I have downloaded DNS 9.5 medical from the nuance website as an upgrade from 9.0 and installed it without any problems. But when I try to launch it the program doesn't open and only the splash screen appears for a couple of seconds and then disappears.

I have downloaded 2 times and reinstalled 3 times and no luck. I unstall DNS 9.0 SP1 first as per the instructions. The installation goes fine and when you launch the product, you get the splash screen for a few seconds and it disappears and no trace of Dragon. There is no microphone in the task bar and the process natspeak.exe is not running in the Task Manager process tab. I loaded the same install on another XP Pro SP2 system and it works great.

The problem system is a Gateway CX210X Tablet PC with a Core 2 Duo 1.83 GHz processor, 1GB ram and Windows Home Premium. I have looked at Dragon and registered all the .exe in the program folder with the Vista DEP (Data Executable Protection). I also have went to the properties of each executable and checked the XP SP2 compatibility mode under the compatibility tab. There is nothing in the Event Log.  Is there a problem running with Vista Home Premium? Any help is truly appreciated.

Thanks,

 Mike Hilgenberg

First, you did not specify whether or not you attempted to install 9.5 clean. That is, whether or not your Gateway tablet PC came preinstalled with Windows Vista Home Premium or whether you upgraded your Windows XP to Windows Vista Home Premium. If you upgraded your Windows XP and DNS 9.1 was installed when you upgraded, this is very likely where your problems begin. Under this condition I would uninstall DNS 9.5 completely using the normal uninstall procedures to preserve your activations, save any users that you may have from DNS 9.1, and run the DNS91remove.exe. This should function properly on Windows Vista Home Premium, even if it doesn't find and remove all the program files because the primary purpose is to remove residual registry entries which are left over if you attempt to uninstall 9.1 using the normal uninstall procedures. You can check the folders to ensure that there are no residual user and/or program files, and if you find them, delete them. The registry is the critical issue. Residual registry entries from 9.1 will conflict and wreak havoc on your 9.5 install. While I would guess that you did in install clean, I'm only pointing this out as a procedure that you should use if you did not. If you performed a clean install, then you can ignore this little paragraph.

Second, all the efforts that you went through with regard to DEP and compatibility mode enabling were unnecessary and would have no impact on correcting your problem with DNS 9.5 anyway.

Third, regardless of anything described above, the problem with your 9.5 install is that it did not install completely or correctly. It is possible, and I have not been able to test it because I do not have a copy of Home Premium as yet because I'm waiting for my copy to be delivered, that there is a conflict with this version of Vista. However, that likelihood is extremely remote because the only difference between the various versions of Vista are the additional features provided in Business and Ultimate, which I do have and on which DNS 9.5 Professional, Legal, and Medical install and work without problems. Regardless, the problem is and install problem.

Lastly, simply uninstalling and reinstalling is likely not going to fix your problem. My suspicion would be that you not only need to perform a normal uninstall (i.e., DNS 9.5 installed clean), but you also need to clean out everything from user folders to program folders, and all Nuance/ScanSoft/NaturallySpeaking 9.5 registry entries. DNS91remove.exe should do this for the registry, even if it doesn't remove all the files and folders. Files and folders are easily removed manually, but registry entries are tricky.

If you can provide us with a more detailed description (i.e., Step-by-Step) of exactly what you did in uninstalling 9.1, installing 9.5, whether you upgraded Windows XP to Windows Vista Home Premium, or whether you installed 9.5 on your Gateway tablet PC which already had Windows Vista Home Premium preinstalled with no copy of DNS, that information would be most helpful in further pointing you in the right direction. In addition, check and see if there is a Dragon log. If you executed the DNS load and NatSpeak.exe was listed as a process in the task manager, there should be a Dragon log. That information can be most helpful. If you attach it to a responding post, there may be some useful information in there.

The bottom line is that this type of problem is not generally operating system related. I have seen this type of problem on Windows XP, as well as previous versions of Windows with older versions of DNS. In all cases it was and install problem in which DNS was not correctly installed and would not execute completely. Also, there are times when such situations occur because the system requires a reboot before it will execute an application properly. However, this again is a very unlikely scenario. I'm only pointing out all the possibilities.

Hope this gives you some place to start and any additional information that you can provide might be helpful in pointing you to a specific solution based on a specific cause.

Chuck Runquist
Former Dragon NaturallySpeaking SDK & Senior Technical Solutions PM for DNS

As scarce as truth is, the supply has always been in excess of the demand. - Josh Billings (1818-1885)

I also have this exact problem with my install of DNS Medical 9.5 on Vista Ultimate with the same behavior  (following along in task manager, nothing appears in processes or applications) and have been in contact with Nuance tech support, so far without resolution (still waiting for re-contact). As Chuck suggests, my install was as an upgrade to Windows XP from which I forgot to uninstall 9.1 (among other forgotten things).  So now I will try the steps that he suggested in his email below.

1) attempt to launch DNS 9.5...nothing will happen overtly but something happens in the background.

2) right click on DNS icon, and double-click on "open file location" or otherwise navigate to the default installation folder

3)double click on file "nsbrowse.exe". An error message appears: "either no user is loaded or the MyCommands is not available...". Click "OK", and command window appears anyway.  Go ahead and exit that (or minimize or ignore)

4) Reattempt to launch DNS 9.5 .  You will get an ominous Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime Warning box (possibly hidden behind another open window)...IGNORE THIS BOX, DO NOT CLICK OK, move the box out of the way.  Clicking on it closes down DNS.  DNS 9.5 should open, as long as you ignore the runtime warning box.

I am going to attempt Chuck's suggestions, but this may work in the meantime if another fix doesn't help..

 As a side note, my experience with Vista so far, aside from this issue, is that it has fixed a number of my instability issues (computer locking up frequently, requiring hard reset) and doesn't seem noticably slower on my toshiba m400 tablet with 2 ghz dual core and 2 gig RAM.

Good luck

Steve

I uninstalled using dns91remove.exe, performed a clean install, and still have same problem as described.  Backdoor method continues to work.

Steve

First, This Gateway came with Windows Vista Home Premium pre-loaded and there was no upgrading involved.  There was no Dragon installed.  Thanks for the info as I will need it sometime down the road.  I did, however activate the Microsoft Speech Recognition before DNS 9.5 was released.  I ensured that it would not start on reboot and it was not running, but there may be a setting somewhere that needs to be changed.

Second, I thought the DEP and compatibility mode didn't have any bearing, but did do that so I thought I would mention it.

Third, I agree that Vista Home Premium should work, but I wanted to mention it as it doesn't have some networking features, but I doubt it is the problem, especially with siwhitemd having the same problem with Vista Ultimate.

 Lastly, it was a clean install, so Vista Home Premium was pre-installed by Gateway and there were no DNS folders were present.  Again, I had used the Microsoft Voice Recognition, so maybe there is a connection.

 I first when through the wizard to set up the name, etc in Vista.  I then trained and used the Microsoft Speech Recognition as DNS 9.5 was not out.  I did not do anything else to the computer as it is a customers.  Then DNS 9.5 came out and I entered the Serial # and downloaded DNS 9.5.  I then installed it and all seemed well.  DNS would launch and give the splash screen and nothing else.  After the splash screen, Natspeak.exe was not in the process tab and there was no event in the event log.

 Just this pm, I tried the same "backdoor" as siwhitemd and I could bring it up.

 I have another Vista Basic computer that is also a factory install with no DNS ever installed and the Microsoft Voice Recognition never initiated and I am going to try and install DNS 9.5 on it.

 I will advise.

Thanks for your help and let me know anything else I can do.

 Thanks,

 Mike Hilgenberg

Have been having back-and-forth emails with Nuance technical support regarding this issue and they have finally determined the conlict, as noted in the following excerpt from Nuance Support:

"This is regarding the launching issue that you reported with Dragon NaturallySpeaking v9.5 Medical.

We have determined that one of the new .DLL files included with Dragon NaturallySpeaking v9.5 may be causing a conflict which prevents DNS from launching on certain systems.

To resolve this problem, please navigate to the following folder:

"C:\Program Files\Nuance\NaturallySpeaking9\Program"

Once you are browsing this folder, please find the file named "micaudio.dll".  Right-click this file and rename the file to "micaudio.old".  Once you have renamed this file, please launch Dragon to ensure that you no longer have any issues launching the program.

We have isolated this launching problem to a conflict with the new driver for PowerMic device support.  The new driver is just for button integration on a PowerMic device, and by renaming this file you will not lose any functionality with Dragon unless you are using a PowerMic device."

This fix worked for me, hope you are successful as well.

Steve

THANK YOU STEVE.  It works perfectly now.

Many Thanks again,

Mike

I'm curious as to Nuance's explanation regarding where this file comes from.  It is not located in any of the cab files for DNS 9.5 Medical.  It is also not located in the program folder for my installation of DNS 9.5 Medical, which was installed clean with no prior versions of DNS ever having been installed on the Windows Vista system that I was checking.  (Note: I have an application which is capable of reading the files inside of the DNS 9.5 Medical installation cab files.)  It also does not show up on Windows XP.  So, naturally, I'm curious as to where it came from.

The only related file that I see anywhere in the DNS 9.5 installation or in the installation files is "powermic2.dll."  Therefore, my curiosity is piqued because I would guess that this is a left over from DNS 9.1.  If it is, it would be helpful to know this so that a more definitive explanation can be provided for anyone else who has the same problem.

Did you bite any chance upgrade your Windows XP to Windows Vista without first uninstalling DNS 9.1 Medical?  I realize that Nuance's statement makes reference to the fact that this is a new DLL support for the PowerMic.  However, I'm wondering if they inadvertently inserted this file into the SP 1 patch for DNS 9.0 and corrected it in the DNS 9.5 release.  Regardless, it would be helpful to get more specifics if you have them.  It would explain a few things relative to a number of issues that have been cropping up relative to problems installing DNS 9.5.

Chuck Runquist
Former Dragon NaturallySpeaking SDK & Senior Technical Solutions PM for DNS

Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change. - Stephen Hawking

No, I forgot to uninstall 9.1 prior to Vista upgrade.  However, I ran the 9.1 remover program and also an unreleased (provided by Nuance) 9.5 remover program prior to reinstallation as one of the attempts at problem fix, before the final solution from Nuance.  They also provided me with a new MicAudio.dll to see if the problem recurred, which it did so I don't think it would be a  residual from 9.1.  I suspect it is a conflict  with the built-in microphone on the toshiba tablet-pc.

Steve

I had a clean install of Dragon 9.5 (no previous installations) on a factory clean installation of vista on a Gateway.  I looked on my Asus with a 9.5 installation (an upgrade from 9.1 on XP) and it had the file micaudio.dll.  It is working fine.

 I do not know where the file comes from, but it is on a clean 9.5 install and also an upgrade.  My version 8 on another machine did not have the file.  I believe it is from Nuance.

Thanks,

Mike