Apache OpenOffice Community Forum

I updated about 2 weeks ago and I have had not had a problem. A couple nights ago, as I was doing a document, every word was underlined in red. I realized that my standard.dic is missing. I do not want to go through every page and add all the words of a dictionary in. I tried adding a dictionary, but to no avail. Someone posted to look under Wizards and click on Install new dictionaries, but this option is not there anymore. I have also clicked on Language: More Dictionaries on line, but also to no avail. If someone can figure out what has happened, I would greatly appreciate it. I have left a few pages, with the error underlines, in the hopes that the dictionary will appear soon. Thank you, Patty

Close OpenOffice and the Quickstarter. Open File Explorer. Copy and paste %appdata%\OpenOffice\4 in the File Explorer Address Bar and press Enter. Rename the "user" folder. Start OpenOffice.

This cures most spellcheck problems

Thank you VERY MUCH RoryOF!!! That is the fix!! I will have to remember this!!

The long term fix is not to let it happen again! Often this happens because the computer was powered off too quickly, before OO's internal housekeeping is finished. To make computers appear faster, data is stored in queues (buffers), both in memory in the computer and inside the hard disks, and written out in bursts. To make sure this has happened it is best to shut the computer down using the formal shutdown mechanism and wait a few seconds more to be sure all disk activity has ceased. The few seconds cumulatively will be a lot less than the time taken to mend a damaged spellcheck or (worse still) repair or rewrite a damaged or lost file.

I have had the same problem recently and the fix above did solve my problem, thanks to RoryOF for the advice. However the solution did take a bit of finding, is it possible to have it put into the first port of call in Open Office, i.e. within the help index in the software so that others with the same issue (and possible me in the future when I have forgotten what to do!) can benefit as well? I am not aware of switching off the PC before everything has stopped (waiting for fans to cease rotating) but occasionally there are power cuts, and the occasional Windows speciality blue screen seizure and presumably those can have the same effect. Thanks again for the advice. Ian

For what it is worth, the first topic in the Writer forum here discusses the issue - [Solved] Spell Check Not Working (words red underlined)

[Solved] I second the THANK YOU!!! to RoryOF. So many other discussions were so so long and complicated. Your fix, short and sweet, worked immediately. Thank you for the clarity and simplicity. Do what works, getting jobs done; no posturing. So happy! Really ...my spellcheck/dictionary feels like one of my closest friends, almost as good as a dog. So good to have it back. Dogs are more forgiving than software. Still not sure what I did ..but-maybe premature close-out as you suggested later in the thread; "don't let it happen again." I had thought because I hadn't updated in a while that they were giving me a shot over the bow ... so I upgraded to 4.1.4. Huh? .. that was not the fix; but your guidance worked like a charm. Thanks!

I am working in Win 7 - and using Windows Explorer - have found the 'user' file: what shall I rename it to?

user.old is a good choice.