Spellbinding solution.(COMPUTER CURES)(spell-check for Outlook Express)(Brief article)

Computer Shopper July 1, 2008 | Burek, John A.

I’m running Windows XP and have Microsoft Works installed. How can I get spell-check for Outlook Express to work?

JERRY GIBSON Outlook Express (OE) lacks its own spell-check apparatus, but it can be made to work with other apps’ dictionaries. You can install a freeware (or for-pay) spell-check utility with its own dictionary; you can also create a link between OE and the spellchecker in Microsoft Works (assuming your version includes Microsoft Word) or any recent version of Microsoft Office. go to web site online spell check

The third-party solution is easier, but the dictionary it uses will be its own, not Microsoft’s. The free way: Go to www.geocities.com/vampirefo and download Spell Checker for OE 2.1. (Several other sites mirror this utility.) Run the EXE, and the Spelling option in OE (assuming you’re running version 5 or 6) should no longer be grayed out in the Tools menu when you compose a mail. A for-pay option, ABCSpell, adds further functionality, including a thesaurus and integration with Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary. You can get a 15-day trial version at computershopper.com/downloads; the full version costs $29.95. this web site online spell check

The link to Microsoft’s dictionary is little more trouble to establish. Your PC needs a certain DLL file, csapi3t1.dll, to share the Word/Office dictionary with Outlook Express. You can fetch this DLL file in several ways, including from your XP install CD, but it’s easiest–once again–to just download it from www.dll-files.com. Copy this file to the folder C:\Program Files\Common FileskMicrosoff Shared\Proof, then reboot–OE should be spell-ready.

When you reopen OE, go to Tools > Options. A new Spelling tab should appear here; check off any options you favor.

Burek, John A.