Spell Checker or Custom Dictionary Errors in Outlook Express

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The information in this article applies to:
*	Microsoft Outlook Express versions 4.0, 4.01 for Windows 95
*	Microsoft Outlook Express versions 4.0, 4.01 for Windows NT 4.0
	
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	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 on 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 on a message, you may receive

		the following error message:
		An error occurred while the spelling was being checked.
*	When you click Edit Custom Dictionary in Outlook Express, you may 
	receive the following error message
	Cannot find the file 'C:\\CUSTOM.DIC' (or one of its 
	components). Make sure the path and filename are correct and that 
	all required libraries are available.

	where  is the name of the folder that contains your Custom 
	Dictionary.

CAUSE
====

This behavior can occur if registry entries for the Spell Checker or Custom
Dictionary are incorrect. This behavior can also occur if these registry
entries are on 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
	Engine=\
	Dictionary=\

For example, these values may appear as follows:
	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

		1	C:\Program Files\Common Files\Proof\custom.dic

MORE INFORMATION
===============

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