During the last few weeks, I've had a spike in errors, DNS not recognizing words/phrases I have added, and now - speech-to-text not working. I have tried it within MS Word 2007 and Outlook's emails, and although the small window displays showing that DNS correctly hears what I'm saying, no text makes it to the document.

Closing and reopening DNS does not help; nor does rebooting my PC. I've used the accuracy test and received an 18 (passed) for my microphone.

When I use the Dictation Box, it works. At this point, I'm stumped.

The only other potential clue I have is that about 1-2 weeks before these problems, my PC's speakers stopped correctly working, but I can still hear what I usually hear through the speakers, in my "the Boom-O" microphone headset.

Any thoughts? thanks for your help.

Photoman
Digital Cameras Don't Take Good Pictures. People Do!

DNS Preferred V11, Quad 4 Intel i7-920; 2.66GHz; 8GB RAM; Windows 7 - 64 bit

Photoman,

provided that the reason for this isn't as simple as DNS not being launched prior to launching Word or Outlook, this looks much like Word and Outlook having ejected their NatSpeak add-in, and you have lost so-called Select-and-Say ability in those applications. If you are in Outlook or Word, and if you look at the Dragon bar, do you see a green ball right next to the button labeled "NaturallySpeaking"? Please look at the screenshot below, where I've put the Dragon bar inside the message field in Outlook, to visualize what I am talking about:

If you are in a so-called standard application, the ball will turn green, as opposed to staying grey if you aren't, which is where about the only the thing you can do is use the dictation box. But in order to establish that, both Word and Outlook must have their add-ins enabled, and unfortunately, they can get lost. If this is the case with you, please refer to the NaturallySpeaking Quick Tips (see link at the top of this page), and read "What to do when you have lost Select-and-Say in Word".

Rüdiger

Well, it's past the point where we can make any changes in the code, but we can still make changes to the Easter Egg!

First I checked the add-ins and found that they were there. Then I closed both DNS and Microsoft Word and open DNS first. After opening word, the green symbol was displaying, and dictation and went perfectly just like it usually does.

Am I understanding this correctly that when using DNS with word and Outlook, DNS needs to be opened first (before Microsoft Word or Microsoft Outlook) for it to properly work?

Photoman
Digital Cameras Don't Take Good Pictures. People Do!

DNS Preferred V11, Quad 4 Intel i7-920; 2.66GHz; 8GB RAM; Windows 7 - 64 bit

Yes, quite correctly so.

Rüdiger

Well, it's past the point where we can make any changes in the code, but we can still make changes to the Easter Egg!

All I can say is: WOW. in the past, I have opened DNS and word on an as needed basis, so I'm sure at least half the time, I have opened up Microsoft Word first.

Should DNS be opened up before any application that I want to use it with?

Photoman
Digital Cameras Don't Take Good Pictures. People Do!

DNS Preferred V11, Quad 4 Intel i7-920; 2.66GHz; 8GB RAM; Windows 7 - 64 bit

Yes, absolutely so, although I've seen someone mention just the opposite not so long ago, but that doesn't matter. While it can work also if you don't, you're far better off doing so. You might think of DNS being like someone who always has to be the first on the premisses, in order to watch over what the others are doing. If you want, you can set it up to start in Quick Mode at system start, to make sure it is already running before you start any application. But if you remember that rule, you'll be okay. I think it's just important to understand the meaning of Select-and-Say, here, and what you can do to check this.

But, what about the phrases that you have added and reported as not being understood? Is there anything we can do about it?

Rüdiger

Well, it's past the point where we can make any changes in the code, but we can still make changes to the Easter Egg!

Jomark,

I would suggest that you're mistaken about the sensitivity of Select-and-Say applications to the requirement that at least natspeak.exe has to be loaded first.  If that isn't the case via QuickStart, or if you're not using QuickStart and you don't load Dragon with your user profile before launching Internet Explorer, Microsoft Word, etc., then you will not get the following entries in the Dragon log: (Note that this is relative to Microsoft Word in this case)

11:04:35 File C:\Program Files\Nuance\NaturallySpeaking10\Program\dgnword.dll: Version 10.10.000.272
11:04:35 Microsoft Word Support Loaded.

And if you don't, you won't get Select-and-Say enabled.  The only way that Select-and-Say can be enabled for Internet Explorer or Microsoft Word is if it is detected via natspeak.exe.  No natspeak.exe, no Select-and-Say.  It is that simple and not subject to debate.

Chuck Runquist
Technical Project Manager
VoiceTeach LLC

The major difference between a thing that might go wrong and a thing that cannot possibly go wrong is that when a thing that cannot possibly go wrong goes wrong, it usually turns out to be impossible to get at or repair.- Douglas Adams (1952 - 2001)

I deliberately started DNS after Word was already loaded and running and it makes no difference. My Dragon log shows the entry that you alude to.

In other words for me, it makes no difference as to the order of loading in respect of Word. therefore, from my experience over a considerable period of time, I am unable to agree with what you're saying as the facts prove differently.

But as already stated above, and I think in previous posts, it does make a difference with Outlook and although I do not as a matter of course use DNS with Internet Explorer, DNS is required to be running before it can work with Internet Explorer.

I do not start DNS in quickstart mode and never have.

As stated in my previous post, I load KnowBrainer, DNS and VoicePower ultimate at start-up using AutoIt.

KnowBrainer and DNS on their own load seamlessly but I am experiencing problems with VoicePower in not properly loading such that it encounters an error and has to close down. This is not every time and I suspect that it is because other applications are loading in the background and interfering with VoicePower.

Click KB 2012 REV D to Download a 30 Day Evaluation of KnowBrainer 2012 

Thanks to everybody. This was really very illuminating because I have been running into periodic problems for the last six months without having a clue as to what caused them. Now it starts to make sense.

Rüdiger:

 I have had numerous words and phrases that DNS just does not understand. In spite of going through the training and creating a custom vocabulary, there are certain words and phrases that DNS does not recognize more than 50% of the time. What other information would be helpful in trying to  diagnose the problem?

Photoman
Digital Cameras Don't Take Good Pictures. People Do!

DNS Preferred V11, Quad 4 Intel i7-920; 2.66GHz; 8GB RAM; Windows 7 - 64 bit

Photoman,

please post specific examples. In most cases, these problems are a matter of face value.

Rüdiger

Well, it's past the point where we can make any changes in the code, but we can still make changes to the Easter Egg!

It is not necessary to open DNS first if you enable "Launch in QuickStart mode on Windows startup." You will find this setting under Tools > Options > Miscellaneous.