In order to run this product you need the following:

Windows 98/ME, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows 2003, Windows Vista
Help Builder does not run reliably on Windows 95 or Windows NT due to some file API issues.

Microsoft HTML Help Workshop
HTML Help Workshop is required in order to compile CHM files. It provides the official MS HTML Help 1.0 compiler. You can download Workshop from Microsoft (about 4 megs).

Microsoft Visual Studio Help Integration Kit (VSHIK)
If you plan to build Html Help 2.0 files with Help Builder you will need the VSHIK which provides the Html Help 2.0 compiler required to create your Help 2.0 help files.

Help Builder compile your project directly without interactively using Workshop or the VS.NET Help Editor, but it creates HTML Help Workshop and VSHIK compliant output, so you can generate projects in Help Builder and use Workshop or the VSHIK to customize the final look of the help file before compiling the project. These tools are required primarily for the Help Compilers.

Recommended Third Party Products

Microsoft Word 2000 or later
If you plan on generating output for MS Word documentation you will also need a copy of Word 2000 or later. Help Builder automates Word to generate your documentation in Word format. Word Automation is also used for spell checking. Word is not required for generating HTML or HTML Help output!

SnagIt from TechSmith
SnagIt is a powerful screen capture utility that makes short work of capturing screen images and fixing them up in flexible ways for publishing in help files. Although Help Builder includes native screen capturing, using SnagIt provides a much richer capture and image editing experience. SnagIt operation is directly integrated with Help Builder so you image captures can pull images directly into your help content. If you do even just a few image captures this is the best $39 you'll ever spend (and no, we don't make anything of this - it's just a great product!).

H2Reg from Helpware
If you plan on distributing and merging Html Help 2.0 files into other Help Collections such as Visual Studio, we highly recommend you get the H2Reg utility from Helpware. This utility is a small self-contained EXE you can use to register and merge help collections easily without a huge install footprint. Help Builder outputs a batch file as part of its Help 2.0 copy that can register a Help 2.0 help file with the system and Visual Studio.