System Requirements and Environments

• What hardware do I need to use WillowTALK?
• What Windows versions do I need to use WillowTALK?

WillowTALK Versions and Upgrades

• Version Numbers, Policies, and History

Reading Documents

• What document types can WillowTALK read? Can I use it with other document types?
• What features does it have of use to visually impaired people?
• Can it read any other languages besides English?
• How do I open documents with WillowTALK?
• I do not hear any audio when I try to read a document.
• I have difficulty understanding the computer speech.
• A document I want to read does not show up in the WillowTALK Document Selection list, so I can not read it.
• I have trouble using the WillowTALK hotkeys. What should I try?
• Can you record the computer speech into wave files?
• Can I have WillowTALK read email to me?
• What should I try if I don't hear any audio at all from WillowTALK?

Birmingham hotel roomsUser Interface and General

• Sometimes when switching between windows on my screen the WillowTALK user interface colors get messed up. What should I do?
• I copied WillowTALK from a friend's PC, and when I try to run it an error message says that I am missing some files.
• The WillowTALK user interface gets in the way of my documents on screen.

Troubleshooting

• What should I try if I don't hear any audio at all from WillowTALK?
• Some Application-Specific Considerations

Willow Pond Support Policies

• How do I get support for WillowTALK?
• How does the money-back guarantee work?

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What are the systemrequirements?

• Pentium 75MHz or faster
• 12MB memory (16MB or more recommended)
• 10MB free disk space
• CD drive (to install the software which is delivered on CD)
• A sound card with Windows 95 drivers
• Windows 95

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Version Numbers, Policies, andHistory

Version Numbers and Upgrade Policy

Each WillowTALK version number has three parts, for example:

1.00.20

In this example, the first number, "1", represents the Major version; thesecond number, "00" represents the Minor version number; and the third number,"20" represents an ID number. The Major and Minor version numbers togetherindicate which bug fixes and standard features a WillowTALK release includes. TheID number often just indicates a customized release, not a functional difference. So,1.00.35 is not necessarily a "later" version than 1.00.33.

Version History

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What document types can WillowTALKread? Can I use it with other document types?

WillowTALK can read the following types of documents:

Note: If you want to read text from an unsupported application, you can ofcourse just copy and paste that text into a supported application document (such as fromNotepad, WordPad or Word, e.g.), and then have WillowTALK read the text from thesupported document type.

For special notes on specific applications, clickhere.

We may also post updates for WillowTALK from time to time on our Web site thatwill add support for additional programs. If there is a specific program that you wouldlike to see supported which is not on this list, please contact us and let us know.

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What features does WillowTALKhave of use to visually impaired people?

Most WillowTALK functions can be activated using keyboard hotkeys in addition tomouse clicks. This is handy for everyone, and of particular value to sight impairedpeople. Supported hotkey actions are:

• Play
• Stop
• Pause
• Rewind (to the beginning of the sentence currently being read)
• Next voice
• Next document
• Announce the time
• Raise volume
• Lower volume

In addition, when you use the hotkey to switch to the next document in the list ofcurrently open documents that WillowTALK can read, WillowTALK reads aloudthe name of the document. This lets you press the Next Document hotkey until you’velocated the document you want.

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Can WillowTALK read any languagesother than English?

The current version speaks English only. We may bring out additional versions forpopular world languages, but we don’t have specific plans or schedules at this time.

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How do I open documents withWillowTALK?

If you are trying to read common Windows documents, such as those from Word, Excel,etc., you don’t actually open them with WillowTALK. You instead open themusing the application you used to create them. WillowTALK does not open thedocuments. It just recognizes the documents you have open, and displays in a list thosedocuments it knows it is capable of reading.

The only documents that WillowTALK opens itself are WillowTALK scriptsyou’ve created in its ScriptTalker window. These files have an .rtx file extension.

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I do not hear any audio when Itry to read a document.

This could be any number of things, but here are some common things to try:

• Check that your speaker is properly connected to your sound card, and if it is a powered speaker, is switched on.
• Make sure your PC’s output volume is not muted and is not set at a very low volume level. You can see your volume controls by clicking on WillowTALK’s Volume button. While each sound card has different volume controls, relevant volume controls are often labeled Master, Volume, or Wave.
• Verify that, when you click on WillowTALK’s Play button, the Audio Indicator (peak meter LED-type graphic) is moving. This shows that WillowTALK is actually sending output to your sound card.
• Close any other audio applications you have open, and try again. It is possible that some other program is using the sound card audio driver, preventing WillowTALK from using it.

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I have difficultyunderstanding the computer speech.

Computer speech does not sound quite like human speech, and takes some getting used to.There are a few things that might help:

• Try a computer voice that speaks slower. After you are more experienced with computer speech, you can speed up the speech for greater efficiency. You can use the Voice Creation tool to create a voice that speaks slowly.
• Try a different voice. Each computer voice "model" has different characteristics, and some people find some voices easier to understand than others.
• Remember that you can use the Rewind button to have WillowTALK start reading again from the beginning of the current sentence, if you miss a word.

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A document I want to read doesnot show up in the WillowTALK Document Selection list, so I can not read it.

This means that WillowTALK is not able to read documents of that type (that is,documents created by the application). There are two things you can try:

• You can try to copy the text into a document of an application that works with WillowTALK (Windows’ own WordPad, for example).
• You can check the Willow Pond web site to see if we have posted any updates that incorporate support for that application.

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I have trouble using the WillowTALKhotkeys. What should I try?

There are several things to keep in mind about hotkeys:

• You are the one who gets to decide which keyboard combinations to use for each function, and you can choose to disable some or all of the hotkeys at any time. To change or disable hotkeys, click on the WillowTALK Properties button and then select the Hotkeys tab.
• Note that your PC or other applications may also use hotkeys, and these can conflict with your WillowTALK hotkeys. For example, some PCs use Ctrl-Alt-P to enter a power saving or power down state. If a WillowTALK hotkey has an unexpected effect such as this, try changing the WillowTALK hotkey definition to use a different set of keys, until you find one that is not already in use by your PC.

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Can you record thecomputer speech into wave files?

In this version of WillowTALK, not directly. However, with many sound cards youcan do it yourself, as follows:

• Run WillowTALK normally, selecting the document you want to record.
• Run a wave file recording program and configure it to use the same audio data format as WillowTALK. That is usually 11kHz, 16 bit, mono, though it might vary if for some reason your sound card doesn’t want to let WillowTALK use that format. You can use the Sound Recorder accessory that comes with Windows 95 if you don’t have a recording program you prefer better.
• Use your sound card’s mixer (volume control) program to select the audio input source such that it can record a wave file being played. This procedure varies among sound cards, but often the correct input control is called Loop, Mix, or All. You may have to experiment a bit. Note that you will need a "full duplex" capable sound card, so it can record and play at the same time. Even if your sound card is advertised as being full duplex, you may have to configure its drivers to enable this function. Consult your sound card documentation for details; don’t contact Willow Pond because we can’t support the sound cards themselves.
• Click on the Record button on your wave file recording program.
• Click on the Play button on WillowTALK.
• Of course, click on the Stop button of your wave file recording program when finished recording.

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Can I have WillowTALK read email tome?

Well, sort of. If WillowTALK will read the text from the client application youuse to open mail on your PC, you can do that. Of course you’ll have to manuallyselect and open each mail message in turn.

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Sometimes when switching betweenwindows on my screen the WillowTALK user interface colors get messed up. What should I do?

This is a generic problem which occurs when Windows has to change its display colorpalettes when it switches among open windows. The fool-proof fix is to set yourvideo to use 24 bit color instead of 256 color, if possible. This should fix the problemforever, for all applications.

To set your video properties, right-click a blank area of your desktop, selectProperties from the pop-up menu, and select the Settings tab. You should find your videooptions there.

If you can't use 24 bit color, then a temporary fix is to select Redraw from the WillowTALKsystem menu.  This will cause an immediate re-paint of the user interface.

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The WillowTALK user interfacegets in the way of my documents on screen.

There are two things you can do about that:

• Toggle off the Always On Top option under the WillowTALK system menu (at its top left corner).
• User the Shrink Horizontally and/or Shrink Vertically buttons on the WillowTALK user interface to reduce the program in size.

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Can I embed the computer speech in adocument?

There is no built-in OLE (object linking and embedding) support in WillowTALK,though we are considering adding that in a future version. In the meantime, you can try torecord the computer speech into a wave audiofile (see the procedure above), and use Sound Recorder or some other similar programto embed the wave file in an OLE client document.

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I copied WillowTALK froma friend's PC, and when I try to run it an error message says that I am missing somefiles.

Well, you shouldn't copy WillowTALK from someone else's PC. It is designed notto work unless it is properly installed from valid installation disks.

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What should I try if I don't hearany audio at all from WillowTALK?

If you have trouble playing something, the most important thing to understand iswhether the problem is with your system configuration or solely with WillowTALK.The best way to do this is:

1. Close WillowTALK
2. Use the Media Player accessory that comes with Windows to try to play a wave file (digital audio)

If you can't play a wave file, then the problem is with your multimedia PCconfiguration (hardware conflicts, incorrect driver versions, for example), not withWillowTALK. Contact your hardware supplier for help configuring your system to playthe multimedia you want.

While we can't offer a troubleshooting service for your universal audio problems, someof the obvious things to check include:

• Make sure your speakers are plugged into the correct jack on your sound card, and (if they are powered speakers) are turned on.
• Make sure your drivers are properly installed. (If they are not, you won't see any volume control sliders on your mixer application). Also make sure you have the right drivers for the version of Windows you are using.
• Make sure your speakers are selected as the output device in your mixer (volume control) application, and that the output volume is not muted or turned down too low.

Only if the problem is observed solely when using WillowTALK is it likely aWillowTALK problem. If so, try these steps:

1. See if your problem is covered in this extensive FAQ document or list of known problems and workarounds for your version of WillowTALK
2. See if your problem is covered on the user support forum. If not, post your problem, in as much detail as possible, to that forum. Willow Pond and perhaps others may be able to answer your question.

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Some Application-SpecificConsiderations:

Each program has its own quirks. We are continually refining how WillowTALKaccesses text in various programs. Here are some things of which we are aware:

• Encarta: Only some screens are readable. Fortunately, these tend to be the screens containing the most text.
• Browsers: If a web page has a text entry field (for example a search form) and the cursor is in that field, then WillowTALK will generally not be able to read the text. Just position the cursor elsewhere and try again. If a web page has a graphic on it, some browsers will present to WillowTALK the graphic’s caption to read, while other will offer no text to read at all. Of course, WillowTALK can not recognize text that is actually part of the graphic.
• Spreadsheets: WillowTALK will read from left to right, not top down, if you select a square of cells to read. That is, it will read Row 1 Column 1, Row 1 Column 2, Row 2 Column 1, Row 2 Column 2 if you select a 2x2 cell area. To read a column of numbers, use your mouse to select the single column before clicking on the Play button.

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How do I get support forWillowTALK?

Regardless of where you got WillowTALK,we provide on this web site several support resources:

• This extensive FAQ document covering many of the most common items

  An online support forum for asking questions and sharing helpful suggestions with others

  A free, open download area where you can get the latest bug fix update for standard versions of WillowTALK

If you received WillowTALK from a third party, such as our distributor LHDirect, please contact them for additional support.

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How does the money-backguarantee work?

If your received WillowTALK directly from Willow Pond, you have a 30 dayunconditional money back guarantee from us.

To return WillowTALK to Willow Pond:

1. Fill out the form requesting a Return Authorization (RA) number. Tell us enough information about yourself that we can look you up in our order database so we know who you are, when you ordered the product, and how much you paid for it. Please do not send any materials to Willow Pond without an RA number.
2. Once you receive your RA number, you can mail your original WillowMEDIAprenotazione locanda Turin product to the address we will provide, for a credit on the purchase price. The entire purchase price will be refunded to you (minus the shipping and handling charge you paid).

If you received WillowTALK from a reseller or other source, then please check with your supplier for their return policies. We can only handle refunds for products purchased directly from Willow Pond, and reseller return policies may vary.

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