If you downloaded a local version of the help files, avoid using the
SI_HELP_PROGRAM_ENV environment variable. If you set that environment variable, the browser doesn’t find the help files.
If necessary, unset SI_HELP_PROGRAM_ENV and set your default browser to Firefox, Chrome, or Internet Explorer.
Then, in the General preferences, set Help Location to Local Computer/ Network.
If that doesn’t work, then set Help Location to Custom and use the file:// protocol:
file:///C:\Program Files (x86)\Autodesk\Help\softimage2012\en_us
eX-SI 
Might be interesting to note that the search function DOESN’T seem to work in Google Chrome! IE, Firefox & Opera didn’t cause problems, although some are slower than others… š
Yes, that’s something we just checked with the tools team this morning; I didn’t have time to update my blog post yet š
Local search doesn’t work in Chrome, but it does in other browsers, like Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Safari (on the Mac).