The uTorrent Main Help File Is Broken

[Malfunction]

I downloaded the file "utorrent-help.zip" from http://www.utorrent.com/guides.php and found the file does NOT work.

"utorrent-help.zip" is 231 KB in size and when unzipped the file "utorrent.chm" is 237 KB. The Help file opens and the menu structure on the left is visible but there is no visible content on the right hand side, only a message saying "The address is not valid".

I ended up trying the new uTorrent web site http://test.utorrent.com/documentation/. This site states that the Help file is 427 kB but the downloaded file is again only 231 KB in size, i.e. the same as the main web site.

A comparison (using WinMerge) shows that the files "utorrent.chm" from the two web sites are binary identical.

[Ultima]

The problem: See this Microsoft KB article. Although that KB article is specifically for Windows 2003, it affects any of the currently-supported Microsoft OSes.

The solution: Right-click the CHM file and view the Properties. There should be some Unblock button there; click it.

The workaround: http://www.grainge.org/pages/authoring/chm_mspatch/896358.htm

[Malfunction]

Ultima, thank you for your concise and useful instruction. "Right-click the CHM file and view the Properties. Click on the Unblock button." Too easy. The other references were pretty tedious and boring and were mainly for issues in networks.

I would however like to make two suggestions for the hundreds (thousands?) of ordinary users who have very limited knowledge of Windows and IT Stuff in general and who also no doubt have this problem. I did a search before posting and did not find an answer and I am now surprised at that fact because the problem must be quite widespread. I guess we are dealing with ordinary people who don't know about things like forums.

Suggestion #1

Get your people to add a text file (instruction.txt) to "utorrent-help.zip" and in it tell the user to:

[1] Click on the [Open] button if the Open File - Security Warning dialog box appears.

[2] Right-click the CHM file and view the Properties. Click on the [unblock] button.

before they try to use the help file.

This way the poor non-IT type person may have some hope of fixing the issue without spending two frustrating days trying to use the uTorrent web site and forum.

Suggestion #2

Change the line "µTorrent Help File (.chm) 427kb" to "µTorrent Help File (.chm) 237KB" on the page http://www.utorrent.com/documentation/. Clearly the 427 size information is wrong. Shouldn't the units be kB (kilo Bytes), I assume kb means kilo bits.

Suggestion #3

Your people MAY actually be able to AVOID the error message for users with a single home PC. The method:

[1] Copy "utorrent.chm" to a volume formatted as FAT or FAT32 (e.g. a USB memory stick). This will strip the NTFS security information from the file.

[2] Make the ZIP file utorrent-help.zip on the same FAT or FAT32 volume.

[3] Put the file utorrent-help.zip on the web site.

(this of course will not assist if the help file is held on a networked NTFS volume)