How do I retrieve my Auto Correct entries from a backup drive.

[BobO''''''''B]

I recently had to rebuild my laptop but was fortunate enough to be able to
backup my C: drive entirely before I did so.

I've retrieved Templates, Fonts, Outlook.pst but never thought about Auto
Correct until I kept getting those red "wigglies" under my Australian towns
(and idioms)again!

Can I somehow retrieve the Auto orrect file from my F: drive?

Thanks,

 

[Jay Freedman]

If you do have a complete backup of the drive, look in the folder
F:\Documents and Settings\<your name>\Application Data\Microsoft\Office for
all files with names MSO*.acl. The numbers in the file names correspond to
"language" settings in Office. For English (Australian), the file will be
MSO3081.acl, and for English (US) it will be MSO1033.acl. (For completeness,
the full list is at http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/goglobal/bb964664.aspx.)
Copy any of the ones you need to the corresponding folder on the rebuilt C:
drive.

--
Regards,
Jay Freedman
Microsoft Word MVP
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.

 

[cgalloway]

I thought I would add to this post as I have just spent several hours figuring out how to import my autocorrect entries to Word 2007 on Windows 7 and the process is, frankly, boneheaded. I cannot understand why MS do not provide a wizard for autocorrect import/export as they do with, say, Favorites on Internet Explorer.
Autocorrect entries are stored on all MS systems (since XP, anyway) as *.acl files. The exact location varies from OS to OS. All are prefixed 'MSO', followed by a number that corresponds to the language setting preference each user has chosen in their Word setup. US English, therefore is MSO1033.acl, UK English is MSO2057.acl, etc. So if you have set up your system for US English, you are looking only for the MSO1033 file.
The complication is that there are multiple MSO files strewn across the system, so figuring out which one you need is hugely confusing. And the way that MS have chosen to store the ones you actually want only aggravates the problem.
On an initial search for your .acl in Windows 7 (the process in XP in similarly confusing), Explorer will probably point you to[font=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]:
[/font][font=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Office\[/font]Office12\1033.
This does indeed contain an MSO file. However, its not the one you need. Believe it or not, in Windows 7, the MSOs you really want are in a hidden file! They will not turn up in a search and you cannot find them by browsing! You must first go to Control Panel>appearance and personalization>folder options>show hidden files and folders>advanced settings>hidden files and folders, and choose 'show hidden files'. Close and reopen Explorer. After that, you still wont be able to find the relevant files by searching, but at least you can actually see the folder you do need and browse to it at:[font=Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]
C:\Users\\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Office[/font]
At this point, its simply a question of copying your existing .acl from your old system (its probably the biggest .acl there) and pasting it to the above folder on your new system.
It beggars belief that MS would opt to waste their customers time in this way. How hard can it be to either provide a proper guide or (better) a wizard that allows their power users to upgrade their systems without having them tear their hair out?
ARE YOU LISTENING MICROSOFT?
No, I didnt think so.