Re: Problem after transfering custom.dic file to laptop.

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I just did another search of the hard drive on my desktop computer and found
a custom.dic file in the recycle bin. This is one that someone sent to me to
use with a new client, but since I preferred my own creation, I deleted it.
I just opened it and looked at what it contains. It has a lot of the words
that I think should be in mine, but I assume they were added there by its
previous owner. It has never been in the Microsoft Proof folder on my
computer, and this is not the one I copied to the laptop. I suppose I could
rename this and then add it to the Proof file on the laptop, becuase it does
contain a lot of needed words, but I have noted a couple of misspellings, so
I am reluctant to do that. I also don't think this is the one that my
desktop computer has been reading, because there are some regional proper
names that I have added to mine, and they are not in this file. I also
cannot understand why the custom.dic file that I have used for years would
only be 1 KB in size and not have things like the reginoal proper names in
its list of words when I open the file. This is driving me nuts, and I am
sure I am driving you nuts, also! Oh, well, I suppose I will just have to
start adding words to the notebook computer's dictionary, which is so
frustrating, because I like to verify everything before adding it, and that
can be very time-consuming. Thanks for listening.

"Suzanne S. Barnhill" wrote:

I guess I've just run out of ideas. If Smartype is a Word add-in, it's
possible that it could have some effect, but I would be hard put to it to
say why this would be true in one instance and not the other.

What you describe sounds a lot like the problem I was having where words
were being put in the exclusion dictionary, but I believe we have
established that you don't have any such thing?

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA

"Snickers" <Snickers@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:5C92B803-0689-46F0-B238-03DC30B8CCBE@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I have not applied any updates to Word 2000. I have used this for several
years, and I have installed it on both of these computers from the same
original program disk. I believe that Windows updates have been applied
on
the notebook computer that have not been applied on the desktop computer,
but
would that have any effect on how Word would function? I continue to use
Word 2000, because I use another program, a text-expander called Smartype,
and the version I have only works with Word 2000. They both have always
worked fine in the past, and I haven't had any need to update them. I have
also transfered both programs from a previous computer to my current
desktop
computer and did not have a dictionary problem then. I have even created
a
document on the desktop computer, then transferred a copy to the other
computer before spellchecking, and then spellchecked it on both computers.
The notebook computer will stop on lots of words that don't even seem to
be
that out of the ordinary to me, and that are accepted just fine by the
desktop. Medical terms indeed, but terms I have used for years. And I
have
not added any kind of medical spellchecker. I had one of those a few
years
ago on an old computer, but I have not installed it on either of my two
current computers, the desktop or the notebook.

I have also gone through the Options in Word on both computers line by
line
and made sure I had all the boxes checked the same on each computer. If
there is anytning outside of Word that I should take a look at, just let
me
know.

Thanks again for all your help and patience.

"Suzanne S. Barnhill" wrote:

I have to say that it is definitely getting "curiouser and curiouser."
Have
you perhaps applied updates to one installation that have not been added
to
the other? I don't know it for a fact, but it's not impossible that words
might have been added to the built-in lexicon by an update, though again
that's really a long shot. Certainly more recent versions of Word have
included a lot more proper names than earlier ones did.

And again I'm assuming that you've verified that the words that aren't
being
marked as misspelled have not been "ignored" or formatted as "Do not
check
spelling or grammar."

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA

"Snickers" <Snickers@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:EF081097-4E86-45FC-B210-EE24B210E269@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Yes, I have opened the file from that location on both computers, and
they
appear to be the same. In addition the nonsense word I added to the
desktop
dictionary is also in the notebook version. I have searched both
computers
for additional custom.dic files and found no others. However, not all
of
the
words I expected to find in the custom.dic file are there. For
example,
proper names that I have added in the past are not in that list of
words,
yet
the spellchecker does not stop on them. Some of the words that the
spellchecker stops on in the notebook computer, yet accepts in the
desktop
computer, are also not in that custom.dic file. Could that mean the
problem
is with the main dictionary file, and not the custom.dic file? But I
thought
the main dictionary file could not be altered in any way, and I
installed
Word on the laptop using the same program disc that I used with the
desktop
computer. Once again, I appreciate your continued patience with my
questions.

"Suzanne S. Barnhill" wrote:

This is not really an answer to my question. Did you open the
Custom.dic
file through Tools | Options | Spelling & Grammar? (Not as a text file
through or outside of Word.) That is, did you click on Custom
Dictionaries..., select Custom.dic, and choose Modify, then check to
make
sure that the relevant terms are included? If the words are not in
Custom.dic, then they will not be accepted.

And if they are accepted on the desktop and not on the laptop, then
the
likelihood is that the Custom.dic file you copied from the desktop is
not
the correct or most recent or applicable Custom.dic file. Word can use
more
than one custom dictionary (though only one can be named Custom.dic),
and
there could be several copies of Custom.dic spread around the hard
drive;
I
suggest you use Windows Search to look for others.

Alternatively, open Custom.dic on the desktop, copy its entire content
and
paste it into a text file. Open the text file on the laptop and
copy/paste
the contents into Custom.dic.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA

"Snickers" <Snickers@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:EAA27B82-52F5-473D-8AE1-B3D42F3628C0@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I have opened the custom.dic as a text file and there are recently
added
words there, but not words that have added in past years. For
example
physician names or medical terms that I have used for a long time,
and
the
desktop spellchecker does not stop on them, but when I spellcheck on
the
notebook computer, it will stop on these words as if they had not
been
added.
However, I can add a word when spellchecking on the notebook
computer,
and
it
will then retain and recognize that word in the future, but many of
these
are
terms that have already been added in years past and the desktop
spellchecker
passes them just fine. And it is the same custom.dic file that I
have
copied
from the desktop computer onto the notebook. Does the custom.dic
file
reach
a point where it compresses or stores entries in some way that they
are
no
longer visibile when viewing it as a text file, yet they are still
in
there
somewhere?

"Suzanne S. Barnhill" wrote:

You have confirmed that the previously added words are actually in
the
Custom.dic when you open it via Tools | Options | Spelling and
Grammar?

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA

"Snickers" <Snickers@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:B1C7CBD4-82B8-4131-981B-99ABBC18AC03@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The language is set okay, and words get added to the dictionary
just
fine.
It's previously added words that the spellchecker refuses to
recognize.

Thanks for the help. Will let you know if I find a solution.

"Suzanne S. Barnhill" wrote:

Make sure that the language of the dictionary is set to All
Languages.
I'm
pretty much running out of ideas (though there might be
something
in
http://sbarnhill.mvps.org/WordFAQs/MasterSpellCheck.htm that
would
suggest
an avenue of exploration). Do you have an exclusion dictionary?
I
had
an
episode recently where every word I added to my Custom.dic was
also
being
added to the .exc file. It was very bizarre, and since I got it
straightened
out there has been no recurrence, but it's worth investigating.

If none of that helps, you might post in the
microsoft.public.word.spelling.grammar newsgroup, which
specializes
in
proofing tools issues.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA

"Snickers" <Snickers@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:B5989A8E-FA78-4F22-9561-B007083E068F@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I have verified that it indeed is in the proper location and
that
Word
is
reading that file. I added a specific nonsense word to the
desktop
dictionary, then copied that dictionary file to the laptop,
created
a
document and used a misspelled version of the nonsense word,
and
the
laptop
spellchecker did indeed stop on it and suggest the "correct"
spelling
of
that
word. However, it is not recognizing countless other words
that
have
been
added and that are accepted by the desktop dictionary. Again,
this
is
Word
2000, and I am using with Windows XP Professional, if that is
helpful.

"Suzanne S. Barnhill" wrote:

It's possible that when you copied your old Custom.dic to the
new
computer,
you didn't copy it to the location where Word is looking for
Custom.dic.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA

"Snickers" <Snickers@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in
message
news:D2D820FB-272B-4F11-8585-E55F2DE19B21@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I have used Word 2000 for several years and have added many
terms
to
the
custom dictionary. I recently bought a laptop computer,
and
transfered
the
Custom.dic file from my desktop computer. (I also
transfered
normal.dot,
and
the files for autocorrect.) However, the spellchecker
stops
on
words
that
I
KNOW I have added, and they are in the dictionary on my
.

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