Outlook Express Spell Check - MSN Email Spell Check in French

When installing Microsoft Office 2007, the English Proofing Tools (Spell Check) are upgraded to the included Microsoft Office 2007 version.  In Microsoft Windows XP, the 2007 version of the English Proofing Tools are incompatible with both the MSN Email Client and Microsoft Outlook Express.  Typically, Microsoft Office 2003 is installed in Microsoft Windows XP.  Microsoft Office 2007 is installed in Microsoft Windows Vista.  Microsoft Office 2010 is installed in Microsoft Windows 7.

The MSN Email Client and Microsoft Outlook Express rely upon the earlier version of the English Proofing Tools in order for Spell Check to function properly.  The official statement on Microsoft's website states that users of MSN and Outlook Express should switch to Windows Live Mail.  However, many people do not wish to switch.  Following are a variety of solutions that may resolve this issue:

1. Solution #1: Microsoft Office Updates
   
   Install all Microsoft Updates for Microsoft Office 2007 including Microsoft Office 2007 SP2 and all Cumulative Updates.  Microsoft Updates is located at a slightly different URL from Microsoft Windows Updates.  The Microsoft Updates URL is: http://update.microsoft.com/microsoftupdate/v6/
   
   
2. Solution #2: Install Microsoft Office 2003 Proofing Tools
   
   Although it is not normally recommended to have components from two different versions of Microsoft Office on the same computer, you can install only the Microsoft Office 2003 Proofing Tools to resolve this issue.  The Microsoft Office 2003 Proofing Tools restore Spell Check functionality to MSN and Outlook Express while the continued use of the Microsoft Office 2007 Proofing Tools allows Microsoft Word 2007 to function properly.  Following are the steps:
   
   
   • Double-click the Microsoft Office 2003 Setup.
     
     
   • Click Custom Install.
     
     
   • Uncheck all options so that no options are selected for installation.
     
     
   • Expand Office Shared Features.  If you cannot find Office Shared Features, expand Microsoft Word and then locate Office Shared Features.
     
     
   • Expand Proofing Tools.
     
     
   • Click Next.
     
     
   • Click Finish.
     
     
   • Reboot.
     
     
3. Solution #3: Delete The Proofing Tools Registry Key
   
   Using RegEdit, delete only the following registry key which will restore the Proofing Tools to manufactrer defaults: HKey Current User\Software\Microsoft\Shared Tools\Proofing Tools\1.0\Override
   
   
4. Solution #4: Microsoft Office Upgrade
   
   The Spell Check issue does not arise when performing an upgrade from Microsoft Office 2003 to Microsoft Office 2007.  It only occurs when performing a clean install of Microsoft Office 2007.  To resolve this issue, please perform the following steps:
   
   
   • Uninstall Microsoft Office 2007.
     
     
   • Reboot.
     
     
   • Install Microsoft Office 2003.
     
     
   • Reboot.
     
     
   • Upgrade Microsoft Office 2003 to Microsoft Office 2007.
     
     
   • Reboot.
     
     
5. Solution #5: Install Third-Party Spell Checker
   
   TinySpell and Spell Checker for OE 2.1 are free spell-checkers which you can install to resolve this issue.
   
   
6. Solution #6: Select Word Default Dictionary
   
   
   • In Word, click the Microsoft Office Button.
     
     
   • Click Word Options.
     
     
   • Click Proofing,
     
     
   • Click Custom Dictionaries.
     
     
   • Click the name of the dictionary that you want to set as the default.
     
     
   • Click Change Default.
     
     
   • Click OK.
     
     
   • Click OK.