outlook express spell check stuck on french

The outlook express spell check thinks all words typed are wrong because its
stuck on french setting and when I go to change it french is the only option,
how can I make it english

Open the Control Panel. Using Classic View, click on Regional and
Language Options. Click on Languages.
Click on Details. Click on Add, if US is not available. Have the CD
available to insert if needed.

If you are using Office 2007 the spell checker is no longer available for
use on OE. Your best bet is to search for
a free spellchecker on Google. You can get this info at the Microsoft site.

If after installing Office 2007 you find that the spell checker in OE not
working properly and the only dictionary language installed is FRENCH, you
need to reinstall the 'proofing tools' from a pervious version of Office if
you have it.

[dam66]

French Spell Check Fix
copy this folder into the "Microsoft Office" folder in "Programs" and run spell check
...it will self extract and ...your problem is solved...

[b]Office XP Outlook Spell Checker (Proofing Tools).rar (1.62 MB)[/B

[Kevin123]

Hi dam66
I'm confused by the instructions for importing the Proofing Tools as a .rar file. What I tried did not make any difference:
I downloaded the file, put it into the exact folder you indicated but nothing was any different when I opened OE and did a spellcheck on a test email that I composed. It still corrected only for French and the Options >Spelling screen showed that only French was available.

Then I figured that I had to download a program that can unzip that unusual type of compressed file (.rar). So I did. When I relaunched OE and tried spellchecking again I noticed that it still did not self-extract, so I then double-clicked it so that the the program I downloaded would handle the job. It simply extracted the rar file and put all the contents into a folder that it created at the same location. (It did nothing to the Office folders that were already there.) The spellchecker still only works for French.

I don't know exactly where the various new folders and files should go or what to execute to make them go there and do what is needed. Is the location you said the right one for my Office 2007? (One of the newly-created folders is called Office 10 yet there is already a folder called Office 12.) Did I do one of the steps wrong or is there some detail or additional step that was left out of the instructions?

Thanks for any clarification you or anyone can give.
Kevin

I appreciate the suggestions and caveas. However, I already had gone through all those articles and forums before I found the English Proofing tools offered by another user. (The post that I quoted almost in its entirtey)I responded to was directly above mine in the thread.) As for there being something wrong with obtaining them from someone else:
1. I had English Spellcheck ability until I got Office 2007. The function was essentially snatched away. I am not trying to improperly acquire any additional languages which, I realize, are sold separately.
2. My previous Office version was bought outright and apparently was the source of my orignal spellchecking ability. Unfortunately that was Office '97, and I have found that the disk for that older version offers nothing for the custom install of Proofing Tools.
3. Microsoft says it will do nothing to help the situation. It only suggests the use of third-party spellcheckers that, even if free, do not integrate as well as the original, do not have as large a starting dictionary, and do not self-start upon Send. If OE has such a clumsy dependency on other MS products that it is crippled by them, it should be Microsoft's code problem to solve, not mine. (No, there was no prior warning to the consumer about the damage that installing Office 2007 would do.)
4. If legality or fairness were paramount, I ought to charge Microsoft (at their going rate for Help) for all the hours I wasted in determining that it was Microsoft itself that eliminated a feature they had sold me years ago. Worse, what they did was most likely intentional: another small nuisance factor to spur the sluggish sales of Vista, which offers a "replacement" for OE.

That said, your concerns about the security of such a download is well-founded. I did scan for viruses or malware and found none. Also, the files it contains appear to simply different versions of typical Office files, as I expected them to be.
Regards.
Kevin

I can't see the post you're replying to, and you've snipped its content from
your reply, but it sounds like you've got the problem of Outlook Express
spell-checking only being offered in French after Office 2007 has been
installed. You should really take this to a group for one of those
applications as your problem isn't with XP as such.

That aside, Microsoft offer the following unhelpful advice at
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/932974:

"...the old spelling checker files are removed for the following languages:

.. English

.... These files are replaced with newer versions that are included in the
2007 Office system. The new files are incompatible with Outlook Express.
There are a variety of third-party free spell-checking programs available on
the Internet..."

Alternatively, if you *upgraded* to Office 2007 - viz, if you have an older
Office version available - see here

If you've had to download the English Proofing Tools as .rar files it sounds
like you *don't* have an older version of Office available, and that these
would probably count as pirated files. Be careful with them - do you trust
the source? Have you scanned them for viruses? Their unlicensed use is
likely illegal. For the correct locations and getting OE to see them for
spell-checking, you'll be better off at one of the other groups.

I am a late commer to this topic so forgive me if I cover ground already
covered. I have office 2000 rather than 2007 but if I click tools then
options I can set the language in the spelling tab

This is a problem with Office 2007 and Outlook Express. The English language
dictionary in Word 2007 is NOT compatable with OE. I'm not usre if MS is
working on the problem or not. The only solutions are to go back to a
previous version of Office, live without Spell Check in OE or use Outlook as
the default email program.

Several years ago, Microsoft disbanded the development team that
maintained OE. Consequently, MS are NOT working on this problem - and
there will be no further updates for OE (except for critical security
updates that also affect Win XP).

The spell-check incompatibility problem is a well-known (and
well-documented) issue. Consequently, I recommend you check out the
"microsoft.public.outlookexpress.general newsgroup", where many of the
expert contributors have extensive experience of Outlook Express..

If you need to ask the same question in that newsgroup, please indicate
which version(s) of English spellchecker you require (i.e. US, Canadian,
UK, Australian, etc).

[glassman]

install spell.exe and english will be in your options/spelling tab

Get your facts straight. Microsoft did NOT 'screw this up and won't fix it'.

[blaked]

I downloaded the spell.exe and now OE 6 will not send. I uninstalled and French is back, and now I can send.

thoughts?

You replied to a post more than 90 days old, which means it is no longer on
the MSNews server, and did not include the previous posts and replies.
Therefore, I have no idea exactly what you did and what is spell.exe.

May I suggest you ask in the appropriate newsgroup and explain your issue in
detail, and what you have tried in detail.

Sorry, I forgot to include the newsgroup.

Outlook Express General newsgroup:

In your newsreader:
news://msnews.microsoft.com/microsof...xpress.general

On the Web:
http://www.microsoft.com/communities...xpress.general

[aiguo]

The easiest way is doing windows update, install any new version Explore, it will ask you uninstall old one, then restart computer with new one. Once this is done, Outlook express automatically got both English and French spelling check.