[DECtalk] Question regarding Dectalk Express firmware

[Isaac]

yes, make a dos bootible cd and boot from it, and then you can have sighted assistance to install the firmware.
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Aksel Leo Christoffersen 
  To: dectalk at bluegrasspals.com 
  Sent: Thursday, July 19, 2018 12:15 PM
  Subject: Re: [DECtalk] Question regarding Dectalk Express firmware


  Hi,

   

  Do you mean, that I can boot from a cd with the Dectalk firmware on it?

   

  Also, I found out, that my reply to Jayson's mail didn't was sent out to the list, so I'm sending it here.

   

  Start of reply to Jayson's Mail:

     

    I have a virtual machine of Windows 95, but my computer hasn't a serial port, so my plan was to buy a serial to USB adapter.

    When I use a virtual machine in VMWare, I can select to connect a device to the virtual machine, and disconnect from the host computer, so I guess that'll

    also work with a Dectalk Express. I don't know mutch about Windows 9 and Dos, so could I just connect it to the virtual machine, and downgrade the firmware

    with the file, and then use it with Windows 7 afterwards?

     

    Also, I've now got another question.

    I've planed to use the Dectalk Express with JAWS, but I know, that JAWS blocks speech commands of every sorth. So if I get Dectalk Express to work with

    JAWS on my Windows 7 machine, can I then use another program to make it sing.

     

    Best regards:

    Aksel Christoffersen

     

    Fra: Jayson Smith [

    mailto:jaybird at bluegrasspals.com]

     

    Sendt: 19. juli 2018 16:39

    Til: DECtalk; Aksel Leo Christoffersen

    Emne: Re: [DECtalk] Question regarding Dectalk Express firmware

     

    Hi,

     

    The actual file you're referencing may be able to be extracted using 7Zip, since it's a self-extracting archive. However, that won't get you very far,

    as the programs contained within are also 16-bit, and designed to run under DOS. You need to understand, at the time these files were released, Windows

    9X at the very latest was the most modern consumer operating system available, and that ran on top of DOS. Also, probably many computers with DECtalk Express

    units didn't have Windows installed at all, and ran pure DOS, with DOS applications exclusively. Therefore, it was taken for granted that any PC user with

    a DECtalk Express would have no problem running DOS applications. As far as I know, there has never been any Windows software which can upgrade or downgrade

    DECtalk Express firmware, it has to be done from DOS.

     

    While you may be able to get a virtual machine going, whether it can access a USB serial port is beyond me. What I'd do in your situation is to find a

    16-bit DOS or 32-bit Windows machine and upgrade the firmware from there. If you're using a DOS prompt from within Windows, you need to make sure nothing

    else is trying to access the serial port while the firmware upgrade is happening. To be really safe, use Windows 95 or 98, which allow you to exit Windows

    completely and drop to a true DOS prompt with no Windows running at all.

     

    Hope this helps,

     

    Jayson

     

    On 7/19/2018 5:45 AM, Aksel Leo Christoffersen wrote:

    block quote

    Hi,

     

    I'm thinking of buying a Dectalk Express unit, but I want a unit running the Dectalk version 4.2 firmware.

    So, I'm connected to the Dectalk Archive BTSync folder, and in the hardware folder, I found a file called dtxv42.exe, which I guess mean Dectalk Express

    version 4.2 CD. However, when I try to open the file, I get a compatibility error.

    So if I accidently buy a Dectalk Express unit with a version higher than 4.2, can I then use the dtxv42cd.exe to downgrade it, and how can I use the file,

    when Windows can't open it?

     

    Thanks in advance.

     

    Best regards:

    Aksel Christoffersen

     

    _______________________________________________

     

    Dectalk mailing list

     

    Dectalk at bluegrasspals.com

     

    http://bluegrasspals.com/mailman/listinfo/dectalk 

    block quote slut



------------------------------------------------------------------------------


  _______________________________________________
  Dectalk mailing list
  Dectalk at bluegrasspals.com
  http://bluegrasspals.com/mailman/listinfo/dectalk
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://bluegrasspals.com/pipermail/dectalk/attachments/20180719/4a6b7f0c/attachment-0001.html>