Installing Microsoft Speech Recognition In Windows XP
In the previous article, we were discussing how to control a PC with voice, where I mentioned the methods to install Microsoft Speech Recognition in Windows Vista and Windows 7.
Now in this article, we will discuss the trickiest case for installing Speech Recognition i.e. on a Windows XP based PC.
So why is it the trickiest?
Because Windows XP doesn't come ready with Speech Recognition Engine like Vista or 7. Now if you want to use Speech Recognition in Windows XP, then you have two choices for it. Either to install MS Office 2002 or 2003 because Speech Recognition engine is included in these packs or install the Speech Recognition engine as a separate standalone installation.
But let us first check if Speech Recognition is already installed on your PC or not..
To check if Speech Recognition engine is already installed on your PC, open Control Panel > Sound, Speech and Audio Devices > Speech.
If you are able to see a "Speech Recognition" tag next to "Text to Speech" tag, then congrats! Speech Recognition is already installed on your Windows XP based PC!
But if the "Speech Recognition" tag is missing, then it indicates that the engine is not installed on your PC. As mentioned earlier, there are two ways to install the Speech Recognition Engine in Windows XP:
1. By Installing Microsoft Office 2002 or 2003:
In the earlier versions of Microsoft Office namely versions of 2002 and 2003, Speech Recognition was included as a part of the software. So by installing Office 2002 or 2003, you can use Speech Recognition directly from MS Office.
After installing MS Office 2002 or MS Office 2003, open MS Word, go to tools menu and select 'Speech'. Then just follow the instructions given on the screen to start using Speech Recognition. Check the screenshot below for reference.
2. Installing Microsoft Speech Recognition Engine as a separate standalone installation:
The Microsoft Speech Recognition Engine can be installed as a part of 'Microsoft Speech Software Development Kit (SDK)' which can be downloaded from Microsoft's website here:
On the above mentioned web page, there are several files available for download but most of them are not necessary for us. Just download the 'SpeechSDK51.exe' file and install it.
This would install the Speech Recognition Engine you need.
Now you are ready to control your PC with your voice!
