Help Topic for OS X gone! Help!

[code777]

at first i thought it was because i downloaded and used OnyX but then i remembered the other day I was not following the infamous Windows techie saying, "If you don't know what it is don't delete it" well I deleted some things I should not have (I assume) as now there is nothing in the Mac OS X help topics. First I try to open Help and it opens then closes right away. When going into the library/directory and trying to open help that way it does open however with you put something in the search field nothing happens, when you pick topics it says something like, "not found", etc...

what are my options? re-install OS X to repair? Being a newbe I can take all the help you guys can give. Live and learn right? neye:

 

[code777]

ok, figured it out - all i did was go to the caches folder and renamed the com.apple.helpui folder and now help opens up with out a hitch. No idea why this would effect it... thoughts!?

 

[witeshark]

If help stops working, go into users > library > preferences and trash the help preferences (could be 3 of them) Re open help from finder and these will be regenerated. Then you can empty trash

 

[code777]

****, well help is once again gone. any suggestions? it seems as though i keep having to rename that cache folder... i don't get it!?

 

[Macman]

have you tried repairing permissions?

 

[code777]

yeah i do. everytime i rename the cache folder a new help cache appears and it works...but after a while it stops working and i have to go in there and rename it so i have like 4 different help cache folders... can i delete the old ones?

 

[ibmac'n]

I too suddenly lost the help viewer. Clicked on it, shows for just a flash then gone.
I've fixed it, though I did it in a round-about way.
1. Go to finder
2. Click on Macintosh HD
3. Open X system folder
4. Open Library X
5. Open Core service folder
6. Scroll down and find the life preserver Help icon, dbl. click it
4. Help viewer icon is now in your dock
At this point I right clicked the icon. It asks if you want to keep in the dock
I chose yes. Help now works. Heres the funny part. One day the icon in the dock was gone. I opened finder, clicked on help and bam! There it was like it never ever left.
Go figure!