Can't type the apostrophe character

Question

Here is an odd one. I cannot type an apostrophe (') in Mail! As you can see, I can type it here or anywhere else, but not in Mail! Since I can type it in other apps, it isn't my keyboard, so it must be Mail. I have tried trashing the Mail preferences file, reinstalling Mail and I have just upgraded to Leopard and the problem persists. It isn't a problem that seriously handicaps me, but it is very annoying.
Does anyone have any ideas?????????

Answer 1

What’s your Mail > Preferences > Composing > Check spelling setting? Set it to Never, restart Mail, and see whether that makes a difference. If it does, the problem is some Launch Services cache or preferences corruption that affects Mail’s ability to use the built-in spell checker.
The following article describes how to manually reset Launch Services — the notes at the bottom of the article also provide information about the side effects of deleting each of the files involved:
Resetting Launch Services
If you prefer using a cache cleaning utility instead of following the manual procedure described in the previous article, take a look at this other article for general troubleshooting and cache-cleaning procedures. Actually, you should also verify/repair the startup disk (not just permissions), as described there:
Resolving Disk, Permission, and Cache Corruption
The most appropriate utility for this particular problem probably is Tiger Cache Cleaner, but you may also want to consider other utilities, such as OnyX, or Cache Out X, which are free. Whatever utility you choose, be sure to read this first:
Side effects of System cache cleaning
As an example, this is how you should proceed with OnyX:
1. Quit all applications.
2. Launch OnyX and enter your administrator password.
3. Go to Maintenance > Reset and check LaunchServices database.
4. Un-check any other pre-checked options.
5. Click the Execute button.
6. Restart the computer.