# DECtalk Trouble shooting

The following chart provides a guide for resolving problems encountered when installing DECtalk products, using them with software applications or unexpected speech output. The chart lists by product the symptom, the problem causing it, steps to take to correct it and a reference to downloadable files or to other pages which provide more detailed information.

DECtalk PC

DECtalk PC2

DECtalk Express

DECtalk PC |  |  |
Symptom | Problem | Correction | Reference
Pentium system will hang when a DECtalk PC is installed. | A bus timing problem between certain Pentiums (Compaq 75 and Micron 90) and the DECtalk PC | No current solution. | None.
Windows 95 will not install correctly when a DECtalk PC is installed in the system. | Win 95 cannot identify the DECtalk card. | Install Win 95 without the DECtalk card installed. Then in Control Panel use "Install a new hardware device " and use the file DECTALK.INF to register the DECtalk. | win-95.exe
DECtalk PC won't load with a system containing an EIDE CD-ROM. | EIDE CD-ROM driver uses the same software interrupt (2f) as the DECtalk PC driver, DT_DRIV. | Install the file HOLD2F.SYS in the DECtalk directory and add a device line in CONFIG.SYS. | hold2f.exe
SCSI CD-ROM is no longer accessible when the DECtalk PC is installed. | DT_CONF reads the SCSI II "mailbox". | Edit the DECtalk file DT.BAT to put discrete "-b xxx" switches after DT_CONF and the second DT_DRIV. | The edited lines would then look like this for an I/O address of 250: DT_CONF -b 250 DT_DRIV -C -L -b 250

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DECtalk PC2 |  |  |
Symptom | Problem | Correction | Reference
Windows 95 will not install correctly when a DECtalk PC is installed in the system. | Win 95 cannot identify the DECtalk card. | Install Win 95 without the DECtalk card installed. Then in Control Panel use "Install a new hardware device " and use the file DECTALK.INF to register the DECtalk. (Win_95.exe) | win_95.exe
DECtalk PC 2 won't load with a system containing an EIDE CD-ROM. | EIDE CD-ROM driver uses the same software interrupt (2f) as the DECtalk PC2 driver, DT_DRIV. | Install the file HOLD2F.SYS in the DECtalk directory and add a device line in CONFIG.SYS. | hold2f.exe
SCSI CD-ROM is no longer accessible when the DECtalk PC2 is installed. | DT_CONF reads the SCSI II "mailbox". | Edit the DECtalk file DT2.BAT to put discrete "-b xxx" switches after the second (and 3rd) DT_DRIV lines. | The edited lines would then look like this for an I/O address of 250: DT_DRIV -C -L -B 250 DT_DRIV -C -L -B 250
DECtalk PC2 will not work with Screen Reader/2 for OS/2 | An OS/2 driver is not available for the DECtalk PC2. | No current solution . | None.

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DECtalk Express |  |  |
Symptom | Problem | Correction | Reference
DECtalk Express driver won't load with a system containing an EIDE CD-ROM. | EIDE CD-ROM driver uses the same software interrupt (2f) as the DECtalk Express driver. | Install the file HOLD2F.SYS in the DECtalk directory and add a device line in CONFIG.SYS. NOTE: The line DT_DRIV -r must be in the DECtalk batch file. | hold2f.exe
DECtalk Express will not work in a notebook computer which is also using a PC Card (PCMCIA) option. | The PC Card (PCMCIA) Socket Services driver is in conflict with the DECtalk Express driver. This has been seen especially when trying to use a SCSI PC Card like the Adaptec Slim SCSI II which controls a scanner. | Obtain an updated version of the PC Card, Card and Socket Services driver for the specific notebook. The Card Wizard Pro S/W for DOS and Windows by System Soft have worked in most cases. | PC Card Note
DECtalk and/or another device connected to a COM port (such as a serial mouse or modem) won't work or behaves erratically. | DECtalk Express and the other device are trying to use the same IRQ. | Try to put the Express on COM1 or COM2 and put the conflicting device on COM3 or COM4 using a non-standard IRQ like 5 or 7. | COMM Ports
DECtalk Express will not always work as expected under Win V3.x | Win V3.x tries to control the same COM port that DT_DRIV is also trying to control. | Insert a "DEBUG" statement in DECtalk Express batch file, DTEXP.BAT, to remove the COM port from the Win V3.x resource directory. | win_com.exe
DECtalk Express behaves erracticly under Win 95 | Win 95 will not let the DECtalk Express driver, DT_DRIV, to control the unit. | Remove the COM port the DECtalk Express is connected to from the Win 95 resource directory using Device Manager. | Win 95 Note
DECtalk Express will say the letter "A" as "ah". | DECtalk Express S/W V4.2A+ doesn't differentiate between the letter "A" in running text ("ah") and in isolation ("ay"). | Version 4.2CB and later corrects this. | Updates
DECtalk Express will drop words when using JAWS and JFW. | In certain cases fast stop and start speaking will cause the Express to overwrite it own memory. | Version V4.2CD is currently in beta test. | Beta
DECtalk Express will only work in a DOS box in Win 95. | The DECtalk Express driver must be loaded via commands in AUTOEXEC.BAT for Win 95 applications to use it. If the Express batch file is not run from AUTOEXEC it can still be run in a DOS box but the driver will unload when the DOS box is closed. | Make sure that the commands for loading the DECtalk Express driver are in AUTOEXEC.BAT. These commands are added to AUTOEXEC.BAT during a standard installation. | The lines added to AUTOEXEC.BAT are: CD \DTEXP Call DTEXP.BAT

Last updated 11/09/96

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