Windows 7 has special issues when using Microsoft Agent for text-to-speech

Symptoms

When using JED's text-to-speech on a Windows 7 computer, the speech bubbles for activating the text-to-speech may not appear. If the speech bubbles are there and you click them, you may get an error message about Microsoft Agent, and/or the browser may stop responding or may stop working.

Cause

JED's text-to-speech uses Microsoft Agent. Microsoft have stopped supporting Microsoft Agent in their Windows® operating system, starting with Windows 7.

Solution

There are two possible solutions for this (you may need to apply both):

Install the HotFix from Microsoft

In response to customer pressure, Microsoft have produced a 'HotFix' to enable Microsoft Agent in Windows 7. See Microsoft Knowledgebase article KB969168 for details and download.

Add JED to your list of trusted sites

On your Windows 7 computer:

  • Open Internet Explorer and run JED.
  • Click Tools, then Internet Options
  • Choose the Security tab, click on Trusted Sites, then click on the Sites button
  • Un-tick the box which states "Require server verification (https:) for all sites in this zone"
  • Add JED to your list of trusted sites
  • Choose Close

JED is now added to your list of trusted sites, which should mean that it works in your browser.

Work-around

Turn off the text-to-speech facility in JED

If you turn off the text-to-speech facility in JED, then you will not be able to use text-to-speech, and the operation of the browser will not be affected by Microsoft Agent.

To turn of text-to-speech in JED:

  1. Run JED, and go to the JED main menu.
  2. Click on tutor, at the foot of the page
  3. Enter your password (shown on the letter you received when you licensed JED)
  4. Choose Jed settings and profiles
  5. Choose the profile you wish to edit
  6. Scroll down the page until you get to Other settings (about 3/4 of the way down the page).
  7. Un-tick the box which says Show text-to-speech where licensed
  8. Click on OK to save your changes
  9. Repeat for any other profiles you may have

New text-to-speech is coming!

We are currently working on new way of doing text-to-speech for JED that does not use Microsoft Agent. The new text-to-speech is fully compatible with all recent browsers and operating systems, and has a more natural-sounding voice than the old MS Agent text-to-speech.

JED's new text-to-speech is scheduled for release by the end of 2011. Please contact us if you would like to be put on the list for notifying as soon as the new text-to-speech is available.

 

Page date 6/09/11