OFF: Can't Run Spelling Checker After Removing Another Program

The information in this article applies to:

• Microsoft Office 97 for Windows
• Microsoft Office for Windows 95, version 7.0
• Microsoft Excel 97 for Windows
• Microsoft Excel for Windows 95, version 7.0
• Microsoft PowerPoint 97 for Windows
• Microsoft PowerPoint for Windows 95, version 7.0
• Microsoft Project for Windows 95, version 4.1

SYMPTOMS

When you run the spelling checker in a Microsoft program, you may receive one of the following error messages, even if you installed the spelling checker when you ran Setup for the application:

   Microsoft Excel
   ---------------

   Cannot initialize spelling checker.

   Microsoft PowerPoint
   --------------------

   Sorry, there is no valid speller. You should run Setup and reinstall.

   -and-

   The spelling information is missing from the registry. You should run
   Setup and reinstall.

   Microsoft Project:
   ------------------

   Spelling checker not installed. To install the spelling checker, run
   Microsoft Project Setup from your Microsoft Project disks.

CAUSE

This problem occurs when you run the Setup program for one of the applications listed above in maintenance mode and you remove the spelling checker for the application, or when you remove the entire application.

For example, if you install Microsoft PowerPoint, and you then install Microsoft Excel, if you run the Microsoft PowerPoint Setup program in maintenance mode, and you remove the spelling checker, the Spelling command no longer works in Microsoft Excel.

This problem occurs because when you run the Setup program for these Microsoft programs in maintenance mode and you remove the spelling checker or the entire application, the Setup program removes the spelling files and the associated registry entries, even though the spelling checker is a shared application.

Note that this problem does not occur with Microsoft Word because Microsoft Word uses different spelling files than the other Microsoft applications.

WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, you can reinstall the spelling files for your Microsoft application by doing the following:

1. Run the Setup program for your program.

2. Click the Reinstall button.

MORE INFORMATION

From the Microsoft Project Pjreadme.hlp file:

   When removing Microsoft Project, certain files will be removed that
   will affect the usage of the Microsoft Office applications. If
   Microsoft Office or one of the standalone Office applications are
   being used on the system after Microsoft Project is removed, the
   other applications should be reinstalled to function property. The
   opposite case is also true. Removing Microsoft Office or a standalone
   Office application will remove files that Microsoft Project uses.
   Microsoft Project should be reinstalled after another Microsoft
   Office application is removed.

REFERENCES

Pjreadme.hlp "Microsoft Project Product Update Information," Microsoft Project, version 4.1, C:\Msoffice\Winproj (the folder to which you install Microsoft Project).