cannot open the file : mk:MSITStore:C:\.....

[MC Hammer]

Hello everyone
Not sure this is a Flare-related question but I am having trouble viweing some new compiled files since I upgraded to Flare v3.1 earlier on this week (I know I am a bit behind but we have just started testing v4 at the moment. I have Flare v4 on my PC as well, which I installed last week).
I have uninstalled Flare v3.0.3 and installed Flare 3.1 + the patch "CHM+PopupFix_31.zip".
Some of my projects work ok in that I can compile and view my targets. However I have one particular project for which I get the following message when I ask to view the newly compiled CHMs (several targets):

Cannot_open_file.gif

Also I have noticed that these CHMs are nearly twice as big as they used to be...

After a bit of googling I came across some articles saying that this could be due to some OCXs or DLLs that could have become unregistered or for which some older versions have replaced some newer ones.
I have tried a few things (amongst which re-registering a newer version of hhctrl.ocx) but am still having the issue.

Has anyone come across this or has anyone a solution to this problem?

[Pete Lees]

Hi, Marie-Claire,

The error message is normally an indication that the help file has been corrupted for some reason — typically because of a compiler error. The fact that other help files work OK suggests that all the components required to compile and view HTML Help files are present and correctly registered on your computer. So, it's likely that there is an error somewhere in your help project.

Are any error messages displayed or logged when you compile this project?

Pete

[MC Hammer]

Hi Pete
There are no error messages at all (I cannot save the log because there are no errors).

However, there is something weird that I have just noticed, the compression INCREASED (????) the file, which explains why it is suddenly become nearly twice its usual size. For the projects that work "normally", the compression correctly decreases the CHM file.

log.gif

My colleague can compile and open any target of this project file on her PC (she also uses Flare v3.1). We use Subversion as source control so her project files are exactly the same as mine (The Output folder is not source-controlled).

[Pete Lees]

If there are any artefacts from previously compilations lying around your hard drive, you could try deleting them before you compile again. It could be that the compiler is finding old HTML source files and pulling them into the help file.

Pete

[MC Hammer]

Hi Pete
I always use Build | Clean Project to delete the contents of the output directory before doing a major build.

[Pete Lees]

Perhaps it would help to examine the contents of the .chm file with KeyTools (http://www.keyworks.net/keytools.htm). That will show you exactly what's compiled into the .chm file, so you'll be able to see if there are any stray files in there, graphics files that have ballooned in size, etc.

Pete

[MC Hammer]

Hi Pete
Thanks again for your valuable help and for directing me towards Keytools (great tool!).
I have had a play with it but unfortunately I get a cannot open file message when trying to examine my CHMs (the ones that I cannot open in Flare once I compile them).
I will contact MadCap about this.