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Note This document is based on the original spoken Support WebCast transcript. It has been edited for clarity.

Wayne Overcash: Hello, and thank you for joining the Speech Recognition WebCast.

(Slide 2) What is Speech Recognition? Speech Recognition is a feature in Microsoft® Office that allows you to dictate text into any Office program. You can also select menu, toolbar, dialog box, and task pane items by using your voice alone. Speech Recognition is not designed for completely hands free operation, however. You can get the best results if you use a combination of your voice and the mouse or keyboard.

(Slide 3) To use Speech Recognition, you'll need to meet the following requirements: high-quality microphone, at least a 400-megahertz (MHz) or faster computer, 128 megabytes (MB) or more of memory, Windows® 98 or later, or Windows NT® 4.0 or later, Microsoft Internet Explorer 5 or later. See the Microsoft Office Web site for further information about operating system specific requirements or microphone information.

for further information about operating system specific requirements or microphone information.

(Slide 4) When selecting your microphone, the unit must be able to reject sound that is not coming from nearby without distorting the primary sound, which is your voice. It is important that you choose a high-quality microphone so that your words are more easily distinguished by the Speech Recognition software. High-quality models will usually come with gain and other control adjustments to help fine-tune the microphone for optimum performance.

The position and distance of the microphone in relation to your mouth is very important. A headset microphone allows you to obtain the optimal placement and easily retain that spacing from session to session. Even the distance of one or two inches caused by leaning back in your chair can adversely affect performance of a stationary microphone.

(Slide 5) There are some common mistakes that users make when using a microphone that, if avoided, and can increase the Speech Recognition accuracy. One mistake is talking to the microphone, rather than speaking normally. Speak into the microphone just as you would into a telephone receiver while talking to another person. Another mistake is to speak the words with pauses between them, or to add additional emphasis to certain words. This is discouraged, and if this is done during the initial training sessions, Speech may not correctly recognize most words that rely on pattern matching.

Do not continue to repeat a word or a command. This may cause the background adaptation to "learn" incorrectly, thus contributing to the problem. If the Speech Recognition doesn't run as expected by the third or fourth attempt, make a note that additional training or configuration may be required, and execute the command or insert the text using standard methods.

Your microphone's position in relation to your mouth should never change. Moving your microphone back and forth may result in varying degrees of quality of sound recognition.

Changing hardware without creating a new profile will cause Speech to become very erratic in most cases. The profile created takes the sound card, microphone and system environment into account when being generated. This is why it's also not recommended that you move a user's profile from one system to another.

(Slide 6) Speech and Handwriting are not installed by default when installing Office XP. By default, Speech is set to install on first use, and Handwriting is set to not install. To install Speech and Handwriting, you will need to change the install state of Speech and Handwriting (located under the Alternative User Input section of the Office XP installation tree) to Run All From My Computer.

Once you have installed the components for Speech, a few additional steps are required to configure Speech Recognition. First, you need to have installed a microphone. You may need to reference your microphone manufacturer's instructions on how to install your microphone properly. Second, in Microsoft Word 2002, when you first click the Tools menu and select Speech, you will be prompted to run the Microphone Wizard (slide 7). This wizard may also appear if you create a new profile, or if the wizard was not completed, or if Speech is activated in a second session before the system has been reset after the initial setup was completed.

(Slide 8) Microphone Wizard allows you to cancel [the wizard], but provides a warning if you attempt to do so. It is not recommended you cancel, unless you've already completed training for this profile and simply forgot to reboot your system, or otherwise have inadvertently started the wizard a second time. Running the wizard a second time doesn't lose your previous training information; it simply adds to the recognition accuracy.

Speech training allows the computer the opportunity to learn from your voice, style of speech, and word pronunciation. It is important to complete the Speech training, and it's highly recommended that you complete multiple training sessions.

(Slide 9) There are two modes in which Speech Recognition works.

The first, Voice Command mode, gives you the ability to control menus, toolbars, buttons and formatting features by simply calling out the command you'd like to perform. For example, to save a document in Microsoft Word, you can speak the words "file save," and Word saves the document.

The second mode, Dictation mode, allows you to speak the words you want to appear in the document, rather than typing them. For example, while in Dictation mode, Microsoft Word will input each word you speak, just as if you were typing it.

Although we have Speech Recognition software, the keyboard is still needed for some tasks. Ideally, a computer system would allow for your voice alone to control all functions and text entry, but that's not currently available. Users still need to use the keyboard and/or mouse to perform certain actions, such as switching between the Voice Command and Dictation modes. Speech, rather than replacing the keyboard and mouse input, is designed to complement them and provide for easier and quicker use of your application.

East Asian users have a strong interest in input techniques that avoid the keyboard, because their languages often contain thousands of individual characters, which makes text input via the keyboard more complicated than Western languages. The Speech and Handwriting technologies found in Word 2002 provide a new echelon of productivity for these users. Dictation via Speech Recognition — and simplifying the complex task of using input method editors and keyboards to input the vast number of Kanji and other Asian characters — speeds up the document creation process drastically.

After Speech Recognition has been installed, you can access Speech input two different ways.

The first way you can access Speech is by clicking the Tools menu and selecting Speech. The Language toolbar then appears, with the microphone turned on. You'll notice the Microphone button is shaded [appears dimmed], with the Speech in Dictation mode. You can begin dictating through your microphone and then switch to Voice Command mode by clicking the Voice Command button on the Language bar. Keep in mind that if you minimize the Language toolbar with the microphone still activated, Speech Recognition does continue to function.

If you are finished using Speech Recognition, it is necessary to deactivate the microphone to stop further Speech processing. To do this, click the Microphone button on the Language toolbar (the Microphone button appears shaded), or on the Tools menu, select Speech. Also note that if you turn the microphone off or exit Word 2002 with either Dictation or Voice Command mode selected, the selected mode will be active the next time you turn the microphone on.

The second way to access Speech with the Language toolbar visible is to click the Microphone button on the Language toolbar. This behaves the same as if you selected Speech from the Tools menu.

There are other Speech features on the Language bar that provide additional functionality. One of those includes the Speech Message balloon window, located to the right of the Voice Command button. This balloon window provides information on the current status of the input received for either Dictation or Voice Command modes. Speech Messages can give you information ranging from letting you know Word is processing the dictation that was just spoken, to whether the input the microphone received was too loud.

Other features available on the Language bar are located under the Tools button drop-down menu. There you can access voice training, add or delete words from the Speech dictionary, or change Speech profiles. Also available from the Language bar is access to the Handwriting feature, which will be discussed later.

(Slide 11) There are several challenges that Speech Recognition software must overcome to complete the speech-to-text process. Speech Recognition requires that the machine take purely vocal input and make sense of it in terms of software algorithms. This is a very complex process, and here are just a few of the many obstacles to successful Speech Recognition:

• Segmenting continuous speech into individual sounds and words (like the sentence, "Where were you while we were away?").
• Dealing with homonyms (like the words to, too, two, and the number 2); and distinguishing between similar phrases (such as the sentences, "an ice cave", versus "a nice cave").
• (Slide 12) isolating speech from background noise (such as music, or persons talking).
• Isolating intentional speech from non-verbal sounds (like a person coughing or sneezing).
• Accounting for differences between speakers (consisting of variables like gender and accent).
• Finally, accounting for differences between speaker sessions (such as someone working with an illness or stress, versus being healthy or relaxed).

(Slide 13) There are some general tips for using with the Speech Recognition software that can make the entire experience more productive.

To begin with, test the position of the microphone to ensure that it is functioning by using Windows Sound Recorder to record and play back your voice.

Next, the microphone should be placed at the side of your mouth, not directly in front, about one thumb-width away. This allows your voice to be the closest sound and avoids the popping and hissing sounds from your exhalations as you speak.

Restrict your vocabulary, if possible, to words that are in the dictionary. Avoid slang, or unusual words or phrases when possible.

Pause between phrases or sentences if your computer is having trouble keeping up. On slower machines, this will be important, because Speech Recognition requires a lot of computer processor time. Speech Recognition will perform better on slower computers if you speak more slowly and carefully, allowing the computer a chance to process your input.

Three words to remember with Speech Recognition: train, train, train. The more you train, the more accurate the results will be when you use Speech Recognition. It is highly recommended to train four or more times, which will greatly improve accuracy and processing time during dictation.

Use one profile per unique environment or user. Don't let anyone else train on your profile. If they are just testing it, do not leave the background adaptation on. You don't want to confuse your profile in the training with another user.

Eliminate all background noises when possible: do not play the radio or TV in the background; close doors where appropriate. The less sound the system has to filter out and process, the more accurate the results will be.

(Slide 14) This ends the Speech Recognition portion of our WebCast. Linda will continue with the Hand Recognition in Word 2002 (slide 15).

Linda Brown: (Slide 16) The Handwriting feature in Office XP allows you to enter text into a Microsoft Office program without actually typing the text. You can simply write the text in a natural manner, using one of the different handwriting input devices. Once you have written the text, the Office program recognizes it and enters it into the document.

There are several ways of inputting the handwritten text into a document. You can use your mouse to input the text, a tablet with a stylus, or a personal data assistant. Once you have written the text, you can choose to either input it as a handwritten format or in a typed text format.

(Slide 16) To install the Handwriting component for Office XP, choose the Office Shared Features category in the Office Setup. Next, click the plus sign next to the Alternative User Input option, click the Handwriting component, and then choose Run from my computer. Once the Handwriting component is installed, start Microsoft Word. When Word is launched, the Language bar should automatically be displayed. On the Language bar, click the Handwriting button and select the input method you would like to use to enter your text. Once you have selected your input method, write the text as if you were writing it on a piece of paper, using your input device.

(Slide 17) Handwriting can be entered by using several different types of input devices. One of the simplest ways to input handwriting is to use your mouse. Simply move the mouse on the mouse pad to form the words you would like to enter. A tablet with a stylus can also be used as a device for inputting handwriting. Common manufacturers of these are Wacom, PK Gear and CalComp. Also, a PDA can be used with handwriting. For example, a Pocket PC with a Pocket Word document can be converted to Word 2002. Then, the text in those documents can be converted to typed format, or left in a handwritten format.

(Slide 18) There are several input methods available for Handwriting. These methods are available on the Handwriting Options, located on the Language bar. They include the Writing Pad, the Write Anywhere option, the Drawing Pad, the On-Screen Standard Keyboard, and the On-Screen Symbol Keyboard. We will talk about each of these.

(Slide 20) When you select the Writing Pad as your input method for Handwriting, it allows you to use a lined input box to hand write your text. The text can be inserted in a handwritten format or as typed text. The Writing Pad can also be used to create hand-drawn images. If you would like the handwriting to be recognized as a drawing object, click the Ink option located in the Writing Pad. The Ink option is available in both Microsoft Word and Microsoft Outlook®.

(Slide 21) When you select the Write Anywhere option as your method for inputting text, you can write text anywhere on the screen. The text that is handwritten is placed at your insertion point, and can be inserted as an Ink object or as typed text. Write Anywhere literally means anywhere in the Word window and the text will be recognized.

(Slide 22) The Drawing Pad is another input method for handwriting. It allows you to input hand-drawn images into your document at your insertion point. To insert the completed drawing, click the Insert Drawing button on the Drawing Pad.

(Slide 23) When handwriting is used in Microsoft Word, there are two ways to insert the handwritten text. It can be inserted as a handwritten Ink object, or as typed text. In Microsoft Word and Microsoft Outlook, you can insert your handwriting as an Ink object. The handwritten text displays at it was written on the screen. It is placed into the document as a graphic, and when field codes are toggled in Microsoft Word, the Handwriting field displays. The Ink object can later be converted to typed text.

You can also choose to insert your handwriting as typed text into the document. The handwritten object will appear as if the text is actually typed in your document. The typed text can be converted to an Ink object by using the correction alternative list that appears when you right-click a Handwriting object. If you are having problems with Microsoft Word recognizing your handwriting, try entering words without pausing between letters, and make sure you are leaving spaces between words. Also, try using a print format instead of cursive-style writing.

(Slide 24) When saving a Microsoft Word document with Speech or Handwriting data, you can later change the original Handwriting data when the file is reopened. To accomplish this, you must choose to embed the Speech or Handwriting data when the document is saved. To save the Speech or Handwriting data in the document, enable the Embed Linguistic Data option located on the Save tab in the Tools Options dialog box. By enabling the Embed Linguistic Data option, you can later make changes to the original handwritten text that was inserted into the document.

For example, if the original handwritten text was inserted as an Ink object, you can later choose to convert it to typed text. You would simply right-click the handwritten object, choose Ink object from the shortcut menu, then select Alternative List. This displays the correction alternative list, which allows you to choose the words you would like to insert as typed text.

On the other hand, if the handwriting was originally inserted as typed text, you can later choose to insert it as a handwritten ink object. Right-click the text and choose More from the shortcut menu. This displays the correction alternative list that contains the original Ink object at the bottom of the list. Also, other typed versions of Word, similar to the Ink object, are displayed on the list.

(Slide 25) Finally, the Handwriting menu also offers two On-Screen Keyboard options. They include the On-Screen Standard Keyboard, and the On-Screen Symbol Keyboard. They are both similar to the Microsoft Visual Keyboard utility. The On-Screen Standard Keyboard allows you to input typed characters directly into your document by using your mouse to click on the character on the visual keyboard. The characters are inserted as typed text into the document at the insertion point.

(Slide 26) The On-Screen Symbol Keyboard allows you to input symbol characters into your document by using a visual keyboard on the screen. These characters are also inserted as typed text. Both On-Screen Keyboards also allow you to use Navigation and Function keys that are displayed on them.

That takes care of our presentation part of the WebCast today. (Slide 27) I'm going to turn it back over to Heidi for questions.

Heidi Moeller: Thanks, Linda. It is time to move on to the Q&A portion of this Support WebCast. If you'd like to have a copy of the PowerPoint® slides, you can always download those from our support Web site at http://www.support.microsoft.com/webcasts/. In addition to the PowerPoint slides, you can access on-demand streaming media, so if you want to listen to this again or you missed part of it, you can review it.

A reminder that the Q&A portion of the Support WebCast is intended to encourage further discussion of the Support WebCast topic. One-on-one product support is outside the scope of what we're able to address during the Support WebCast. If you have a technical problem, you'll want to either phone into product support and speak with a Support Professional or submit an incident on the Web.

The first question is, You mentioned going to the Office Web site for more information on microphone selection. In the MS Office Assistance Center the only listed microphone recommendation is Microsoft Sidewinder Game Voice. Since this probably won't get through our corporate IT purchasing, does MS have any logo program testing plans, so we can know we have compatible microphones before deploying, or a listing they could publish on microphones that have been tested with Microsoft?

Wayne: Actually, there is not a standardization for microphones currently for third-party hardware. That's still being looked into. There probably will be some Knowledge Base (KB) content coming out about that. I'll be glad to answer that off-line once I get further details on that.

Heidi: Okay, what we do for those sorts of questions is, as long as you included your e-mail alias when you logged into the broadcast, I have that. We'll research it, get an answer, and e-mail you directly.

The next question is, Do I follow the same instructions for dictating e-mails in Outlook?

Wayne: Yes, you would. As far as Speech Recognition is concerned, the types of tips and things that you would do for Speech Recognition would be consistent across all applications in Office XP.

Heidi: Okay. The next question is in three parts: I've been unable to locate formatting commands I can use during dictation to specify things like caps or strikethrough. One, are there Speech commands for these? Two, can you train new formatting types of Speech commands? For example, if there are no CAP commands, can I learn them? Three, can I use Speech to activate a keyboard shortcut I've assigned to a command or macro?

Wayne: Okay, actually there is a set limit of commands that were built into Word 2002, and we do have a KB article on that. I'll be glad to forward that e-mail on to whoever requests that.

To answer the second question, and, I guess partially the third also, you can't train it to learn new commands at this point. However, as with any of our products there are some unlimited types of things we can do with the product. I'll definitely need to get back to you on that, but currently there's not a way to train it for new custom applications.

Heidi: Okay. Wayne, If somebody wanted to go and look up that KB Article, can you give a couple of keywords to find it?

Wayne: Sure, look up: commands, speech, Word 2002.

Heidi: If you have any comments for us about today's topic, suggestions for topics you'd like to see in the future, or general comments about the Support WebCast program, please do submit your feedback to feedback@microsoft.com — we appreciate it.

The next question is, Do you know of any conflicts that Speech Recognition may have with other programs?

Wayne: Yes, some DVD software (decoders) have reported problems when running the Alternative User Input technologies, specifically Ctfmon.exe. There may be others, but I cannot verify at this time.

Heidi: I found articles on the MS Office Assistance Center site that listed commands to use with Speech and various Office XP apps. Are these lists, and the ones in Help, complete and representative, or representative only?

Wayne: Those are basically representative. There are some complete lists, but again, the KB content is still being generated. We appreciate the customers' patience as we get this information out on the Web for them.

Heidi: Great. Moving on to the next question. Is there a way to have Speech recognize my dictation from another source? For example, I sometimes use a hand-held recorder to dictate notes while I'm traveling, and I'd like to have these transcribed into Word when I get home?

Wayne: Yes, technically, that is possible, and it probably can be done. However, something to keep in mind when you do something like that is if your particular voice is altered or changed from that device — we all sound a little funny on those devices when we hear the playback — the dictation software may not recognize your voice and could have some problems. But if you have a high-quality device, and it sounds very similar, if not exact, to what your voice sounds like naturally, then Speech should be able to pick up on it. There are no guarantees; that wasn't designed into the application, but it could work.

Heidi: How can I save to export my Speech profile, so that I can import it onto another computer? Does the Save My Settings Wizard in Office XP include this data?

Wayne: Currently, I don't believe we have that information available to us, so I'll get back to you on that.

Heidi: For the individual who submitted that question, as long as you included your e-mail alias when you logged in, we have that and we can follow up with you directly.

Next in line, With regard to Word 2002 Speech Recognition versus Dragon Naturally Speaking, is there a conflict if you have both of these loaded on the same machine? If there isn't, what if both are open at the same time?

Wayne: Actually we have had some issues in testing during the beta, and I think we've even had some customers using that in the release capacity. As with just about anything else, with applications that are similar, we recommend that you not run them at the same time. I would choose between the Microsoft products and the Dragon Speak and use one at a time. I don't believe the installation of both of those at the same time is necessarily an issue, but there have been some reports. If you do run into that issue, please give us a call at the Support line.

Heidi: What other programs support Handwriting in the Office XP family?

Linda: You should be able to use Handwriting in Microsoft Word, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Excel, and PowerPoint. There are some limitations, as far as Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint, in that you can't use the Ink option that you can in Microsoft Word and Microsoft Outlook.

Heidi: Next in line, Why isn't there a way to save Speech data in XP? Is there any way to avoid having to retrain the Speech Recognition engine every time I reinstall or use a different computer?

Is this a little bit of a tangent from an earlier question?

Wayne: It's a little bit of a tangent. The main reason that we don't do that is because, again, if you go to a different environment or different computer, there are definitely different things in the way that that environment works and the processing with the Speech could be totally different. Although we may not audibly be able to hear that with our ears, the computer is and the profile could be totally different, so you may get poorer performance or inconsistent behavior with Speech. That's why we require you to create a new profile.

Heidi: I've heard that Microsoft is expecting third-party products available to add dialects in regional language support, such as U.K. or Australian for Speech Recognition. Can you tell us what we'd be looking for with this?

Wayne: Currently, as you may or may not know, we support English, and that's the primary language. There are some other dialects that are in the works. I haven't got a specific release date on that information. There are lot of things internationally — features that are still being added to the Office XP product. Again, the best resource would be to contact the KB and see what you could find out there. If you don't find anything on the KB, feel free to call us at Microsoft Support.

Heidi: I've been able to train Speech from U.K. England, but can't get Word to activate it in the app. What settings, for example keyboard, locale, etc., determine whether Word allows me to proceed? Can I set a U.S. keyboard and still have U.K. spell check?

Wayne: Yes, however, that's not really a Speech-related question. I suggest that the person call in if they need technical support on that issue.

Heidi: Can Handwriting Recognition recognize a signature that's in a graphic, a TIFF or a GIF, and convert it to text, or can I convert a graphic to an .Ink object?

Linda: No, you would not actually be able to insert your TIFF or your GIF format and then have it actually be recognized as handwritten data. You would need to just write your signature in Word. Then once you've written your signature, you can then either copy that to a graphics program, save it as a TIFF or PICT image and then reinsert it. But Speech won't be able to recognize TIFF or GIF in Word and recognize it as handwritten data.

Heidi: Can Speech Recognition be trained to recognize acronyms, as are commonly used in the IT industry?

Wayne: Actually, some acronyms will be picked up, the more common ones. However, just from the testing and some of the results that we've gathered, acronyms are not built in and they are hard to recognize, so you may end up having to put those in manually.

Heidi: The MS Office XP Save My Settings Wizard doesn't seem to include my Speech training profile. How/what can I back up so that I can restore the training when I reformat or change boot partition?

Wayne: If your profile still exists, you should be able to continue training your profile; however, if you've done a format or you've made some drastic changes to your computer, whether it be hardware or software changes, you will need to retrain and create a new profile.

Heidi: I want to improve the accuracy of my profile and have completed all the trainings. Do you have new training sessions I can download or install?

Wayne: Currently we don't have some training profiles. At this point, none are in production, nor are they being planned.

Heidi: Does the Word 2002 feature to remove personal information from a document remove embedded speech or handwritten content or let you know that it is there?

Wayne: That's actually a good question. Yes, it does remove the personal information.

Heidi: We have users who share machines or who work on different machines. How can I handle roaming users with Speech and Handwriting?

Once again, that sounds like it's getting into the same sort of question.

Wayne: Yes, it is. We recommend not doing a roaming user profile; although it's possible it could work, we discourage that. We say that if you have a profile on one machine, leave it there; if you're a roaming user, that profile may be different in the Speech Recognition, and may actually have some inconsistencies, because of a hardware or a potential software change from machine to machine.

Heidi: I have Write Anywhere listed in my Tech Services profile in the Control Panel, but often the Write Anywhere choice is grayed out (unavailable) in Word or other places, although Writing Pad works. What are the limitations of where Write Anywhere works? Is it language-specific?

Linda: You should be able to write anywhere in the Word window  —  like writing on toolbars or task pane, the document area — and it should be able to recognize it. If that option is grayed out (unavailable), we'd want to do some testing to see if you had any conflicts with other things on your system. We would basically boot your computer with things turned off (like the third-party apps turned off), and then test it to see if you're still having the same problem.

Heidi: If you do have a few moments and have not yet provided any feedback, please take a few moments to write us at feedback@microsoft.com. The goal of this program is to make sure we're providing you with great information, so your feedback is very important to us.

Wayne: There are not current methods, per se, to test with. Again, we don't have a complete list of all third-party applications that work. Really the best way to test is to install the application and find out whether it works. If it does not, you can always call Microsoft Support.

Heidi: Okay. Terrific. The next question is about the requirements. Can I make a Ctfmon load only on demand, such as with a script or a batch file? I will only use Speech and Handwriting occasionally, so I'd like to minimize what runs in the background the rest of the time.

Wayne: Yes, Ctfmon will load when prompted by Word or another application. We don't support the modification or control Ctfmon via code or script files, so if you did that you're basically on your own when you do that. It's not a supported scenario. When Ctfmon is running, it's meant to be running for particular uses, whether it's Language bar, Speech or things of that nature.

Heidi: Can you really get reasonably good results with Handwriting with a mouse as your input device? I don't have anymore ports, and the corporate folks don't want to buy Writing Pad devices for everyone.

Linda: Yes, you should get reasonably good results with the mouse. Basically, if it's not recognizing your text, you probably want to make sure that you're not pausing between letters in your handwriting, and also make sure that you are leaving spaces between the words. In slides 20 and 21, we actually used a mouse to write the text in those screen shots.

Heidi: The next question is in regards to proxy server. Does this work from a proxy server?

Wayne: Handwriting and Speech Recognition may work; however, we discourage the use of that. Performance is a huge issue with Speech and Handwriting Recognition. If you've got very fast machines with a lot of memory, the potential for it to work should be okay. However, there are still some scenarios that we haven't tested with. Using Speech and Handwriting Recognition on a proxy server would have to be taken on a per-user basis.

Heidi: When dictating, I try to use a command, such as Caps Lock, that shows up in my text. Is there a quick way to tell if this is a command that Word doesn't know or if I'm just goofing this up? For example, what's the best way to be sure Speech recognized that I'm saying a command?

Wayne: It's a really good question. Earlier in the WebCast I was talking about the Speech message balloon that's on the Language toolbar; you'd probably want to keep an eye on that. That gives you some updates and status of what the dictation and Speech Recognition is receiving from you. If it has problems, it will usually prompt you and say it's either too loud or it didn't understand, or something of that nature, so that's a good indicator of whether it's receiving you or not.

Heidi: Does Speech and Handwriting work in Word Safe mode and/or Windows Safe mode?

Linda: Yes. It's going to work in the Word Safe mode.

Wayne: Yes, and Speech Recognition, as far as Windows Safe mode, depends on the devices that you're using, how they load up the third-party drivers, and how they interact with the operating system.

Heidi: The next question is, We have multiple users, not Speech profiles, on our home machines. Are the training profiles useable and available on all profiles, or in a dual boot on the same machine? From your comments, it seems that you'd want to protect your Speech training profile from other family members accidentally retraining it?

Wayne: Yes. Basically that's the idea. What you want is a profile created per user for each person using Speech. So if you've got mom, dad, and a few kids using it, you definitely want to have a Speech profile for each of them, because the voices are going to be different. That's a good idea, to create a different profile per user, the way we have intended it to be used.

Heidi: I want to thank all of you for joining us today. I hope you found the content valuable and have an opportunity to join us again in the near future.

One last pitch for a little feedback, if you do have a moment we certainly appreciate hearing from you at feedback@microsoft.com (include "WebCasts" in the subject line). Have great day and goodbye.