Category: Geeks r Us
Microsoft used to be really expensive to get help from. I found here in Illinois its $35 for getting help. It looks like you can stay on and get help from them for as long as you need. I did find jaws was not something the rep was well-versed on; knowledge was somewhat limited. My problem though was that I had nobody here to read screens with a restore. Was just surprised microsoft offered the service they do.
Well that depends on what kind of help you are needing? Microsoft has many fix it tools and these are free and a simple download.
Next if you give your permission Microsoft will instruct you on how to allow them access to your computer remotely and you can sit back and they'll do it for you. This is accessible, but you must pay them as you say you do.
Other companies offer this sort of support as well, so reading a screen is no problem.
What type of help are you wanting?
I had to have a complete restore and the rep was from a special needs section of microsoft. I have open book on this computer and he accidentally took out jaws. I had to get the original vendor in here from the Chicago Lighthouse to reinstall everything because shared components from jaws were gone. What I will never understand is why I couldn't just reinstall jaws. I also had an old router on this PC and I do believe there might have been a bug on here. Anyway, everything got fixed. You're right though: Microsoft can get on a machine with using team viewer.
Bea,
I realize at your age learning a new reader may not be your most favorite way to pass the time, but I suggest you get a portable copy of NVDA and put it on. Someone on here or elsewhere with some training experience could perhaps help you. Because at that point, if something happens to your copy of JAWS, you can use NVDA, which has no shared components anywhere, to get where you need to go, even download the latest JAWS.
It's also good tool to use when you are doing performance-expensive things - that just means the types of things that make your computer's fan speed up, maintenance tools, things like that. It won't do as much for you, there is no tutor, there are other things which JAWS will doo that NVDA can't, but it's a great way to get you in and out when you need it.
I had no idea Microsoft had any sort of 'special needs' department. Wow. I had always thought it was just do or die with these things.
Anyway I hope they have a group for people within your age range also, or that that in and of itself would qualify under their 'special needs', because besides Jaws or other reader and magnifier users, people in your target demographic, and my parents' for that matter, need to be able to get the kind of help they need, especially if there''s not a son or a daughter or niece / nephew around to help you.
What is NVDA? the rep from microsoft wondered about windows narrator. FS gave me short cut keys to get into windows narrator, but that didn't work. Now that everything is fixed, I turn on the computer and for fun just wrote in the word narrator. Windows narrator popped up. The way the vendor who put this in talked, some programs really got hit by something and only a restore going back to factory defaults would work because we had no idea what programs were and weren't effected. I've seen FS use windows narrator several times to get me up and running again. This deal really did surprise me and monetarily I was not prepared for it. I had work done in my place while this mess happened. Oh well onward.
NVDA is a screene reader like Jaws, except its free open-source software.
I also didn’t know that Microsoft had a special needs department.
I suspect that it is not specifically geared to disabled special needs, but making the products that Microsoft designs work better for people with special needs.
Now that I’ve said that, when you need your computer repaired you should get someone that understand your specific needs. Microsoft won’t reinstall your custom applications, because mainly the tech doesn’t know what they are or what they do. The do understand Narrator is built in to Windows to help persons with visual impairments, but Jaws, Open Book, Zoom Text, and such no.
Microsoft is great with solving specific issues, for example, fixing your Office program, or Windows Mail, but not Jaws.
You can turn Narrator off so it doesn’t start with Windows, but that is a techie persons thing, so if you are going to rely on technicians, get one that specificy works for people that are blind. When having the main things repaired you can use anyone, but not for your custom applications.
Last it does a blind person good to learn about their computer life source. That machine does, or can do so much for you as far as your interaction with the world. The Zone is an excellent place to ask questions.
If it isn’t working as you need it to go back to the Light House and have it fixed so that it does. Write down all your gripes, so you can get all covered.
microsoft says that narator isn't what most people will need to read the screen, and they suggest you gettin another screene reader who's job is to read the screen.
NVDA looks pretty good. I don't want the British accent though. After getting everything fixed on here I want to download the right program and features. Any suggestions are appreciated. I did have to turn to the lighthouse for help, but too bad microsoft wasn't as knowledgeable on our stuff as I thought they would be. This computer certainly has cost a lot of money, and I don't want to mess up again.
Then turn to another voice. JAWS doesn't only have that voice, and neither does NVDA. I would disagree about NVDA being worse than JAWS. I speak with experience; I have used both for several years (since JAWS 4). NVDA actually has many features JAWS lacks, and is much easier on processing power and memory. It is my full-time screenreader (and I have more authorizations of JAWS 11, so this should demonstrate how well NVDA has come).