Spell Checker or Custom Dictionary Errors in Outlook Express

• Microsoft Outlook Express versions 4.0, 4.01 for Windows 95
• Microsoft Outlook Express versions 4.0, 4.01 for Windows NT 4.0

IMPORTANT: This article contains information about editing the registry. Before you edit the registry, make sure you understand how to restore it if a problem occurs. For information about how to do this, view the "Restoring the Registry" Help topic in Regedit.exe or the "Restoring a Registry Key" Help topic in Regedt32.exe.

SYMPTOMS

You may experience any of the following symptoms:

• When you click Send in a message in Outlook Express, you may receive the following error message:

        The spell check on this document was halted. Do you want to send
        anyway?
  

• When you click Spell on the Tools menu in a message, you may receive the following error message:

        An error occurred while the spelling was being checked.
  

• When you try to edit your custom dictionary in Outlook Express, you may receive the following error message:

        Cannot find the file 'C:\<folder>\CUSTOM.DIC' (or one of its
        components). Make sure the path and filename are correct and that
        all required libraries are available.
  

CAUSE

This behavior can occur if registry entries for the spell checker tool or custom dictionary are incorrect. This behavior can also occur if these registry entries refer to a network location you do not have permission to access.

RESOLUTION

WARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

For information about how to edit the registry, view the "Changing Keys And Values" Help topic in Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) or the "Add and Delete Information in the Registry" and "Edit Registry Data" Help topics in Regedt32.exe. Note that you should back up the registry before you edit it.

To resolve this behavior, modify the appropriate registry entry to point to valid files. Note that these files must be stored locally, or on a network location you have permission to access.

Spell Checker

Use Registry Editor to locate the following key, and then verify that the values listed below have valid paths and file names:

   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Shared Tools\Proofing Tools\
      Spelling\1033\Normal

         Value name   Value data
         ------------------------------------
         Engine       <valid path>\<filename>
         Dictionary   <valid path>\<filename>

   Value name   Value data
   ------------------------------------------------------------------
   Engine       C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft
                Shared\PROOF\MSSP232.DLL
   Dictionary   C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\PROOF\
                mssp2_en.lex

Custom Dictionary

Use Registry Editor to locate the following key, and then verify that the Custom Dictionaries key contains the value listed below:

   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Shared Tools\Proofing Tools\
      Custom Dictionaries

   Value name   Value data
   -----------------------------------------------------------
   1            C:\Program Files\Common Files\Proof\custom.dic

MORE INFORMATION

These error messages can also occur if the files referenced in the registry have been deleted. To resolve this issue, install (or reinstall) a program that includes a 32-bit spell checking tool (such as Microsoft Word 7.0 for Windows 95 [Word 95], Word 97, or Microsoft Works 4.0 for Windows 95).