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"Couldn't contact Spell Checker"

"Couldn't contact Spell Checker"


Many such posts been made on this topic but so far none have come up trumps for me. Everything on my computer that is apple related is affected by this and it is getting somewhat irritating; I either have continual 'Alert' messages stating the above, or the program crashes, or both. I can't even use a webpage on my computer at the moment.


I do not have spell catcher as far as I can see; Spolight is continually "indexing" so I can't even search using that.


I am running Mac OS X 10.5.8, which is a Leopard to Snow Leopard update.

I am running iWork '09.



Please help me, I have much work to do using this machine and bought a Mac beacuse I understood they would run without errors and required no 'genius' computer knowledge. I just need my expensive peice of technology to work properly. Help!

MacBook Pro and iMac

Posted on Dec 26, 2011 6:24 AM

Reply
4 replies

Dec 26, 2011 5:06 PM in response to jerram.bird

I am running Mac OS X 10.5.8, which is a Leopard to Snow Leopard update.


No.


v10.5.8 is Leopard. If you had upgraded to Snow Leopard you would be running v10.6.x


Spolight is continually "indexing" so I can't even search using that.

Instructions for turning off Spotlight "indexing" here > Turning Off Spotlight | Mac Tricks And Tips


How much free space on the startup disk? Right or control click the MacintoshHD icon. Click Get Info. In the Get Info window you will see Capacity and Available. Make sure there's a minimum of 15% free disk space.



When multiple apps crash, run Disk Utility. The startup disk may need repairing > Using Disk Utility to verify or repair disks


I have much work to do using this machine and bought a Mac beacuse I understood they would run without errors and required no 'genius' computer knowledge

No, you don't have to be a genius but it would be beneficial to you to understand how the Mac OS X works. You might want to consider taking some classes for the Mac OS X considering the problems you are describing. Try your local library or find a local Apple - User Group.


http://www.apple.com/findouthow/mac/


http://www.apple.com/support/mac101/

Dec 26, 2011 5:06 PM in response to jerram.bird

Please read this whole message before doing anything.


This procedure is a diagnostic test. It won’t solve your problem. Don’t be disappointed when you find that nothing has changed after you complete it.


The purpose of this exercise is to determine whether the problem is localized to your user account, or is system-wide. Enable guest logins and log in as Guest. For instructions, launch the System Preferences application, select “Help” from the menu bar, and enter “Set up a guest account” (without the quotes) in the search box.


While logged in as Guest, you won’t have access to any of your personal files or settings. Any application you run will behave as if you were running it for the first time. Don’t be alarmed by this; it’s normal. If you need any passwords or other personal data in order to complete the test, memorize, print, or write them down before you begin.


As Guest, launch the application(s) and test. Same problem(s)?


After testing, log out of the guest account and, in your own account, disable it if you wish. Any files you created in the guest account will be deleted automatically when you log out of it.

Dec 26, 2011 6:01 PM in response to Linc Davis

Thank you for your help. The problem remains in a geust account, the alert message dosn't appear but I am unable to run a spell check in any software and preview crashes upon launch. System preferences also crashes if anything is typed in the help bar; I can use the other functions alright there tthough. To add insult to injury my laptop is not getting progressively slower too.


What do I do now I know the problem extends beyond my profile?

Dec 26, 2011 6:08 PM in response to jerram.bird

Please read this whole message before doing anything.


This procedure is a diagnostic test. It won’t solve your problem. Don’t be disappointed when you find that nothing has changed after you complete it.


Third-party system modifications are a common cause of usability problems. By a “system modification,” I mean software that affects the operation of other software -- potentially for the worse. The following procedure will help identify which such modifications you've installed. Don’t be alarmed by the complexity of these instructions -- they’re easy to carry out and won’t change anything on your Mac.


These steps are to be taken while booted in “normal” mode, not in safe mode. If you’re now running in safe mode, reboot as usual before continuing.


Below are several lines of text in monospaced type, which are UNIX shell commands. They’re harmless, but they must be entered exactly as given in order to work. If you have doubts about the safety of running these commands, search this site for other discussions in which they’ve been used without any report of ill effects.


Some of the commands will line-wrap in your browser, but each one is really just a single long line, all of which must be selected. You can accomplish this easily by triple-clicking anywhere in the line. The whole line will highlight, and you can then either copy or drag it. The headings “Step 1” and so on are not part of the commands.


Note: If you have more than one user account, Step 2 must be taken as an administrator. Ordinarily that would be the user created automatically when you booted the system for the first time. The other steps should be taken as the user who has the problem, if different. Most personal Macs have only one user, and in that case this paragraph doesn’t apply.


To begin, launch the Terminal application; e.g., by entering the first few letters of its name in a Spotlight search. A text window will open with a line already in it, ending either in a dollar sign (“$”) or a percent sign (“%”). If you get the percent sign, enter “sh” (without the quotes) and press return. You should then get a new line ending in a dollar sign.


Step 1


Copy or drag -- do not type -- the line below into the Terminal window, then press return:


kextstat -kl | awk ' !/com\.apple/ { print $6 $7 } '


Post the lines of output (if any) that appear below what you just entered (the text, please, not a screenshot.)


Step 2


Repeat with this line:


sudo launchctl list | sed 1d | awk ' !/0x|apple|com\.vix|edu\.|org\./ { print $3 } '


This time, you'll be prompted for your login password, which won't be displayed when you type it. You may get a one-time warning not to screw up. You don't need to post the warning.


Step 3


launchctl list | sed 1d | awk ' !/0x|apple|edu\.|org\./ { print $3 } '


Step 4


ls -1A {,/}Library/{Ad,Compon,Ex,Fram,In,La,Mail/Bu,P*P,Priv,Qu,Scripti,Servi,Sta}* 2> /dev/null


Important: If you synchronize with a MobileMe account, your me.com email address may appear in the output of the above command. If so, change it to something like “user@me.com” before posting.


Step 5


osascript -e 'tell application "System Events" to get the name of every login item'


Remember, steps 1-5 are all drag-and-drop or copy-and-paste, whichever you prefer -- no typing, except your password.


You can then quit Terminal.

"Couldn't contact Spell Checker"

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