HelpFiles: The PageMaker Proximity Dictionary problem

Solving the PageMaker Proximity.Dictionary problem
found by Symantec's Norton WinDoctor
by Jim Allen

Regular users of PageMaker in Windows who also use Symantec's Norton WinDoctor to maintain their system will be familiar with this error:

Caption: Invalid ActiveX/COM Entries

When you select Advanced, Norton WinDoctor reveals:

$Caption: Missing or Invalid Key: Proximity.Dictionary\shell\open$
Caption: Missing or Invalid Key:"Proximity.Dictionary\shell\open"

What is frustrating about this problem is that you can instruct WinDoctor to fix it, and WinDoctor claims to have fixed it, but the next time you run PageMaker, the error returns!

Caption: WinDoctor claims to have fixed the problem (but it's only temporary).

Here is the solution to this problem.

1. Run Norton and have it "fix" the problem (We know this doesn't permanently fix the problem.)

2. Look on your hard drive for a file named: Pm65reg.txt
You can do a "Find" or you can look in the PageMaker folder with Windows Explorer. The PageMaker folder will be named Pm65.

The name of the file to be repaired (and the name of its folder) depends on the version number of PageMaker.
PageMaker 5, filename Pm5reg.txt, in the Pm5 folder
PageMaker 6, filename Pm6reg.txt, in the Pm6 folder
The same name-changes apply to other versions of PageMaker, too.

3. Open the file in a text editor.
(If you double-click the filename, it will probably open itself in Notepad).

4. Look for this pair of lines:

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Proximity.Dictionary\shell\open\command]
@="PageMakerDir\\RSRC\USENGLSH\Utility\deapp.exe \"%1\""

John Davies (Merseyside UK) pointed out that non-United States users may need to substitute a different language name into this path, where I have said \USENGLISH\ - Thanks! Dec 30, 2001

5. Change the second line of the pair to this:

@="PageMakerDir\\Extras\Text\Deapp.exe"

6. Save the file and close the text editor.

7. Open and run PageMaker. This should fix the problem!

Explanation: Every time Pagemaker 6.5 is opened, it uses the file Pm65reg.txt to (re-)write Registry Keys. But the file Pm65reg.txt has an error in it. So every time you open PageMaker, it re-creates the error. Fixing the error in the Pm65reg.txt file fixes the whole problem, permanently.

WARNING: Be very careful making these changes, because it indirectly affects your Registry. If you make a mistake, your computer may not even start correctly! If you are not comfortable making these changes, have your local computer tech read this page and make these changes for you.

You are reminded of the eternal wisdom: First make a backup of Pm65reg.txt

Final Note: If this doesn't work for you, a technically similar fix should work. The second line in 4. above is trying to provide the path to the file deapp.exe. So look around on your computer for deapp.exe, and substitute its sub-path (the portion of its path below the PageMaker folder) into the second line of 4. above. That should fix it.

A little more about this can be found in the first few lines of the file Pm65reg.txt itself.

A little more about this can be found here:
http://pagemakersupport.adobe.com/adobeknowbase/root/public/pm3b8e.htm?DREID=5829

Hope this helps!

Jim Allen 12/29/2001

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