For a long time, the only way you could get data into your computer was by using a keyboard. Now you can use a microphone to speak commands and enter data. Here's how to make speech recognition work with Windows XP. Speech recognition allows you to dictate your text into various programs such as Microsoft Word leaving you a little more hands-free. You can open menu items, toolbars, dialog boxes, and have text typed in using your own voice.
In other words, your computer is literally at your command. And here is how you do it. In this article I will describe how to install and configure speech recognition in Windows XP. The article assumes that your computer is running Windows XP with at least service pack 1, Microsoft Office XP and that it is equipped with a microphone.
You only require four things in order to use speech recognition in Windows XP. These requirements include:. When it comes to applications that support speech recognition, you do not necessarily need to go out and purchase new software. You just need to enable support of advanced text services as you will see later in this article. If you are unsure if the speech recognition engine is already installed on the computer, you can check the Speech Properties dialog box as seen in Figure A.
Within the Control Panel, open the Speech applet. If there is no Speech Recognition tab available from the Speech Properties dialog box, the engine has not been installed. You can install the SRE by completing the steps below. For example, in Microsoft Word, click the Speech option from the Tools menu. The speech recognition engine can be controlled using the Speech applet in the control panel. From the Text To Speech Sound Output Settings dialog box, select from one of the two options: User preferred audio output device or Use this audio output device.
By leaving the default Use preferred audio output device option selected, the audio device used for all other sound is also used for TTS.
Conversely, if there is more than one audio device installed on the computer, you can specify a separate audio output device for use with your speech programs. This allows you to control the TTS volume.
By selecting this button, the Master Volume dialog box will appear as shown in Figure C allowing you to adjust the volume output levels. As you will now see in the next section, once you have configured all the text-to-speech options, you can have Windows XP read the text on your screen using the Narrator. If you require a TTS utility, keep in mind that it is limited in functionality. This means it may not work for other programs.
To start the utility press [Ctrl][Esc], press [R], type narrator , and press [Enter]. You can also configure the Narrator to start automatically each time you log onto the computer.
Select Narrator and place a check beside the Start automatically when I log in option. As you can see, the Narrator is configured to start automatically when you launch the Utility Manager.
Once you open the Narrator, a dialog box will appear as shown in Figure D. As you can see, it can be configured to perform several different TTS functions that include:. The Narrator dialog box includes a Voice button that can be used to control voice settings.
Once you have configured the appropriate values, click OK to return to the Narrator dialog box. With the Narrator settings configured, your speakers turned on, and the volume turned up, you can minimize the Narrator dialog box, and Windows XP will be ready to talk to you. If you want to retrain your computer to recognize your voice, press the Windows logo key, type Control Panel , and select Control Panel in the list of results.
Select Next. Follow the instructions on your screen to set up speech recognition. The wizard will guide you through the setup steps. After the setup is complete, you can choose to take a tutorial to learn more about speech recognition. To take the tutorial, select Start Tutorial in the wizard window. To skip the tutorial, select Skip Tutorial. You can now start using speech recognition. Windows Speech Recognition commands. In the search box on the taskbar, type Windows Speech Recognition , and then select Windows Speech Recognition in the list of results.
If you don't see a dialog box that says "Welcome to Speech Recognition Voice Training," then in the search box on the taskbar, type Control Panel , and select Control Panel in the list of results. To set Narrator Voice Options. To Start Narrator Minimized.
Troubleshooting Text-to-Speech. Possible Text-to-Speech Problems. Text-to-Speech TTS capabilities for a computer refers to the ability to play back text in a spoken voice. TTS is the ability of the operating system to play back printed text as spoken words. An internal driver, called a TTS engine, recognizes the text and using a synthesized voice chosen from several pre-generated voices, speaks the written text. A TTS engine is installed with the operating system. Additional engines are also available through third-party manufacturers.
These engines often use a certain jargon or vocabulary; for example, a vocabulary specializing in medical or legal terminology. They can also use different voices allowing for regional accents such as British English, or speak a different language altogether such as German, French, or Russian.
See the individual Help topics for specific help. In addition to the general options, each engine can have a different set of specific features. For that reason, not all the resulting dialog boxes will look the same. It is possible that no special features have been included and some of the properties buttons will not have an associated dialog box. To change views, follow these steps:. Speakers vary greatly in design and purpose. Consult the speaker manual for hardware and software specifics.
However, most models can be installed in a similar fashion. To set up speakers, follow these steps:. Locate the sound connections and connect the speaker jack to the computer. Most computers use an internal sound card and often the connections are in the back of the computer. These are a series of connections the same size and diameter as the speaker jack. In many cases there are two sound out connections:. One will be labeled as a line-out connection. Most speakers that require a separate power supply such as an electrical AC adapter or batteries should use this connection.
It is also used to export amplified sound to recording devices including recordable CDs and tape cassette systems. The other connection is for the non-powered speakers. Because the signal is boosted by the computer, powered speakers may be damaged if connected. On the Text-to-Speech tab, click Preview Voice to hear the currently selected voice. The text is spoken and the words are highlighted as they are spoken. If the speakers are working properly, you will hear the spoken words.
If you do not hear sound after you connect the speakers, see the "Possible Text-to-Speech Problems" section of this article for troubleshooting procedures.
Select either Use preferred audio output device or Use this audio output device. Use preferred audio device sets the output device as the default for the system.
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