How to Use Windows Vista Speech Recognition Software

Imagine creating documents and controlling programs without ever using your keyboard. Imagine a computer that recognizes your voice and does what you ask it to do. If you have Windows Vista, none of this is unimaginable because all the versions of Windows Vista have built-in speech recognition. Using the Windows Vista speech recognition software is as easy as plugging it in and enabling it--no extra software is required.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Plug in your microphone or headset. Before you can configure the Windows Vista speech recognition software, you must ensure you have a working microphone. Handheld or headset microphones work best because they help eliminate noise caused by your computer.

2. Open the "Volume Control" dialog and make sure your microphone channel is not muted or set too low.

3. Enable speech recognition. Click on Start -> Control Panel, and in the search box type "Speech." Choose "Speech Recognition Options" from the results.

4. Start the Windows Vista speech recognition. Click on "Start Speech Recognition" to use the speech recognition software.

5. Set up your microphone. The "Start Speech Recognition" program will take you through a wizard to set up your microphone. Follow the on-screen directions to set up your microphone correctly.

6. Use the tutorial. After setting up your microphone, the "Start Speech Recognition" program will take you to the speech recognition tutorial. The software is complex and has many features, so following the tutorial can reveal its complexities.

7. Click on "Train Your Computer to Better Understand You." When using speech recognition software, it's important to train the computer to understand your voice. After you complete the first training page, consider further training the Windows Vista voice recognition software, as the more you train it, the better it will work.

8. Open the speech reference card. This option will open a dialog showing all of the extra commands and words the Windows Vista speech recognition software understands. Print this list for future use or keep it on the screen until you can memorize the commands you will be using most often.

9. Open the "Advanced Speech Options" dialog. In this dialog, you can configure a number of things, including language (dialect or accent) and recognition profiles. Selecting the correct language is crucial if you want the Windows Vista speech recognition software to be able to understand you.

10. Dictate your work once the software is configured. Instead of typing, you may now dictate your text. This should work well in any text-entry field, including those in emails, word-processing documents, web browsers and chat rooms.

Tips & Warnings

• If more than one user will be using the Windows Vista speech recognition software, it's also important to set up separate speech profiles for every user.