Happy Camper again (well mostly)

Charlotte -- how do you do your email? outlook? outlook express? thunderbird? online?

most have an internal spell checker that can be turned on and off -- if you tell me what you use-- I'll try to find out.

Kate in MI

I use Express. I checked the options to see what was up when DH first got it going cause everything was being marked as misspelled. Well, it was using a French dictionary and when I clicked to change it to English, I discovered that French is the only one listed. So I just turned it off. Do you know how I can get an Enligh dictionary added to the list?

Charlotte

A thought or two on learning to use the knee lift (I don't have a clue how to use a French spell check.) I think you're supposed to learn to use the foot control with your left foot and the knee lift with your right knee. I never have had any success with that. However - how high your chair seat is and how close to the edge of your sewing table your Bernina is both will affect where the knee lift lever strikes you. As soon as you get a comfortable arrangement, I 'm betting you will learn to love that knee lift. I feel terribly deprived when I have to stitch without one. Polly

I have heard the thing about the petal with the left foot before, but am trying it with the right foot to see. So far it is working out OK for me. My biggest thing is rembering that it is there and using it rather than my hand. I'll have to play with the machine placement and chair adjustments to see if I can get the lever in a more comfortalbe spot and still have my machine at a comforable place for sewing. I've heard of alot of people with them that love it, but I've also heard of a few that didn't so I figure this is a good way to find out with out spending the money on it yet. Thanks for the advise Polly!

Charlotte

French? I'm totally stumped. I'm assuming that all your toolbar buttons are in English ... correct? So your overall setting is likely correct. Do you use Microsoft Word? What dictionary to you have selected there? (Tools.. Options...Spelling & Grammar)

I'll do a little reading... and see if I can find out anything.

Kate in MI

Hmmm -- did you recenly install Office 2007 (or Word 2007). If so -- I've discovered your problem. I found a posting form someone with the same problem. Here is the answer (followed by the original post).

I found it in the Microsoft Newsgroup.... microsoft.public.outlookexpress.general

You can access the Microsoft Newsgroup this way: msnews.microsoft.com

I subscribe to about a dozen different groups and have learned sooooo much!

Kate in MI

(answer & question follows)

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Office 2007 breaks OE's spell check. Downloading a free spell check is the simplest way around this.

Some free spell check programs.

Vampirefo:

TinySpell: (Checks the spelling as you type). Or from this blog: After installing Office 2007 RTM, you don't have English as a choice of language in the spell checker of Outlook Express and potentially other programs.

a.. Office 2007 is replacing the v.3 English Proofing Tools that shipped in prior versions of Office with a new version (v.6). There are a number of changes in this new version, but the one that is causing this problem is that Outlook Express doesn't understand the new English Proofing Tools. This is a problem because Outlook Express has never shipped with its own proofing tools but has used the ones shipped by Office. b.. There are a few scenarios in which you won't run into this problem: a.. An upgrade from Office 2003 or earlier to Office 2007 RTM if you don't manually uninstall the earlier version of Office. b.. A configuration in which Office 2003 (or earlier) has not been removed. For example, I have Office 2003 still on both of my computers, and I still have English in Outlook Express. c.. The workaround for this problem is to install the English dictionary from Office 2003 (or Office XP). There should be no need to install all of Office just the dictionary. The English Proofing Tools can be found in the Custom Install tree under Office Shared Features|Proofing Tools|English.

You're my hero! Do you hire out by the hour? How about a retainer fee for future problems? No, I know I'm not the one with the French problem (though if my computer suddently started to speak French...it would certainly be a problem!), but I'm so in awe of someone who can find a fix so quickly! My hard drive has been making some odd noises recently. I have a new in the box external harddrive to which I could do a back up, right? I just don't know how to put it all together! Yes, I know.....I haven't really taken the time to read the directions. They tend to make me sleepy!

I have a feeling that is what will happen when I get my machine back and give mom hers. She has never liked it for some reason, but I'm finding it to be quite nice. I think perhaps some of that tax refund may just go to retro fitting it on my machine. Last summer was DH's biking gear and trip, this summer DH said we get to spend some of his extra income on me and my quilitng. I think I'm going to make good use of that promise!

Charlotte

This is just what happended!! DH downloaded a trial version of the new office for me to test out for him to see how it would work for his intern to use!! I'll tell DH I need his office disk so I can get my dictionary back!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

Charlotte

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I do actually use a French spell checker when I'm writing to a group of French quilters. Very handy.

That's how I do it, though not everyone does. I found I couldn't remember to use the knee lift without pressing my foot down. Disastrous.

When I'm using my Featherweight, I find myself reaching my knee over to find the knee lift. It's very frustrating at times.

I've also heard that it's possible to get slightly different sizes (shorter, longer) of knee lift so as to accommodate different preferences and needs. The metal bar is also supposed to be bendable, so it could be "customized" for your needs.

Aha. I was tempted to participate in the Spell Check problem but wasn't sure my own solution was related to anyone else's. The short version goes like this. My neighbor wanted to type a resume on my computer. No problem? Wrong. She installed her version of Word here and thereafter my Spell Check was gone. Just gone. Once her Word was removed (every sneaky buried bit) and my WordPerfect was back where it belongs, the Spell Check problem resolved. I learned WordPerfect back when some computers were only doing 0s and 1s and have tolerated WordPerfect's upgrades. I have not bothered to learn Word and can't see that it would be of any benefit to me to learn it. I could be adding 2 + 2 and getting 5 but it did seem to me that the news/mail Spell Check problem was somehow related to the word processer. Polly

I'll have to check into that if I get my machine retro fitted. Since it's mom's machine I'm currently using, I think I'll leave her leaver as is though, rather than trying to bend it. Thanks for the tip Sandy.

Charlotte