Microsoft KB Archive/117545

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"Cannot Find MSSPELL.DLL" After Office or Excel 5.0 Removed

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Q117545

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The information in this article applies to:


 * Microsoft Office for Windows, versions 4.0, 4.2, 4.3
 * Microsoft Excel for Windows, versions 4.0, 4.0a, 5.0

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SYMPTOMS
If you use either the Microsoft Excel version 5.0 Setup program or the Microsoft Office Setup program to install the Spell Checker, and you have Microsoft Excel version 4.0 installed on your computer, if you then remove the Spell Checker (or choose the Remove All option) using either the Microsoft Excel version 5.0 Setup, or the Microsoft Office Setup, you receive the following error message in Microsoft Excel version 4.0 when you choose Spelling from the Options menu:

File Error

Cannot find MSSPELL.DLL

When you choose OK, you receive the following error message:

Could not initialize spell checker

Note that this behavior also occurs when you choose Spelling from the Tools menu in Microsoft Excel version 5.0; however, this is expected behavior because the same Setup program was used to install and remove the component.

CAUSE
This behavior occurs because the Microsoft Excel version 5.0 Setup program updates the Microsoft Excel version 4.0 spelling files. If you then remove the Microsoft Excel version 5.0 Spell Checker, you receive the above error message when you use the Spelling command in Microsoft Excel version 4.0.

Similarly, the Microsoft Office Setup program replaces the Microsoft Excel version 4.0 spelling files with updated spelling files. If you then remove the Microsoft Office Spelling Checker, you receive the above error message when you use the Spelling command in Microsoft Excel version 4.0.

WORKAROUND
To use the Spelling command in Microsoft Excel version 4.0, after removing the Spell Checker using either Microsoft Excel version 5.0 Setup or Microsoft Office Setup, you must run the Microsoft Excel version 4.0 Setup program again, choose the Custom/Complete installation, and select the Spell Checker option.

MORE INFORMATION
When you install Microsoft Excel version 4.0, and you choose to install the Spell Checker, the files MSSPELL.DLL and MSSP_AM.LEX are copied to the MSAPPS\PROOF subdirectory of your Windows directory, and the following entry is added to the [MS Proofing Tools] section of the WIN.INI file:

  Spelling 1033,0=C:\WIN31\MSAPPS\PROOF\MSSPELL.DLL, C:\WIN31\MSAPPS\PROOF\MSSP_AM.LEX When you install the Spell Checker using the Microsoft Excel version 5.0 Setup, a newer version of these files are installed to the same location.

When you install the Spell Checker using the Microsoft Office Setup, the files MSSPEL2.DLL and MSSP2_EN.LEX are installed, replacing the original spelling files, and the following entry replaces the original spelling entry in the [MS Proofing Tools] section of the WIN.INI file:

  Spelling 1033,0=C:\WIN31\MSAPPS\PROOF\MSSPEL2.DLL, C:\WIN31\MSAPPS\PROOF\MSSP2_EN.LEX If you use the Microsoft Excel version 5.0 Setup, or the Microsoft Office Setup to remove the Spell Checker, you receive the Remove Shared Component dialog box with the following message:

Spelling Checker is a shared component to be removed. There may be other

applications which use it. If you are sure you want to remove it, select

the Remove button. If not, select the Keep button.

If you want to remove all such shared components, select the Remove All

button. If you do not want to remove any of them, select the Remove

None button. Additional query words: 4.00a err msg

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