Esumsoft Forums

When I upgrade PP, I use the portable/ZIP version. As result, Windows blocks the files.
I don't mind the EXE files being blocked, because I get an automatic prompt to unblock them upon usage.
The issue is with the help system.
PP doesn't know it's blocked so it launches it in a blank state. That is, you can see the left side (menus, index, search) but not the actual content (right side).

The only way to fix this is to somehow deduce it's because POPPeeper.chm is blocked, which assume not everyone figures out, and manually unblock it.

Maybe there's nothing to do about it, but is there a chance PP can tell if it's blocked and either just ask to manually unblock it or get Windows to launch an unblock prompt?

Regarding the former (detecting it), I found an old treatment that might still be relevant after all these years:
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/175 ... ing-system

When I download a program, I always download the zip if it's an option (and don't get me started on zip files that only contain the exe installer). However, I take a different course because I install these types of programs to a different drive (where they can survive a C: drive reformat); where the whole "unblock" step is unnecessary.

I refreshed what happens if you unzip the help file into Program Files. In hindsight, I was able to start POP Peeper normally (abnormal according to your described experience?), and opening the help file produced the behavior you mentioned with a blank page. I then used auto-update (I had copied an older version for this very purpose) and after updating -- voila! -- the help file now worked.

For what it's worth, there is an existing FAQ on this:
https://www.esumsoft.com/products/pop-p ... =helpblank
Fortunately, I think that the same people who are trying to look at the help file, will probably also be able to find that solution in the faq.


I've looked at the references you provided and did a little other digging, too. It does look possible to detect the issue, but some more investigation needs to be done to find the best solution. So I've added it to my notes and will look into it further when I have more time.