After you add a reference to the ActiveX Data Objects (ADO) 2.6 object library, when you try to bring up context sensitive Help for ADO (by pressing F1), Help opens but displays a blank window.

The ADO 2.6 help file is not included with the core MDAC 2.6 installation file, mdac_typ.exe. This applies to either downloading mdac_typ.exe directly from the Microsoft website or installing it from the installation program of a separate application (such as Microsoft SQL Server 2000).

The ADO 2.6 Help files are included with the ADO 2.6 Software Development Kit (SDK), a separately downloadable file. You can download the ADO 2.6 SDK from the following Microsoft Web site:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=6a7d785f-c2e0-471d-a33b-82ad1d514737 (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=6a7d785f-c2e0-471d-a33b-82ad1d514737)

After you install the ADO 2.6 SDK, you can view ADO 2.6 Help in the Microsoft Data Access SDK 2.6 program group from your Start button. However, to make context-sensitive Help available from within Access, you must follow these steps:

1. In the folder where you installed the ADO 2.6 SDK, locate the files ADO260.chm and ADO260.chi. By default, these files are installed in the following folder:
   C:\Program Files\Microsoft Data Access SDK\Docs\
2. Copy the ADO260.chm and ADO260.chi files, and then paste them to one of the following two folders, depending on the version of Microsoft Windows that you are running:
   For Microsoft Windows 98 and Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (ME):

   C:\Windows\Help

   For Microsoft Windows NT and Microsoft Windows 2000:

   C:\WINNT\Help
   NOTE: The exact folder path may differ if you have installed Windows to a non-default location.
   
   You can now bring up ADO 2.6 context-sensitive Help from within the Visual Basic Editor.

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.

Steps to Reproduce the Behavior

1. Install Access 2002 on a clean Windows-based computer that has not had MDAC 2.6 installed.
2. Install MDAC 2.6 by installing SQL Server 2000 or install it from the following Microsoft Web site:
   http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/data/aa937729.aspx (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/data/aa937729.aspx)
3. Open the sample database Northwind.mdb, and then open the Visual Basic Editor.
4. On the Tools menu, click References.
5. Add a reference to Microsoft ActiveX Data Objects 2.6 Library.
6. Add the following code to a module:

   Public Sub TestADO26()
      Dim vTest As ADODB.Field
   End Sub
   					

7. Place your mouse pointer within the word Field, and then press F1.
   
   Note that Help opens but with a blank gray window.

Note that if you change your ADO reference to 2.5 and then try the same steps, the appropriate Help topic is displayed.