Hi all,

I am no longer able to download the Microsoft WSR macros utility. I get an error 404 when I go to the following link.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/404Error.aspx

I did search and was unable to find any other legitimate looking links for the macros utility. Has it been discontinued?

 

Pranav

Yes, the official link sadly appears to be down. There are some other (third-party) websites but they seem to be a bit risky.

 

This one however seems to be reliable. I scanned the downloaded wsrmacros.msi with both Bitdefender, Malwarebytes and also send it to Virus Total (which returned no detections). However, download (and install) at your own risk:

 

https://windows-speech-recognition-macros.software.informer.com/download/ 

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Hi dilligence,
Many thanks. I'll try that link. I am concerned, is Microsoft pulling the plug on WSR?

I guess we will have to wait and see.

Microsoft frequently preserves outdated technologies such as Internet Explorer. They gave up on WSR in 2006 so it's hard to say. It is unlikely that you will find an answer other than why are you even using WSR when Dragon and KnowBrainer are so much better? In our opinion, you're beating a dead horse.

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It may be helpful for clients who are too cheap to buy the real thing.  

WSR was designed for the disabled community so they could at least get around the usage of a computer hands-free.  That is why it is part of the operating system and has been so since Windows Vista.

Because of this reason, I personally do not think they will ditch WSR because it is part of Windows 'Ease of Access Centre.'  They may not have undertaken any work on it since 2006 but it is a starting point for the disabled.  This is because many disabled folk who have just had an accident for example, cannot afford to buy Dragon software.  Some of them may be lucky enough to have Dragon software donated to them after they leave hospital but many do not.

I believe that their main concern would be to secure a computer to start with.  I managed to secure a computer through certain charities here in the UK.  Without a computer, they would not be able to use either speech software.

Cheers

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Tiger Feet

| DPG 15.61 | KnowBrainer 2017 | Windows 10 Professional /64 Bit | Intel® Core™ i9 Ten-Core Processor i9-10900K (3.7GHz) 20MB Cache |  32GB RAM. | 250GB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe SSD (up to 3500MB/R, 2300MB/W) Boot Drive | 1TB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe SSD (up to 3500MB/R, 3300MB/W) Storage Drive | Sennheiser D10 USB Wireless Microphone

Microsoft has made the Windows Speech Recognition Macros utility available again from an official Microsoft download site:

 

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=13045

 

A quick tip: Occasionally, a more extensive Windows 10 upgrade causes WSR Macros stop working. When this happens, one solution is to re-download WSR Macros again and reinstall it. But it's easier to just "Repair" the existing installation. To do this: open the Control Panel (NOT Settings), go to "Programs and Features," and run the "Repair" option for Windows Speech Recognition Macros.