Category: Geeks r Us
Hi.
So, i'm just wondering how if your totally blind you install your operating system with out any sited help?
I can just about remember the key sequence for xp, its just the key that i have to get someone to read.
BEN.
I ahve someone with a working pair of eyes do it.
I use an unattend install script. there is an example of this at www.jfwlite.com, though mine is heavily modified. Download windows xp unattend setup from the /programs page, and read the readme thoroughly, as the batch file is currently set to resize/delete your partition etc... However, I find that this method works every time for me.
Cheers.
Sam
I am lucky enough to be one of those people to have enough sight to be able to do it myself.
I think narrator can speak during the instalation but i am not shoure as i never had to install windows myself.
I don't think so. Considering tI don't think so, considering half the installation is in text mode. They could do something like that for vista, as the vista installer is graphical from the word go, and one can also get a command prompt during the vista install if they need it. It would be a trivial addition.
TheMuso
With my moms' help, I installed windows 98 over 95 on this computer. Jaws read most of it, though there was some parts of the installation it didn't read, but when mom told me what it said, I was able to use the arrow keys, not the arrow keys on the extended keypad, since they only work if jaws is talking, but the arrow keys in the middle of the keyboard.
wonderwoman
man I wish narrator could speak during the install but it does not as narrator is a part of windows! yep I have to get sightie help! :(
That's the nice thing about both linux and OS 10 on the mac, you get speech right from the start of the installation. Hopefully Microsoft will add that sort of functionality in Vista.
Yeah I think it would be nice to have an accessable setup of windows. I had to have my dad help me reinstall windows the last time there was a problem. I would like to get a mack some time since it now has its own speech built in.
Matthew Dyer
I'll pretty much do anything but get sighed help on installingsomething if I can help it.
I did an eyes-free install of Free BSD, starting with the floppy set. Using my BNS and the v-term program, I connected the unit to the BSD box. When booting the first disc, I typed the "-h" (headless) command line parameter. From there, I had a working serial concole, talking via the BNS.
yeh I am pretty sure I've heard various rumours about vista having a bit more of a built in type screen reader, which will hopefully enable us to install from scratch somehow! :)
I usually have techy friends that do it for me as I don't know what the heck I'm doing, smiles.
Troy
yep, thus far, techy friends or parents all the way for me! :)
I installed windows/98 with jaws for dos, but since those days I used model k screen reader (k is for kid). In other words, I used sighted help.
Bob
I'm going to give unattended install for xp a try this weekend.
good luck! let us know how it goes, well if it works that is obviously. guess ya won't be here if it fails! :)
O i just have a cd with an unattendedinstall script on it now, works ok, but if you use the program thats on the xp cd to make your installs, you will have to do the partations and the account setup yourself, but speech does work with the last bit.
For full automation, consider using something like nlite, which also lets you strip down parts of the os that you won't be using.
Just to clear something up, you can get narater to talk dur in the last part of xp setup whilst you are making accounts and beeing told to register, providing that it has found your sound card drivers, but you can slip stream them into the .cab files on your xp cd.
I don't think that you would ever be garantied to get speech dure in a install from the begining, simpley based on the amount of cards that are out there.
If anyone could do it it would be apple, because as far as i kno they would be able to track what cards they have ever shipped?
The closists that you can get is doing a network install of linux over telnet or hooking up an external synth or a braille display.
why not go to unattended.msfn.org? the whole process is layed out for you, and everything can be automated including user account setup. This is how i've done mine.