Category: Geeks r Us
Can anyone tell me if it's possible to unload/shut down Vocaleyes without rebooting? If not, then how do I change it so that 1. it won't start as soon as the machine boots and 2. I can make it so that all I have to do is type talk from any directory and have it start instead of having to go to the speech directory? I know it has something to do with the path but am not sure how to fix it. Thanks.
Just thought I'd add that my manual files are corrupted so I can't check them. I believe I know where to find them online but thought asking would make things quicker.
if running Windows 98 or earlier you would edit your autoexec.bat file to reflect these changes so that you can start VocalEyes manually.
as for starting it from anywhere, again you would create a batch file to do this, specifying the directory in which VocalEyes resides, and the executable
e.g.
@echo off
cd
cd speech
ve.exe
cls
and save as c:talk.bat
note that this is just an example.
.
OOh thanks! I'll try that. I'm actually running this on MS-DOS 6.21 right now but will be switching over to Enhanced DR-DOS soon.
Okay, I thought it was time to bring up this topic again, since I noticed something very strange. I've changed my synth from Keynote VoiceCard to Echo PC, only because the cord for the VoiceCard is fragile and small and I'm afraid of breaking/losing it and having no speech. Anyway, when I turn on the laptop, VE starts automatically and when I am using that cable so that I can access KeySoft, for some reason, I need to keep the Echo on or the VoiceCard won't speak. This is draining the battery of my synth, so I need to change my autoexec.bat file or get VE to unload itself when it's not needed, sort of the way JFW can sleep when other programs run. Not sure if this latter is possible. Anyway, when I save talk.bat, I don't need to put it into speech or DOS or anything, just the root directory? Also, this is a separate file or do I need to do something to autoexec.bat? Will the example in post four work without any modifications? Sorry, but it's my first time writing a batch file from scratch, though I'm very sure it won't be my last. Finally, my version of DOS is stripped down on that machine, so I don't have Edlyn! Needless to say, I'm not too thrilled about that. Can I save this file on a floppy as text document MS-DOS format with Notepad and drop it into the root directory of the laptop?
Edlin *Oh Gawd!*
You could always try VI since it's got more features :0)
No seriously use edit and *not* Edlin. Edlin is a line editor and you don't know enough to use it, and those of us who do, know it's not very nice.
Did you get that book on MSDos? To sing the praises of a command-line environment is to at minimum understand path statements, batch files, etc.
I've never used Vocal Eyes, but you may find documentation on GWMicro's site someplace.
To make it stop speaking, edit your autoexec.bat and place the word
rem
followed by a space in front of the line that starts the VocalEyes software. Unless you installed stuff after VocalEyes it's probably the last line in the batch file.
This is DOS basics; like dragging an icon into Startup in Windows, and / or creating a Desktop or Quicklaunch shortcut.
Oh and BTW, the edit program uses pull down menus like Windows:
alt + f = file, then o for open or s for save, x fore exit, and yes, I imagine VocalEyes works with it; JAWS for DOS did and I imagine all DOS screenreaders did.
Duh Eleni! I meant Edit not Edlyn. I'm using MS-DOS 6.21, which comes with a nice editor, as you said, or at least, it's supposed to. Mine doesn't. Whenever I try the edit command, it says bad command or file name. I even called up a good friend of mine and we did the find command to try and locate the program which does the editing and it just wasn't there. I really really need a copy of that editor for so many reasons it's not even funny. Yeah, I know I definitely need to improve my skills with batch files. Thankfully, I did find both a DR-DOS manual and a few MS-DOS manuals from basic stuff like this through more advanced, so I'll be able to play around with those in the next few days. I just wanted to stop this one thing so that my battery wouldn't get drained if I needed to go into Keysoft for whatever reason.
Oh, and what's VI?
Its a text editor, well it is in linux anyway.
Aah, wouldn't it be nice if there was an installer program that came with a software package that made sure you have all the necessary files and that the necessary batch files were populated with the path values where the program files are put (else you'd always have to specify the full path name of the executable of the command line)?
Wait, it does exist, it's called a Windows installation.
Also wouldn't it be nice, when you see a file extension, to know what editor is best for the file instead of trying to remember all the extensions and match them with a calculator or Word processor or media file or a picture or system file or map file and associate it with your favorite editor for each type.
There's part of the reason for the Windows Registry. Windows really is the evolution of dos, you'll see it sooner or later as you struggle through dos. It's been 2 or 3 months since you started claiming the clear advantages and ease of use of DR Dos and yet here we are two months later and you don't understand how folders work or batch files and you can't even find a text editor, we haven't even touched on config files, multiple user handling or security, browsing or anything else, and the O.S. has not even successfully been installed yet.
Have fun.
Dos Ain't bad actually :) those were the days when life was simple. there are many times when I wish I could just run win 3.1 and a good ol dos 6.22 interface on my netbook, but since hardware support is so bad... nuh not happening.
Perfect wildebrew, perfect.
Wildebrew: I'm assuming that the reason why the editor wasn't included in this version of DOS was because this is a machine made by Humanware and they probably expected most users to use KeySoft and not bother with DOS much. As for file extentions, I'm sure they can be memorised. I do understand how directories work, though I haven't dealt with security or browsing and have only opened config.sys once several years ago. It's been awhile since I've been able to emerse myself in a DOS environment of any kind so I'm bound to forget things. My progress in learning was halted when my 386 machine died. But I'm sure I'll get the hang of it the more I use it and it'll become like second nature for me as it is with some of you here on The Zone.
Tomi: You need to check out the modern versions of DOS like FreeDOS and Enhanced DR-DOS. There are a few others as well and all are still being developed, some with updates as recent as a few months ago. Dell still makes machines with FreeDOS, but I'm not sure if it's available on laptops. Alot has changed since MS-DOS 6.22, including hardware support. Several versions of DOS, including the Microsoft variety, now support usb, but each is limited to one degree or another in that regard. I haven't really checked into it. However, I know that many DOS drivers exist for modern hardware, either on the sites of the manufacturers or as unofficial but legal downloads from users and developers. Here are two excellent resources to get you started.
http://www.unet.univie.ac.at/~a0503736/php/drdoswiki/index.php
Here, you'll find information on several modern varients of DOS, as well as a forum and software downloads.
http://www.drdosprojects.de/
This is the page for the DR-DOS/OpenDOS Enhancement Project. Here, you can download DR-DOS as well as the patches that make it modern. There's also a forum here and the manual that I mentioned earlier is under the links section.