Running XP pro here fully patched, and the latest Avast home edition. Just for the heck of it I tried out help and support and it worked fine on my system. Maybe a firewall configuration problem is to blame? I know I have to give help and support access to the net through my firewall for it to function.
Douglas
Douglas, you could be right... I forgot the firewall!
Yes, the help service (Microsoft Help Center Hosting Server) and error debug service (Microsoft Application Error Reporting) could have access denied by the firewall (even to your own local disk...). Strange, but for me, who does not need to receive help from Microsoft by the web, I just allow the Help Center to be used locally (not through the Internet).