Text to Speech not working; seeking MS expert

[mrceolla]

Hello,

Please forgive me if this is the wrong group. Please

I have been searching and posting and can not find any solution to my
problem. I need to find an MS expert that knows all there is to know
about the builtin text to speech fuctionality of Windows.

I actually have a SBS 2003 server, but the server and sbs groups were
no help, this is why I'm trying here.

I have a fully updated SBS 2003 install. I have some home automation
and answering machine software that can use TTS to announce various
events. This is why I am wanting it to work. Needless to say, it
does not.


When I go to Start-->Control Panel-->Speech, I have only 1 tab,
Speech
Recognition. I should have another tab labeled Text To Speech. I do
not and I do not know why.


The system was built/installed w/ the onboard audio disabled.
I have recently enabled the onboard audio. All other audio seems to
work fine (WMP, DirectSound, System Sounds). I do not know if the
TTS
tab was available before this change or not, but I know it's not
there
now.


I have searched everywhere and found little, but I have tried to 2
things that did not work


1. I located sapi.inf, right-clicked, chose Install
2. Downloaded and installed the Microsoft Speech 5.1 SDK


Still no tab and TTS still will not work.


Please help me locate a solution to this problem. Again, I apologize
if this is the wrong group for this question (the sbs group told me I
shouldn't post there already). Please suggest a more suitable group
if you know of one.


Thank you,
Mike

 

[Ron Badour]

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=306902 is an article about configuring it
in XP. While there, use the search box to locate a list of the many other
articles that may help. For the search criteria, use this including the
quotes: "text to speech"

 

[mrceolla]

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=306902is an article about configuring it
in XP. While there, use the search box to locate a list of the many other
articles that may help. For the search criteria, use this including the
quotes: "text to speech"

--
Regards

Ron Badour
MS MVP 1997 - 2007

Thank you, but I've been there, done that. I've seen that article and
scoured the MS site and google for answers using that search phrase as
well as many others. Everything in that article (and all the others
for that matter) centers around the text to speech tab in the Speech
Properties dialog box, but I don't have this tab. That article says
text to speech should have been installed w/ the OS, but it wasn't, or
was and then disappeared. It does not describe how to reinstall or re-
enable TTS.

Please help me locate an MS expert or mvp to help me troubleshoot
this. There must be someone out there who knows how to get this
working w/o a complete reinstall.

Much thanks,
Mike

 

[=?iso-8859-1?Q?_db_=B4=AF`=B7.._=3E=3C=29=29=29=BA]

not sure if you are stating that
the narrator in accessibility options
is not working for you..

i use office and the narrator can
callout events and letters typed on
the keyboard.

however, there is also advanced
text services where Michelle or Michael
or Sam can read my documents outload.

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[mrceolla]

Yes. I'm saying that is not working for me, and the options for it
are not even available. Does anyone have any ideas?

Mike

 

[=?iso-8859-1?Q?_db_=B4=AF`=B7.._=3E=3C=29=29=29=BA]

so if you go
to start > programs > accessibility

can you launch narrator?

yes, it will launch but wont work
or no, narrator will not launch?


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[mrceolla]

When I try to run it, nothing appears to happen. No windows open, no
icon in task tray. I've never used narrator before so I don't know
what to expect.

However, the important thing (I think) is that I have no Text to
Speech tab in Control Panel-->Speech.

Mike

 

[=?iso-8859-1?Q?_db_=B4=AF`=B7.._=3E=3C=29=29=29=BA]

there is a program
called ctfmon.exe
that needs to be running.

open task manager, ctrl alt del
and see if ctfmon process is
notated.


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[mrceolla]

Yes...ctfmon.exe is a running process on my box. I haven't seen that
suggestion before...nice work. Narrator still won't launch though.

Mike

 

[=?iso-8859-1?Q?_db_=B4=AF`=B7.._=3E=3C=29=29=29=BA]

ok.

the next thing to check is for
the language bar toolbar.

if you right click over the
time/clock then toolbar
there should be an option
to select and enable language
toolbar.

if the option is not there
or the toolbar wont' enable
then the option inside regional
language control panel may not
be enabled for it...



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[mrceolla]

Yes, I have the Language Toolbar. The checkmark is already next to it
and I see a microphone and speech tools icon in the task bar.
However, all that stuff is only related to Speech Recognition which
does appear to be working...although I am not using it. Restoring the
Language Bar to the top of the screen shows the same icons/options. I
don't think it matters much, but on my XP machine there are two
additional icons in the language bar that aren't on my SBS 2003
machine, and they are Handwriting and Drawing Pad.

Any other suggestions/advice?

Mike

 

[=?iso-8859-1?Q?_db_=B4=AF`=B7.._=3E=3C=29=29=29=BA]

yeh, we are just drilling
down step by step.

handwriting is were you
can handwrite something like
outlook with your mouse.

then the engine will highlight
the outlook icon on the desktop
or if you write the letter a then
it begins highlighting icons that
start with a.

the keyboards in the toolbar do
the same thing by pressing the letters.

--------
ok, so at this time you
have ctfmon running,
the language bar displays
but the narrator and the
speech panel do not function.

in the language bar there is
a small drop down arrow after the question
mark. select settings and a dialog
windows will popup.

make sure "turn off advanced text services" is
not check. the other one regarding
"extending support.." should be checked.

in the settings tab, look in the services
and scroll down to speech, highlight
it and click on properties. then
there is another button called
advanced speech.

if pressed, a new pop up should be displayed
for the speech. this dialog speech
window would be the same one
to launch via the speech control
panel. the question is does this
pop up...


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[mrceolla]

Hello,

Thanks for helping me w/ this.

Turn off advanced text services is unchecked. But I do not have any
other checkboxes or other options on that tab. No "extending
support."

The speech control panel does pop up via this method, but it does not
have the TTS tab. Just Speech Recognition...the same thing.

New development though. The TTS for my answering machine software
sort of works. It doesn't always announce when it is suppose to, but
that could be a program not TTS problem. But furthermore, where I can
select the voice and test in from w/in this program, I can see the 3
microsoft voices and the 2 LH voices, but they seem to be all mixed
up. Some female voices sound like male voices and visa versa. The
important thing though is that it does speak the sample text.

How could this be? Could there be some registry settings that are
messed up that this program doesn't rely on, but the OS and this other
program do?

Thanks,
Mike

 

[=?iso-8859-1?Q?_db_=B4=AF`=B7.._=3E=3C=29=29=29=BA]

hmm,
i will have to take a bit more
time to sort through the data
you provided.

however, as a quick reply
for your last question, registry
files and system files can get
corrupted. unfortunately,
every single computer in the
world is unique and so there
are a multitude for the causes
of corruption for windows.

and then there is also a possibility
that anti virals may be inhibiting
some files, or possibly your
version of ctfmon is not the
genuine version and is the infamous
trojan.

while i study upon the data you
provided me, you could do a
couple of things in the interim,
just to ensure system integrity

if you have a windows cd
insert it into the drive. then
through the start > run command
field type and enter: sfc / scannow

do you have/use messenger?
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[mrceolla]

Thank you once again. I do have and use Windows Messenger.

I will run that scan as soon as I get a chance (later tonight) and
post back.

Mike

 

[=?iso-8859-1?Q?_db_=B4=AF`=B7.._=3E=3C=29=29=29=BA]

ok.

i would like the
end this thread and
continue it via real time
chat or email.

please contact me at
databaseben at
hotmail
dot com

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[mrceolla]

For anyone who cares...

It turns out the problem was my answering machine program, Phone
Recorder Plus Pro. This program can use TTS to annouce caller ID and
other things. It also has an option to run a a service. Apparently
when it runs as a service is when the problem occurs. It must somehow
interfere with or completely lock out other programs' use of TTS. But
if I disable the run as service option, everything works as it
should. The tab is Speech Properties returns and all programs can
utilize TTS.

Many thanks to db (databaseben) for his many hours of help and
troubleshooting. He finally made the suggestions that the answering
machine app may be locking out other programs, and he was 100% right.

Have a great day,
Mike

 

[=?iso-8859-1?Q?_db_=B4=AF`=B7.._=3E=3C=29=29=29=BA]

you're welcome.
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*~ <º((( ><·´¯`·..db.