detection

TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper

Windows Audio

Windows Image Acquisition (WIA)

Wireless Zero Configuration

Workstation

The command completed successfully.

My intuition is that there was something removed by nLite that is causing the delay. However, that is just a guess.

Links:

YAC

Ascendis Caller ID

~Many thanks,

Bryan M.

-----------------------------------------------

EDIT: I found this tiny port monitoring program here.

I am too tired to test it right now, but it should allow me to check and see whether the data is arriving immediately after the call. That should determine the next step in troubleshooting. I'll post back in the morning. If anyone has any suggestions, I welcome them.

Also, I do not have the last session file from nLite.

On the bright side, if it is something removed with nLite that is behind the delay, we can add it to the "What Not To Remove For Some Programs" thread.

[Cannot View Help Topics Even with xCHM...?]

I backed up hh.exe, disabled Windows File Protection, copied xchm.exe to C:\WINDOWS, and renamed it hh.exe. However, the same thing happens? How can this be possible?

[Cannot View Help Topics Even with xCHM...?]

I'm onboard to edit my registry, and have no problem backing up the reg keys first.

What do I do/change?

[Cannot View Help Topics Even with xCHM...?]

Did you also change the association in Windows Explorer for .hlp files like you did for chm? The "Defaults" that most if

not all Windows programs use - those associations we were talking about - are,

.chm (Compiled HTML Help) - using hh.exe (Microsoft HTML Help Executable) to open

.hlp (Standard Help) - using winhlp32.exe (Windows Winhlp32 Stub) to open

You need to change these associations to the program you would prefer to open these file types.

1) .chm (Compiled HTML Help) - currently xCHM and when I double-click files, they open properly with that program

2) .hlp (Standard Help) - currently using winhlp32.exe (Windows Winhlp32 Stub) to open, and when I double-click files, they open properly with that program

Apparently, the problem only exhibits itself when a help file is accessed from *within* a program's menu, where it triggers the wrong program to open the help file; in this case, Microsoft HTML help. I believe that this is a symptom of the "strict association" you mention above, which may be a fault specific to certain programs, and not generalized to my system as a whole as previously thought.

When I browse to the WinRar program directory and locate WinRAR.chm, xCHM both opens and browses the file properly.

The fault here, it appears, is neither with xCHM or with Standard Help; it is only with Microsoft HTML help. When "called" for their respective functions, xCHM appears to open compiled HTML help files properly, and winhlp32.exe appears to open regular "Standard Help" files properly. The problem only appears when a program calls for Microsoft HTML help, which is the component that suffered from the removal of IE, in lieu of xCHM, which is what I assigned to open compiled HTML help files.

If you (and others?) agree that the "strict association" is indeed the culprit, is there a solution? Or, should we just write this off as poor programming by the author's of the programs which exhibit this particular behavior? If we accept this as fact, then it is neither the removal of IE nor an ability on the behalf of xCHM to open the files; rather, is it the adamant refusal of particular programs (I picked WinRAR in this case) to pay attention to file associations.

[Cannot View Help Topics Even with xCHM...?]

Okay, you are right; the external program that is trying to view the file is "Microsoft HTML Help." I changed the file association, but WinRar still defaults to Microsoft...is there something I am missing? I did change the setting for the file association...

is there a way to change this "strict association?"

[Cannot View Help Topics Even with xCHM...?]

External Viewer:

1) Yes, I switched it to external viewer. It does not do anything. I believe selecting the viewer type has to do with when you double-click a particular file from within WinRar. I don't think it has anything to do at all with the "Help" problem I am experiencing.

"Also, have you tried adjusting the settings "File Types" from Windows Explorer and point to a new program for chm files

instead of Microsoft HTML Help Executable?"

2) Yes, I changed it to xCHM.

3) "The only problem you may have still is that a given program itself may have assigned (registered) MS HTML Help to open

chm files and you would need to reassign xCHM to be the default viewer but not all programs make this easy.

This strict association is why you are having problems, some programs respect your wishes when you create an association

while other programs ignore your "defaults" and stick with what they registered when they installed, that is why when trying

to open chm files one program will respect your new program and others pitch a fit."

I don't think this is quite it, because in the screenshot, it shows K-Meleon as the icon. To me, this indicates that it is asking the browser to open/interpret the file, but that the browser, perhaps, does not know what to do with it.

Further, if I run winhlp32.exe from the command line, it opens right up, and opens .HLP files without issue. *scratches head*

[Cannot View Help Topics Even with xCHM...?]

It is nLited, and XPlite was used to remove additional components.

Like you, I "never" use help files, and like you, removed the help service and the option hidden off the Start Menu. However, I believe that is a different function than CHM and the problem I am encountering.

Every now and then, there is something important buried in the Help menu in a program (WinRar was just a sample of what I experience), which necessitates the HTML/CHM file opening properly.

[Cannot View Help Topics Even with xCHM...?]

I uninstalled IE from my computer and now use K-Meleon. I installed xCHM so that I can view help files. It works much of the time. However, every now and then, I will try and view a help topic from within a progam (i.e., click "Help,") but it will not open with xCHM. Instead, it will show something like this:

Screenshot

Clicking any of those three dialog boxes does absolutely nothing.

Here is my question:

I know that by re-registering certain files, this will function properly. However, I do *not* want ActiveX on my computer or any other component of IE. So, I have two questions:

1) Is there a way to tweak the registry so that xCHM or K-Meleon can view these files properly/avoid the error as posted in my screenshot?

2) I know Microsoft is/was required to release versions of Windows without IE. Is there some cross-pollination, some registry tweak sourced from that version which might help rectify this?

3) Is there something else I am missing which will remove this error and allow help files to open properly *without* ActiveX and *without* Internet Explorer componentry?

Although I have some experience editing the registry, I am not an expert on .html or help files.

Thank you for your help!

[Windows Help File/ Help Needed]

Hi all. First post here.

I am running an NLited XP-SP2 system, with IE and IE core removed. I downloaded the excellent XChm to open .chm files, and that works for some of them. However, when accessing help in other programs, a dialog box opens up, and says:

"File Download - Security Warning

Do you Want to Open or Save the File?"

I cannot browse the Windows help file.

How can I fix this *without* reinstalling IE Core? I like my system the way it is, with K-Meleon as my lean browser of choice. There must be a way to view help files.

Can anyone help me?