[bluefox]

Spell check and custom dict not working,
When I go to check spelling in a story that I am writing I get the following dialogue box message:
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The spelling and grammar check is complete.
Text set to (no proofing) was skipped.
To find (no proofing) text, click Edit/Replace,
click More, click Format, click Language
and choose (no proofing).
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I havent set any of the text to No Proofing, in fact I wouldnt know how.
I do as the dialogue above suggests in order to see if I can spell check but I still get the same message.
Dictionaries are part of the problem I think, getting a custom dictionary to work is proving impossible. I can select a custom dict but the add button in spell check doesn't light up.
Ive trashed the prefs folder and restarted but that didnt help.
Replaced Office 2001, that didnt help either.
Im using Word in Office 2001 with OS 9 on a G3.
Any help appreciated, Barrie

[car1son]

"No proofing" is a "language" (as far as Word is concerned) that is not checked against any dictionary. It's an attribute of the text in the document (just as, for example, bold would be an attribute of the text), which is why reinstalling Office or trashing preferences doesn't solve your problem.
The procedure described allows you to find a text that is designated "No proofing", but it doesn't tell you how to change it.
Assuming you are writing in a single language: select the entire document (Select All from the Edit menu). Then pick "Language" from the Tools menu. Select the language you are writing in (for example, "English (U.S.)"). Then click OK.

[nnager]

When that's happened to me in Office X and Office 2004 (sorry, 2001 is but a distant memory), it was fixed by telling any one of Office's programs (Entourage, Word, Excel) where to find my custom dictionary. In Word, go to Preferences in Word pull down menu. Click on spelling and grammar and then Dictionaries. When Custom Dictionary screen comes up on monitor, click in the box to left of the words Custom Dictionary. Click on OK.
In Entourage, go to General Preferences in Entourage pull down menu. Click on Dictionaries button. Then click on Spelling. When the next screen asks to select the custom dictionary, click on Documents, then on Microsoft Users Data and then on Custom Dictionary. Finally, click Select button and when next screen comes up, click on OK button to set this preference.
To be on the safe safe side, I'd suggest doing a search for "dictionary" from the Finder and make sure that Office you have not accidentally created a 2nd custom dictionary.
You can open your custom dictionary with Word, just like a Word document. A quick check should tell you if its got a lot of the words you've added in the past.
Respectfully, Norm

[car1son]

There is more than one "Add" button associated with the Word spelling and grammar checking.
When you select "Spelling and grammar..." from the Tools menu, a dialog labeled "Spelling and Grammar: (language)" opens. The add button on that dialog is used to add a word to the currently selected custom dictionary. It is greyed out, that implies the current custom dictionary is not selected, it is not writable, or is not of the "Language" of the text.
On that " Spelling and grammar " dialog, if you click the "Options..." button, the "Spelling Grammar" dialog opens (note the name is distinguished only by the lack of the conjunction). If you have more than one custom dictionary, the custom dictionary displayed in the "Custom dictionary:" pulldown menu is the one to which the "Add" button in the "Spelling and Grammar" dialog will add the word. (that was a mouthful)
On that "Spelling Grammar" dialog, if you click the "Dictionaries..." button, the "Custom dictionaries" dialog opens. This dialogue has an "Add..." button that is used to add a custom dictionary to the list. In this case "Add" is used to add an already-existing dictionary to your list. If you don't already have a custom dictionary, you would click "New..." instead To make a new, empty custom dictionary.
I have illustrated these three dialogs here for reference.

[bluefox]

Thank you Car1son and Norm, both my problems are now fixed.
I created a new custom dictionary which I will keep separate from the word aplications folder (I stupidly dumped the last one when I replaced Office 2001)
The no proofing issue had me stumped tho, never come across that one before, don't know how the text got that designation or 'language' definition. But I fixed it thanks to your instructions Car1son, this is one forum page that I will archive for future ref.
Thanks guys!

[Naphtali]

You might want to save a compressed version of your Microsoft Preferences folder. Word routinely trashes its preferences. This is not a big deal, but recreating what you are accustomed to wastes time -- 15 seconds versus 10 minutes.
If you do not do this, Word may not default to the dictionaries you want it to use. You can create a bazillion dictionaries, but you can use only one at a time. I create spelling exceptions dictionaries for each project.

[bluefox]

Thanks Naphtali,
re saving backup copy of prefs folder:
This is something I should do now while things are 'normal'. Before things become corrupt. I am keeping my custom dictionary with my writing projects so it will always be backed up anyway.
Barrie