When I attempt to solve a grid I get an error message saying "No Dictionaries Loaded", Load on the words menu shows no dictionaries available. How do I sort this out.
Before you can use CrossStar you have to have installed at least one dictionary. Goto http://davidpilling.net/dict.html and download one. You can't create a dictionary of your own until a dictionary from the web site has been installed, because the dictionary installation programs create a folder to keep dictionaries in.
How do I use a list of words or a dictionary I have with CrossStar?
Get your word list or dictionary in the form of an ASCII text file - one word per line with a .txt extension. Use Create... from the Words menu to create a new dictionary with the name you want. Next use Edit from the Words menu to view the contents of the new dictionary. Finally either right click on the scrolling Edit dictionary window and use Import words from the resulting menu, Or drag and drop your text file into the scrolling Edit dictionary window.
How do I use a dictionary from the Acorn RISC OS version of CrossStar?
You have to export the dictionary as a text file. Open the Edit dictionary window on the dictionary you're interested in and press Menu over it, drag the resulting save box to disc. Bring the file created over to Windows, and then follow the instructions in the previous question. You can't directly transfer dictionaries between the two versions of the program.
How do I change the dictionaries that are loaded when a new grid is created?
Create a new grid using the File menu. Now use Load on the words menu to arrange for the dictionaries you want to be loaded to be loaded (ticked) and the ones you don't want to be loaded to not be (not ticked). Finally use Save As Default from the File menu.
When I start CrossStar it always displays a grid full of text. How do I make it start with an empty grid?
This happens because you used the Save As Default option on the File menu with a grid of text loaded. Use New Grid (if you want a completely blank grid) or New Words (just no text) from the file menu. Then click on Save As Default. Along the same lines you could set the size of grid you want to open on starting before using Save As Default.