ZoomText 7.0 - 7.11 Release Notes
ZoomText 9.0 - 9.14.4 Release NotesZoomText 8.13 Release Notes
ZoomText 8.0 Release Notes
ZoomText 7.0 - 7.11 Release Notes
New Feature
Enhancement
Bug FixThis document contains information on the latest version of ZoomText Xtra 7. The information is grouped by release, with the most recent version listed first.
Version 7.11
Version 7.10
Version 7.06
Version 7.05.02
Version 7.05.01
Version 7.05
Version 7.04
Version 7.03.02
Version 7.03
Version 7.02
Version 7.01
Version 7.00
ZoomText Version 7.11
Release Date: May 22, 2002
Broadened Support for Java Applications
ZoomText support for the Java Access Bridge has been expanded, provided broader support for Java applications.
nVidia Driver Fixes in Windows XP
A variety of problems have been fixed that occurred when ZoomText 7.10 was installed on Windows XP systems using certain nVidia display drivers. These problems include the following:
- Random reboots sometimes occurred in other programs.
- Windows XP would not boot after installing ZoomText 7.10.
- Windows XP would crash when selecting the Settings tab in the Display Properties dialog.
- An error occurred during the driver install portion of the JAWS Setup program if ZoomText 7.10 was previously installed
Fix for Crashes in Office XP Dialogs
When ZoomText was running, accessing certain dialogs in Office XP applications would crash the application. This problem has been fixed.
Improved Caret Tracking in Word 2002
In Word 2002, ZoomText’s caret tracking would lag behind when typing quickly. ZoomText now tracks on the caret, regardless of typing speed. Note: This fix requires that ZoomText is launched before Word, and that the “Set Screen Reader Flag” is enabled in the ZoomText Profiler dialog (checked by default). To open the Profiler dialog, select Start > Programs > ZoomText Xtra > Profiler.
Screen Corruption when running Windows XP, Office XP and Visio 2002
Microsoft Windows XP, Office XP and Visio 2002 make extensive use of a new Microsoft technology, called GDI+. GDI+ gives application programs the ability to perform graphical output directly to the screen, bypassing the normal hooking methods used by screen magnifiers. The result is that these programs will corrupt the magnified screen.
To resolve this problem, Microsoft has developed software patches for Windows XP, Office XP and Visio 2002, allowing their use of GDI+ to be turned off by ZoomText (version 7.11 and later). These patches and instructions for downloading and installing are available through the following articles on Microsoft’s website.
- GDI+ patch for Office XP (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, Publisher and FrontPage) http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q316618
- GDI+ patch for Windows XP and Visio 2002
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q319261
Problems Inserting Clipart in Office 2000 Documents
On some Windows NT and Windows 2000 systems, when attempting to insert a clipart object in a Microsoft Office 2000 document, the system would freeze or the object would not appear. These problems have been fixed. Note: These problems would only occur when ZoomText was not running, and were caused by conflicts between the video card’s display driver and ZoomText’s chaining driver.
Highlighted Items Tracked in Open Dialog
In Windows 2000, ZoomText would not track the highlighted list item in Microsoft Office’s Open dialog. This has been fixed.
Cascading Menus Properly Tracked
On some systems, ZoomText would stop tracking and speaking items when navigating from lower to higher levels in cascading menus. This problem has been fixed.
Improved Tracking and Screen Reading in Office XP Dialogs
ZoomText was not tracking and speaking correctly in Office XP dialogs. This problem has been fixed.
Magnified View Tracks When Using DocReader Tool in Windows 2000
In Windows 2000, the magnified view would not track (scroll) when selecting text with the DocReader tool. The problem has been fixed.
Fix for Random Crashes in Office XP applications in Windows 98
When running Microsoft Office XP applications on certain Windows 98 systems, if ZoomText was running random crashes would occur. These problems have been fixed.
Fix for Toolbar to Caret Tracking Problem in Word 2002
In Microsoft Word 2002, when the mouse pointer hovered over a toolbar, ZoomText would track to the caret. This problem has been fixed.
Fix for Opening Microsoft Outlook Dialogs
In Microsoft Outlook, if the selected email editor were Microsoft Word, Outlook’s dialogs would not open when ZoomText was running. This has been fixed.
Improved Reading of Dialogs in Windows XP
In Windows XP, ZoomText would not reliably speak some dialog box controls. This has been fixed.
ZoomText’s Radio Buttons and Checkboxes Spoken Correctly in Windows XP
In Windows XP, the state of ZoomText’s radio buttons and checkboxes were not spoken correctly. Selected items were announced as “not checked” (and vice versa). This has been fixed.
Trackbar values read correctly in Windows XP
In Windows XP, when tabbing to a trackbar control, ZoomText would announce its value as zero, regardless of its current setting. ZoomText now announces the correct trackbar value.
ZoomText Loads Reliably in Windows XP Startup
In Windows XP, ZoomText would occasionally fail to load when run automatically from the Startup group. This has been fixed.
Applications Launch Reliably from Windows 98 Start Menu
On Windows 98 systems containing early versions of Internet Explorer 5 (including v5.00.2614.3500), applications would fail to launch from the Windows Start Menu if ZoomText was running. This has been fixed.
Multi-line Tool Tips Now Read in Windows 2000
In Windows 2000, multi-line tool tips were not read correctly. This problem has been fixed.
Existing Installations of ViaVoice Preserved
ZoomText ships with ViaVoice 5.0. Under certain conditions, an existing installation of ViaVoice 4.0 or 5.0 would be broken after installing or uninstalling ZoomText. This would in turn break other programs, such as OpenBook. This problem has been fixed.
ViaVoice Now Supports Non-Administrative Sessions in Windows XP, 2000 and NT 4.0
With Level 2 products, ZoomText’s installation of ViaVoice can now be used without administrative privileges in Windows XP, 2000 and NT 4.0. This change does not apply to ZoomText trial software.
SSIL Files Preserved When Uninstalling ZoomText
When uninstalling ZoomText, all SSIL files used by ZoomText were removed; including those shared with and depended upon by other programs. These files are no longer removed when uninstalling ZoomText.
ZoomText Setup Executes Reliably in Windows 95
On some Windows 95 systems, the ZoomText Setup program would fail to execute. This problem has been fixed.
Detection of Remotely Possible and ControlIT
ZoomText is not compatible with the remote control programs Remotely Possible and ControlIT. The ZoomText Setup program now detects these programs and advises you to uninstall them prior to installing ZoomText.
Setup Program Detection of Multiple Monitor Configurations
In previous releases of ZoomText, severe problems could occur when installing ZoomText on Windows XP and 2000 systems configured for multiple monitors - a feature that ZoomText does not currently support. The Setup program now detects multi-monitor configurations and prompts you to reconfigure the system for single monitor support before installing ZoomText.
ZoomText Version 7.10
Release Date: January 3, 2002
Support for Windows XP
ZoomText now supports Windows XP - home and professional editions. ZoomText users can now enjoy the full benefits of Windows XP with the same high quality of magnification and screen reading provided in ZoomText 7.0. In addition to Windows XP, ZoomText 7.1 also supports Windows ME (Millennium Edition), Windows 2000, NT 4.0 (service pack 6 or later), Windows 98 and Windows 95.
Fast User Switching in Windows XP
Windows XP includes Fast User Switching, which allows you to switch between user sessions without having to close the programs you are running. With support for Fast User Switching, ZoomText 7.1 allows you to share your computer with others who don't need a screen access tool. When running ZoomText, you can switch to another session and ZoomText will not be active for that user. When returning to your session, ZoomText will automatically restore itself.
IBM ViaVoice Speech Synthesizer
ZoomText now includes IBM's 'ViaVoice' speech synthesizer. ViaVoice offers articulate and responsive speech output in a variety of male and female voices. Available languages include: English (American & U.K.), Finnish, French (Standard and Canadian), German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish (Standard and Mexican). Note: Administrator privileges are required to use ViaVoice in Windows XP, 2000 and NT 4.0.
Command Interface for Dragon NaturallySpeaking Professional
A command interface for Dragon NaturallySpeaking Professional has been added in this release of ZoomText. Users of NaturallySpeaking Professional can control ZoomText functionality with simple speech commands, such as "increase magnification" or "scroll right". This feature is of particular benefit to individuals that have difficulty using the keyboard and mouse. Note: This feature works with NaturallySpeaking Professional only. NaturallySpeaking Standard and Preferred editions are not supported.
Support for Java applications
ZoomText now supports Java applications running in Windows that are compatible with the Java Access Bridge. ZoomText will magnify, track and speak when using these programs (according to their level of Access Bridge compatibility). Note: DocReader does not support Java applications. In order for ZoomText to recognize a Java application, the following Java components must be installed on your system:
- Java Runtime Environment (version 1.3.1 or later)
- Java Access Bridge (version 1.0.1 or later)
ZoomText Version 7.06
Release Date: April 13, 2001
Support for RealSpeak Synthesizer
ZoomText now supports the RealSpeak speech synthesizer (this synthesizer ships with Kurweil scanning products). Due to its system requirements, we do not recommend using RealSpeak for ZoomText screen reading, unless your system meets or exceeds these requirements. However, using RealSpeak as the DocReader synthesizer is fine on any system.
ZoomText Driver Install in Windows 2000
On a limited number of systems, the installation of the ZoomText chaining display driver in Windows 2000 was failing, preventing ZoomText from running on the system. This problem have been fixed.
JAWS Compatibility in Windows 2000
ZoomText is now compatible with JAWS in Windows 2000. Previous versions of ZoomText could crash (on a limited number of systems) with JAWS installed.
DirectDraw in Windows 2000
Screen corruption could occur when running DirectDraw applications (such as the Windows Media Player and DVD players) with ZoomText in Windows 2000. In some cases the DirectDraw application would not display anything at all. This problem has been fixed. Please note, ZoomText must be started before the DirectDraw application. This is true in any operating system.
Support for MSN Explorer
Support has been added to ZoomText so that it will track and speak MSN Explorer buttons.
Intel 810 Video Chipset in Windows 2000
Screen corruption and occasional crashes could occur when running ZoomText in Windows 2000 on systems using an integrated Intel 810 video chipset. Depending on the Windows 2000 settings, the crashes could result in an automatic system reboot. These problems have been fixed.
Uninstalling the ZoomText Display Driver in Windows 2000
The ZoomText display driver was not being properly uninstalled in Windows 2000 if the uninstall program was run from the control panel. This problem has been fixed.
Internet Explorer 5.0 in Windows NT
When running Internet Explorer 5.0 in Windows NT, DocReader and the SpeakIt tool were unable to get text from IE. This problem was caused by a previous fix (in version 7.05) to support the display of certain graphics by Netscape. A new fix was added so that Netscape can display the graphics and ZoomText can get text from pages displayed by Internet Explorer 5.0.
Uninstalling TruVoice Speech Engine
When uninstalling ZoomText, some TruVoice speech engine keys were being left in the registry. This was intentionally done so that ZoomText 6.0 owners could try a trial version of 7.0 before committing to an upgrade. Even though the speech engine is password protected and no other application can use it, the presence of the registry information may cause other accessibility programs to crash. This key is now removed when ZoomText is uninstalled.
VideoInfo Menu Item
ZoomText ships with its own utility that displays information about your computer's video card and display driver. A link to this utility was added to the ZoomText start menu folder.
ZoomText Version 7.05.02
Release Date: February 16, 2001
3D Cursors in Windows 2000
In Windows 2000, ZoomText was displaying improper cursor color for cursors in the 3D cursor scheme (or other cursors that use shading). This problem has been fixed.
ZoomText and BigShot
ZoomText now prevents itself from running if BigShot Screen Magnifier is currently running on your system. To run ZoomText, simply exit BigShot and launch ZoomText again.
Color Filtering and DocReader
In Windows 2000, when using DocReader with Color Filtering enabled, DocReader was not properly displaying text and screen corruption was occurring when exiting DocReader. Both of these problems have been fixed.
DocReader Toolbar with Large Fonts
When using a large system font (“large” or “extra large” schemes in Appearance tab of Display Properties) the DocReader toolbar could become partially hidden. This problem has been fixed.
Downloadable Update Product Matching
The downloadable update program will now display an error message if the installed ZoomText software does not match the update program. For instance, if the ZoomText Xtra Level 1 update program is run but ZoomText Xtra Level 2 is installed on the system a message is displayed suggesting that the user download and run the ZoomText Xtra Level 2 update program.
Downloadable Update Administrative Rights
The downloadable update program will now check for administrative rights on Windows 2000 and Windows NT systems. Before, if the user logged on did not have administrative rights the update program would display an error message indicating that ZoomText was not properly installed.
ZoomText Version 7.05.01
Release Date: January 29, 2001
User Configurations on a Network
Site license versions of ZoomText now support "floating" user configurations. ZoomText automatically stores configurations on the network server, allowing users to access their configuration files from any workstation on the network. Each workstation running ZoomText still requires that the program be installed on it, but the configuration files are automatically associated with the user, based on their logon name. Network administrators installing site license versions of ZoomText should contact Ai Squared for complete details.
Starting ZoomText Minimized
A "Start ZoomText Minimized" checkbox has been added to the Advanced Options dialog box. If this option is checked, the ZoomText user interface will be minimized whenever the program is started. Clicking on the ZoomText button in the Windows taskbar will restore the ZoomText user interface. Remember to save the ZoomText configuration when changing the state of this checkbox.
VRAM Memory Allocation
The VRAM Memory Allocation checkbox in the Profiler dialog is no longer checked by default. With the vast majority of display drivers, VRAM memory allocation is no longer needed, due to a new technique in ZoomText that yields much better display adapter compatibility. In addition, ZoomText now starts up faster without the VRAM allocation.
ZoomText Version 7.05
Release Date: September 27, 2000
New Profiler Setting for Screen Reader Compatibility
A new setting, "Screen Reader Compatibility", has been added to the ZoomText Hardware Profiler. When this setting is enabled, ZoomText becomes compatible with screen readers from other manufacturers, such as JAWS. The only know incompatibility occurs after the scrolling of a document. With ZoomText running, some screen readers will no longer read correctly from the screen. This problem does not occur when "Screen Reader Compatibility" is enabled. Please note that this Profiler setting is disabled by default, because it can cause video corruption problems with a limited number of display adapters, including the Diamond Viper 550.
Compatibility with nVidia Display Drivers
This release of ZoomText is fully compatible with all current nVidia display drivers. When running with certain nVidia drivers, previous versions of ZoomText would crash immediately after launching the program.
Compatibility with 256-Color Toshiba Display Drivers
When running with a limited number of Toshiba laptop display drivers, ZoomText would crash in 256-color display mode, immediately after launching the program. This problem has been fixed.
Full Support for Netscape in NT 4.0
When running ZoomText in Windows NT 4.0, the Netscape Internet browser was not displaying some graphics on a web page. All GIF's are now properly displayed and magnified.
Support for Games in Win9x
ZoomText now supports all games that come bundled with Windows 95 and 98. Previous releases of ZoomText 7.0 caused problems with 16-bit games, such as Hearts. These games would not crash, but would stop working properly.
Fix for DocReader Crash in Ticker Mode
When running DocReader in ticker display mode and without speech output (in Level 1 or with speech turned off in Level 2), ZoomText would occasionally crash after a paging operation. This problem has been fixed.
Fix for Extended-Use Problems in Windows 2000
When running ZoomText in Windows 2000 for long periods of time, video corruption and crashes would occasionally occur. This was due to resource leaks in the ZoomText driver, which have been fixed.
Fix for Multi-Byte Problem in IE5
When running with ZoomText, Internet Explorer 5.0 would occasionally crash after the repeated display of multi-byte text, such as a Japanese character set. This problem has been fixed.
ZoomText Version 7.04
Release Date: May 1, 2000
ZoomText Tutorial
ZoomText 7.04 product and trial CD's include a multimedia tutorial program for ZoomText. The tutorial allows end-users to get a jump-start on the functionality of this powerful program. All aspects of ZoomText Level 1 and Level 2 are covered in the tutorial, with built-in speech and large print.
Update CD Installable Without Previous Version
Starting with version 7.04, the ZoomText update CD can be installed on a system without having to install the previous version. After entering the serial number of the update CD, the Setup program will prompt you to enter the serial number of your previous version (the version that you are updating).
Support for 3D Cursors in High Color and True Color Modes
ZoomText now supports Windows' enhanced cursors (such as the 3D cursors) in High Color and True Color display modes in Windows 95 and 98.
Disabled ZoomText Hotkeys Now Available to Other Programs
When a ZoomText hotkey is disabled, it is now released to the system, making the hotkey combination available for use by other programs or by another ZoomText command.
Caret Reading by Line Now Supports Mouse Clicks
When clicking the mouse on a new line of text, the ZoomText caret reader will now read that line of text (when caret reading 'by line' is enabled). In previous versions of ZoomText, a new line would be read only if you moved to a new line by pressing the arrow keys.
Installation Problem in Windows 2000 Fixed
On a limited number of systems running Windows 2000, the Setup program would display an illegal operation message box, with a title of "_ins5176" and the installation would be aborted. This problem has been fixed, allowing ZoomText to be successfully installed.
Fix for True Color Problem at 16x
When running ZoomText in True Color display mode at a high resolution (such as 1024 x 768), ZoomText would display video corruption or sometimes crash at 16x magnification. This problem has been fixed.
Repeated Echoing of Numeric Keypad Keys
With Typing Echo "by character" enabled, ZoomText was repeating numbers that were pressed on the numeric keypad. This problem has been fixed so that each key is spoken only once when pressed.
ZoomText Toolbar Buttons Show Proper State after Exiting Dialogs
After pressing the Cancel button in several different ZoomText dialog boxes, buttons in the ZoomText toolbars were not always showing the proper state of various Products. This would occur only when settings in the dialog box were changed and then cancelled. This problem has been fixed.
Custom Caret Definitions Now Used when ROP's Match
When a custom caret definition was added to the ZoomText configuration file and the new caret definition had a ROP (raster operation) that matched an existing ROP, the caret definition was being ignored. This prevented the user from defining caret definitions with the same ROP but different sizes. These caret definitions are now properly processed.
NT Driver Not Installed Now Properly Reported
If the ZoomText display driver was not properly installed in Windows NT, a "MagEngine Initialization Error" message was being displayed. The proper error message, "ZoomText Display Driver for NT not Installed", will now appear.
DocReader No Longer Modifies Text Colors
If a custom foreground and background text color was selected in DocReader, ZoomText would change the foreground colors if it determined the colors were low-contrast. This prevented the selection of certain color combinations. The foreground color is no longer modified, except when using "automatic" colors.
Hotkey Fix for Danish Keyboard
The hotkeys for activating and deactivating ZoomText (Alt + Ins and Alt + Del) now work properly with a Danish keyboard.
Mouse Routing Now Working After Manual Scrolling
When moving the mouse after manually scrolling the screen (using any of the ZoomText scrolling hotkeys), the mouse was not being routed to the center of the zoom window. This problem has been fixed.
Cancel Button Now Works Properly in Alignment Dialog Box
When the Cancel button was pressed in the Alignment section of the Movement dialog box, all alignments were set to 'Edge'. This has been fixed so that the alignment settings are properly restored when Cancel is pressed.
Cancel Button in the Screen Reader Dialog Now Works Properly
The Cancel button in the Screen Reader dialog box was behaving like an OK button, applying any changes that were made in the dialog. This problem has been fixed.
ZoomText Version 7.03.02
Release Date: February 10, 2000
Hotkeys Released when Deactivated
When disabling a ZoomText hotkey, the key combination was not being released for use by another ZoomText hotkey or other applications. This problem has been fixed.
Support for Word Perfect 9.0
ZoomText Xtra may fail to read text from Word Perfect 9 documents (aka Word Perfect Office 2000). This problem occurs in early releases of WP9 (prior to Service Pack 1). This problem can be resolved by adding a /FL parameter to the WP9 command line (in it's shortcut icon) or by updating to WP Office 2000 Service Pack 1 (or later).
ZoomText Version Number Displayed in Title Bar
The complete version number is now displayed in the ZoomText Xtra title bar (for example 7.03.02).
Caret Routed to Last Spoken Word after Exiting DocReader
When exiting DocReader, the caret was not always being positioned to the last spoken word in the document. This problem has been fixed.
Selected Colors Displayed in DocReader
When selecting foreground and background text colors in DocReader, if the selected combination resulted in a low contrast condition, DocReader would automatically substitute a higher contrast foreground color. DocReader now allows low contrast selections.
ZoomText Version 7.03
Release Date: November 23, 1999
Support for SSIL Synthesizers
ZoomText now supports hardware and software synthesizers that use the SSIL interface standard. This includes DecTalk, KeyNote and Apollo synthesizers (to name a few). The ZoomText Setup program allows you to choose any SSIL synthesizer that is supported by Arkenstone. If you have previously installed a SAPI speech engine, you will be able to switch synthesizers when running ZoomText, by selecting a new synthesizer in the Synthesizer tab of the Speech dialog box. The voices and other speech settings for the SSIL synthesizer appear in the Screen Reader and DocReader tabs of the Speech dialog box (same as with a SAPI synthesizer).
Support for Windows 2000
Version 7.03 is the first release of ZoomText to support Windows 2000. At the time of the 7.03 release, Release Candidate 2 was the most current version of Windows 2000. All of our Windows 2000 testing to date has been limited to Release Candidate 2. Since this is beta software and since the release of Windows 2000 will not occur until February 2000, we recommend that you check our web site for the latest release of ZoomText before using it with Windows 2000.
The only know problem running ZoomText in Windows 2000 is with several NT 4.0 display drivers. With these display drivers, ZoomText is not able to capture screen text, therefore the screen reader and DocReader are unable to speak. If you experience this problem, please download a Windows 2000 display driver from the your display adapter manufacturer's web site.
Support for OPTi 2 Print Magnifier
This version of ZoomText supports the OPTi 2 print magnifier. This is a hand-held device that magnifies printed material on notebook computer screens. When running OPTi with ZoomText, the OPTi image will display in a special zoom window, allowing the remainder of the screen to be used by ZoomText. The sizing and positioning of the OPTi window is controlled through the OPTi software.
Support for Intel 810 Display Adapters
When running with the display driver for the Intel 810 video chipset, ZoomText would crash right after magnification appeared on the screen. In previous releases of ZoomText, this problem could be fixed by setting the Device Bitmaps checkbox in the ZoomText Profiler. Starting with version 7.03, the Profiler setting is no longer required for ZoomText to work properly.
DocReader Paging Speed Improved
When DocReader completes reading all text that appeared in the current page of the application program, it forces the application to page down, so that it can get more text to read. The speed of this paging process has been significantly improved in this version.
Support for Corel 9 Menus
ZoomText now supports the tracking and speaking of menus in all Corel Suite 9.0 programs, including WordPerfect and Quattro Pro. Problems still exist in reading text within a WordPerfect 9.0 document, which we hope to fix in our next release.
Support for Quattro Pro and Lotus Spreadsheets
ZoomText now supports Corel Quattro Pro 9.0 and Lotus 123 Millenium spreadsheets. When arrow keying between cells, ZoomText will track on the highlighted cell and automatically speak its contents.
New Profiler Setting Prevents Screen Profiling
Whenever the resolution or color mode of your display changes, ZoomText will launch the Hardware Profiler, flashing enlarged ZoomText icons on the screen for a few seconds. Screen profiling can now be prevented by unchecking the Profile Screen checkbox in the Profiler dialog box.
Tracking to Upper Left Corner of Excel Spreadsheet
When moving from cell to cell within an Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, ZoomText would occasionally track to the upper left corner of the Excel window. This problem has been fixed.
Edited Lines in Word 2000 Now Read Properly in DocReader
When reading text from a Microsoft Word 2000 document, DocReader was losing information from lines of text, after these lines were edited. This problem has been fixed.
WordPerfect 8.0 Spellchecker Crash
WordPerfect 8.0 was crashing when running with ZoomText, immediately after the Spellchecker dialog box was closed. This problem has been fixed.
Tooltip Tracking Problem
After a tooltip disappeared from the screen, ZoomText would on occasionally track to the previously highlighted desktop icon. This problem has been fixed.
Lines of Text Now Read When Caret at Bottom of Window
The ZoomText Caret Reader was not reading new lines of text when the caret was at the bottom of the window and a new line of text was scrolled onto the screen. This problem has been fixed.
Last Word on a Page Now Spoken in DocReader
On occasion, DocReader was not reading or highlighting the last word on a page. This problem has been fixed.
Deadkey Typing Now Works When Using Typing Echo
Special language characters, which are generated by typing a series of keys after a "deadkey", are now supported by ZoomText. In previous versions, if typing echo was enabled, special language characters would not appear.
Foreign Characters Breaking Apart Words
In DocReader and the screen reader, if a word contained a foreign language character, such as an umlaut, ZoomText would split the word apart and speak it as if it were two words. This problem has been fixed.
Problems with InfoVox Synthesizers
When running ZoomText with InfoVox software synthesizers, two problems were occurring. The InfoVox synthesizer would repeatedly say that it was a demo version, even though it was not. Also ZoomText would display an erroneous"not properly installed" error message upon start up. Both problems have been fixed.
Outlook Express Crashes when Exited
When running ZoomText with Microsoft Outlook Express, Outlook would crash when exited. This problem has been fixed.
Tracking and Speaking of Last Menu Closed
In Windows 98, if the menu being opened was also the last menu that was closed, this menu would not be tracked or spoken by ZoomText. This problem has been fixed.
Caret Now Routed to Last Spoken Word after Exiting DocReader
When exiting DocReader, the caret was not always being positioned to the last spoken word in the document. This problem has been fixed.
Controls Setting in the Track Dialog Now Works Properly
The Controls setting in the Track dialog box was not working properly. Control tracking could only be turned off by deactivating Windows tracking. This problem has been fixed, so that the Controls and Windows checkboxes now work as documented.
Speech Muted When Configuration Saved with ZoomText Deactivated
If a ZoomText configuration file was saved with ZoomText deactivated, after loading the configuration the speech setting was deactivated, even after reactivating ZoomText. This problem has been fixed.
Scroll Tool Occasionally Jumps Outside of Zoom Window
When using the Scroll tool to scroll a zoom window, the cursor would occasionally jump outside of the zoom window that was being scrolled. This problem has been fixed.
Tracking and Speech Lags Behind when Arrow Keying in Office 97 Dialogs
When moving between controls in many dialog boxes in Microsoft Office 97 applications, ZoomText was tracking and speaking one control behind the current control. This problem has been fixed.
Line Zoom Window Does Not Appear
he line zoom window as not appearing in certain conditions when switching to an application displaying a caret, after having opened a menu. This problem has been fixed.
Block Selection not Speaking Text
For certain combinations of font and point sizes, text being block selected was not always spoken.
Words Separated by Tabs No Longer Combined
Words in a document that were separated only by a tab where being improperly combined into a single word in DocReader and the screen reader. This problem has been fixed.
Words with Mixed Fonts in Microsoft Word
ZoomText was not properly reading words that were composed of characters in different fonts or point sizes. In this case a single word would be spoken as two or more words in DocReader and while screen reading. This problem has been fixed.
Ctrl Key in DocReader Now Works Properly
When the Ctrl key was pressed, DocReader would stop reading, but the play button would remain depressed. Now the play button indicates that reading has been stopped.
SAPI Speech Parameter Moved from ZXHDW.INI to ZX.ZXC
The SapiProductName, Language, and UseSapi parameters no longer appear in the ZxHdw.ini file. Instead these parameters now exist in the default configuration file, ZX.ZXC. This allows a configuration to be saved that includes a startup speech engine.
Screen Reader Verbosity Settings
In several applications, text within a dialog box was being read, even when the Low Verbosity setting was selected. These dialog boxes included the Close Program dialog (that appears when pressing Ctrl + Alt + Del) and the Outlook mail lists.
Alt-Tab Now Exits DocReader in NT
When using DocReader in Windows NT, DocReader would not exit when pressing Alt-Tab to switch to another application. This problem has been fixed.
Crash When Arrow Keying in Excel Spreadsheet
When using the arrow keys to move quickly between cells in the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, Excel would occasionally crash. This problem has been fixed.
Move to Folder Command in Outlook
When running ZoomText with Microsoft Outlook, the "Move to Folder" menu command would not do anything. With the new version of ZoomText, this command now works properly.
DocReader Repeats Lines of Text in Eudora Pro
When using the DocReader to read text from Eudora Pro, lines of text were occasionally repeated. This would occur only with the first line of a new page. This problem has been fixed.
Special Menu in Word 97 Find Dialog
Microsoft Word 97 was crashing when a selection was made from the Special menu in the Find dialog box. This problem has been fixed.
Wrong Target Number Spoken
In ZoomText Level 2, when jumping to a screen target (the non-talking variety) by using a target hotkey, the wrong target number was being spoken. This problem has been fixed.
Word 6.0 Options Dialog
When running ZoomText with Microsoft Word 6.0, Word would crash when a selection was made from Option dialog box. This problem has been fixed.
ZoomText Version 7.02
Release Date: August 25, 1999
Automatic Speaking of Spreadsheet Cells in Excel
When running with Microsoft Excel, ZoomText will now automatically speak the contents of a cell when you move to it. Previous versions of ZoomText would read the cell contents only when you pressed the SayFocus hotkey.
Tracking on Text Selection
ZoomText can now track on the selection of text in word processors and other programs. When text is selected by holding down the Shift key and using the arrow keys, ZoomText will track on the leading edge of the selection area.
SpeakIt Tool Can Now Speak Entire Window
When using the SpeakIt tool, you can now speak the entire contents of a window by holding down the Alt key and clicking in the desired window. If you do not use the Alt key the SpeakIt tool works as normal.
Support for MSAA
Version 7.02 includes support for Microsoft Active Accessibility (MSAA) version 1.21. MSAA will be installed on your system by the Setup program, provided you are running Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows NT 4.0 SP 4 or higher. Although we have not experienced any problems with this release of MSAA, previous releases have caused a number of problems when running with ZoomText. MSAA can be turned on or off by using the ToggleMSAA hotkey (Ctrl + Shift + A). It can also be deactivated by un-checking the Active Accessibility checkbox in the ZoomText Profiler.
Support for Top-Level Menu Bars in Microsoft Office
ZoomText now will track and speak items in the top-level menu bar of Microsoft Office applications, when using keys to highlight the menu titles. This feature requires the use of MSAA (see "Support for MSAA").
Support for Reading Links in IE5
ZoomText now reads hypertext links, as they are tabbed, to when running Internet Explorer 5.0. This feature requires the use of MSAA (see "Support for MSAA").
ZoomText and Setup Localization
Starting with this release, the international versions of ZoomText Level 1 and Level 2 can be fully localized. Both the main program and Setup can be translated into foreign languages. All menus, dialog boxes and messages are translatable. A ZoomText Translation Kit is available upon request. Contact Ai Squared for more details.
WordPro Caret Tracking Added
Support for tracking the caret in the WordPro word processor has been added. Previous versions of ZoomText did not track on the caret position in this program.
Bolded Email Items Now Spoken in Outlook Express
While arrow keying through the email list in Outlook Express, bolded email items (unread mail) are now spoken.
Scrolling Items in Start Menus Now Spoken
In Windows 98, Start button menus can scroll when they occupy more than the entire screen. ZoomText now speaks menu items that were initially hidden, when arrow keying through a scrolling menu. This feature requires the use of MSAA (see "Support for MSAA").
Faster Loading of ZoomText
The ZoomText EXE and DLL files now load much faster on start up.
Unprotected TruVoice Synthesizers Now Available
The TruVoice speech synthesizers that ship with Level 2 cannot be used with other programs that support SAPI synthesizers, because they are password protected. The makers of the TruVoice speech synthesizers have now made unprotected engines available to Ai Squared. If you wish to be able to use the TruVoice engines with other programs, please contact our Technical Support department for details on how to obtain and install these engines.
Network Support in Site License Version
The site license version of ZoomText now supports workstation installation from the network server. The end user must copy the contents of the "ZX7 Setup" folder from the CD to a folder on the network drive. From a workstation, ZoomText can be installed by mapping the network drive and running SETUP.EXE from the new folder. Please note that the site license serial number must be entered during each workstation installation.
Support for Installation on NT Servers
ZoomText can now be installed on an NT Server machine, for local use on that machine. Please note that problems during the installation or execution of ZoomText could cause problems with your network. Therefore, server installation is not recommended by Ai Squared.
Dolphin Compatibility in Windows NT
ZoomText can now co-exist on the same Windows NT system with an upcoming release of Dolphin products (Lunar and SuperNova). Please check with Dolphin Systems for details on when their ZoomText compatible version will be available. For more information see "ZoomText Compatibility with Other Accessibility Products in NT".
Task Switch Window Now Spoken in Windows 95 and 98
The Task Switch window (appears when pressing Alt Tab) was not being read by ZoomText in Windows 95 and Windows 98.
NT Driver Forced Loading
Certain display drivers in NT will remove ZoomText from the registry whenever the driver loads (at boot time). This prohibits ZoomText from working. Reinstallation of ZoomText does not fix the problem because the display driver will remove it again at boot time. A profiler option has been added, "Force NT Driver Loading", which forces the ZoomText driver to be loaded if it doesn’t exist in the display driver chain.
Mouse Wheel Now Working in Windows 95
ZoomText 7.0 can use the mouse wheel to zoom in or out at the mouse location. This feature was not working properly in Windows 95. Mouse wheel zooming now works in Windows 95, 98 and NT.
Multi-line Tool Tips Now Supported
ZoomText was speaking only the last line of tool tips that consist of multiple lines. The entire tool tip is now spoken.
Automatic Speech Restart
On occasion the speech engines used by ZoomText can become busy and will no longer output speech when requested to do so. ZoomText now detects this situation and will automatically restart the stalled engine, restoring speech output.
DocReader Now Exits when Pressing Alt + Tab
DocReader will now exit when you press Alt + Tab, all
