Really? I have no trouble deleting preference files on 10.7.1. What have you done to your permissions?
I can't explain the situation any better that I have already.
As far as I know, I haven't done anything to my permissions, for the simple reason that I don't know what permissions are, what they do, how one might do anything to them, and so forth. (I raised this issue in these forums before I even got the machine and was counseled not to worry about it. See #17673.)
Given that 10.7 seems to be radically different from earlier versions of OS X, unless there's a officially-sanctioned version-specific fix, one that even I can understand, I'm not going to experiment. I've already gotten into severe trouble on that score a couple of times, and it's scared the crap out of me.
EDIT: I should add here (as addendum to #18192 above) that when I spoke with the senior Apple advisor he never mentioned "Help Viewer" (even though that was the topic of discussion). He wanted me to do something called a "safe boot" and fool around with my browsers — which, as noted, have nothing whatsoever to do with Help Viewer, since that seems to function completely independently of browsers (and both Firefox and Safari weren't active). And, of course, when I tried to get "help" to get information on what that so-called safe boot is about, all I got was "Content not available". Bottom line: I'm no closer to a resolution of the problem(s) raised in this thread than before.
And since my accessing Help and Help Center is essential to my learning how to deal with this machine and this system, not being able to leaves me in limbo and in grief.
I continue to be consternated by this system and frustrated at almost every turn. But I've made the decision to stick with it (in spite of my strong feeling that I should just return to my old iMac and OS 9).
On the other hand, there are obviously problems which are just not going to be solved (via these forums or otherwise), and I'm not likely to acquire the ability to deal with them. The expertise may be out there, but I'm stymied as to how to tap into it. Without simple and transparent solutions my 'experiment' with this equipment will lead me ultimately to give up.
Apple's products are not simpler and easier and more transparent to use than the competition's (although they used to be); I guess that's the ultimate 'seduction' (read: trap) that Uncle Steve talked about.
