OL97 ErrMsg: Error Occurred While Checking Spelling.

If you use the spelling check feature on a Run from Network Server (RNS)installation of the standalone version of Microsoft Outlook 97, you may receive the following error message: Running Setup again does not resolve this problem.

The Run from Network Server Setup option does not properly update The Windows Registry. This problem only occurs if no other Office Spelling files are registered. If you have previously installed Microsoft Office components, it is very likely the spelling files and their registry entries exist and Outlook users will not encounter this problem.

The above problem occurs only under the following circumstances:

• You install Outlook on a workstation and choose the "Run from Network Server" setup option.
• You have not installed any other programs that provide spelling checking features on the workstation.

You can work around this problem by making a modification to the Outlook.stf file on the server and then running the Workstation Setup. The file Outlook.stf is created on the server where you performed the Outlook administrative installation (setup /a).

WARNING: Microsoft support engineers will support some modifications to a BACKUP copy of the OUTLOOK.STF file. Support engineers may help customers modify specific lines of an STF, but will not rewrite the entire file to achieve a desired configuration. As a general rule, support is limited to options that can normally be changed by a user during a standard installation of the program.

NOTE: The following steps work only if you first perform an Administrative installation (setup /a) of Outlook to a server on your network. If you are performing a stand-alone installation using the Outlook Compact Disc, you cannot use the steps in this article.

Before you perform the following steps, make a backup copy of the Outlook.stf file. Rename the backup file to Backup.stf and do not open or edit it unless you must restore the file.

Use the following steps to edit the server Outlook.stf file:

1. In Microsoft WordPad, on the File menu, click open and open the Outlook.stf file from the server.
2. Look for a line that includes the following information, depending on the version of Outlook.

In Outlook 97, version 8.01: In Outlook 97, version 8.0:

1. Type the number 27 between 3902 and 6611, the last two numbers in the line. The new line should now have the following information depending on the version of Outlook.

In Outlook 97, version 8.01: In Outlook 97, version 8.0:

1. On the File menu, click Save and click "Text Document" as the file type.
2. On the File menu, click Exit to exit WordPad.

Now when you run the Outlook Setup program from the server and select The Run from Network Server option, the spelling check should work Properly on the workstation.

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the standalone version Of Microsoft Outlook 97. We are researching this problem and will post New information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.