Streaming Speech Help

1. Getting started
2. To hear the recordings you need...
   
3. I cannot hear any sound
4. I cannot record any sound
5. My recording level is too low
6. The text overlaps
7. I have an AOL browser
8. Issue for COBUILD ONLINE users
9. Issue for BRITISH COUNCIL users
10. 'A recent version of the Java Virtual Machine is needed...'
11. I cannot select answers to the Listenng Comprehension exercises
12. Windows XP Service Pack 2

1. Getting Started
   
   These instructions are for installation of Streaming Speech onto the computer you personally own. Streaming Speech is designed to run off the CD, but it requires the download of a sound recorder (see (c) & (d) below), and it also requires that your computer matches the requirements mentioned in (a).

   (a) Check that your computer meets the following requirements:
   
   Multimedia computer (at least 350Mhz CPU)
   Windows 95, 98, ME, NT (SP4 or above), 2000, XP
   CD-ROM and Windows compatible sound card
   Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 or later
   Macromedia Flashplayer 5.0 or later
   
   (b) Place the CD in your CD-ROM drive. The program should start automatically. (If it doesn't, double-click on the file named GoFabris.exe located in the root directory of the CD-ROM.)
   
   (c) A small label 'Fabris' appears, followed by a box asking if you want to download a control for a sound recorder from the CD to your windows directory.
   
   (d) Click 'Yes'. (Don't worry, you can uninstall this control later by following the instructions on the readme.txt file on the CD)
   
   (e) Internet Explorer will start up, you will see the words 'A speechinaction production' followed by 'FABRIS'. This can take up to 20 seconds.
   
   (f) The opening screen of Streaming Speech appears. Click the buttons on the left to navigate to the Introduction or Chapter 1
   
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2. To hear the recordings you need:
   
   (1) a computer with a sound-card
   (2) reasonably good speakers or headphones (speakers that are built in to laptop computers are not usually good enough)
   (3) a reasonably good microphone (microphones built in to laptop computers are often not good enough)
   
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3. I cannot hear any sound
   
   If you cannot hear sound, the fault is probably with your computer's settings for playing back sound.
   
   Check these settings by double-clicking on the volume control symbol on the right hand side of the task bar. (The task bar is the bar on your desktop that includes the 'Start' button; the volume control symbol looks like a speaker).
   
   The Volume Control panel will appear. Go to the Options menu, and select Properties.
   
   Make sure that the Playback radio button is selected, and check all the boxes to show all of the playback controls. Click 'OK' and you will then see the Volume Control panel.
   
   Make sure that the Volume Control Mute all box (Column 1) and the Wave mute box (Column 2), are not checked.
   
   Close down the panel, and try using Streaming Speech again.
   
   If you still cannot get any sound, open up the panel again, and move the volume slider up and down - this sometimes has the effect of waking up the sound system.
   
   If there is still no sound, then experiment with with this panel, trying different things. Read also the help files which you can find in the pull down menu of this panel.
   
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4. I cannot record any sound
   
   If you cannot record sound, the fault is probably with your computer's settings for recording sound.
   
   Check these settings by double-clicking on the volume control symbol on your task bar. (The task bar is the bar on your desktop that includes the 'Start' button; the volume control symbol is like a speaker).
   
   A Control panel will appear. Go to the Options menu and select Properties.
   
   Select the 'Recording' button, and you will see a list of volume controls relating to recording. Make sure they are all checked, and click 'OK'.
   
   You will then see the recording control panel. Check the 'Select' box in the Mic Column as above and close the window.
   
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5. My recording level is too low
   
   If your recording level is low, do the following. Double-click on the volume control symbol on your task bar. (The task bar is the bar on your desktop that includes the 'Start' button; the volume control symbol is like a speaker). A Control panel will appear.
   
   Go to the Options menu in the top left corner of this panel, and select Advanced Controls. A control panel will appear. Select the 'Recording' button, and you will see a list of volume controls relating to recording.
   
   Make sure they are all checked, and click 'OK'. Then go back to the 'Options' menu, and select 'Advanced Controls'. You will then see the recording control panel, with an advanced control button in the 'Mic' column. Click the 'Advanced' button. And yet another control panel will appear. Check the box marked '1 20db boost'.
   
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6. Text overlaps
   
   
   There are two ways to correct text overlapping.
   First, go to the View menu at the top of Internet Explorer, select 'Text Size' and then 'Medium'. (View>Text Size>Medium).
   Second, adjust the settings for your display. Go to the 'Start' menu, select 'Settings', then 'Control panel', then 'Display', then 'Settings', then 'Advanced', then 'General', and set 'Font Size' to 'Small Fonts' (96 dpi).
   (Settings>Control Panel>Display>Settings>Advanced>General>Font Size>Small Fonts).
   
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7. I have an AOL browser
   
   If your default browswer is an AOL browser, 'Streaming Speech' will open up in the AOL browser, but it won't work. It is not designed to work in an AOL browser. Close down the browser, and open up Internet Explorer then type in the address window the name of your CD-Rom drive followed by \APLE\index.htm. So if your CD-Rom drive is 'D' on your machine, you should type 'D:\APLE\index.htm'.
   
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8. Issue for COBUILD ONLINE users
   
   Some COBUILD online users might get a message beginning with the two lines: 'Unexpected Signal: EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION occurred at .../Function name=JVM_FindSignal'. The remedy is to go to Settings->Control Panel->Java Plugin 1.3.1_02->Browser, and make sure the Microsoft Internet Explorer is NOT checked.
   
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9. Issue for British Council users
   
   When you try to select the answers to the listening comprehension exercises (Exercise 1 in every chapter) there is no on-screen response: you should see blue ellipses around the answers you have selected, but you don't. This is due to an incompatibility between the specifications of the Council's GTI (Internet Explorer 5.0) and the specifications of Streaming Speech. The Council is planning a roll out of an updated GTI which will use a later version of Internet Explorer which will get around this problem. But if you can't wait, email me and I'll send you a British Council special edition of Streaming Speech.
   
   
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10. 'A recent version of the Java Virtual Machine is needed...'
    
    If you see a message beginning with the words 'A recent version of the Java Virtual Machine is needed...', try one of the following:

    [For Control Panel in 'Classic View'] Go to the 'Start menu', and select 'Control Panel', then 'JavaPlug-in'. Select the 'Browser' tab, and make sure that 'Microsoft Internet Explorer' is not checked.
    Start menu>Control Panel>Java plug-in>Browser>uncheck Microsoft Internet Explorer.
    
    [For Control Panel in 'Category View'] Go to the 'Start menu', and select 'Control Panel', then 'Other Control Panel options'. Select 'Java Plug-in', and then select the 'Browser' tab, and make sure that 'Microsoft Internet Explorer' is not checked.
    Start menu>Other Control Panel Options>Java plug-in>Browser>uncheck Microsoft Internet Explorer
    
    
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11. I can't select answers in for the Listening Comprehension exercises
    
    When you try to select the answers to the listening comprehension exercises (Exercise 1 in every chapter) there is no on-screen response: you should see blue ellipses around the answers you have selected, but you don't. This is probably due to an incompatibility between the specifications of Streaming Speech and Internet Explorer 5.0. I suggest you download a more recent version of Internet Explorer here. If this doesn't work, email me.
    
    
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12. Windows XP Service Pack 2
    
    The new security features of Windows XP Service Pack 2 may block active content from your CD or hard disk. You can solve this either by clicking to allow content every time you get a warning, or you can disable the active content blocker. To do this for the CD-ROM version, go to Internet Explorer>Tools>Internet Options>Advanced, scroll down to the 'Security' section and enable the option 'Allow active content from CDs to run on my computer'. If Streaming Speech is installed on your hard disk, then enable the option 'Allow active content to run in files on my computer. If this doesn't work, email me.
    
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Technical Requirements

Multimedia computer running Windows 95, 98, 2000 (SP4 or above), or XP; Processor at least 350 MHz; Internet Explorer 5.5 or later; CD-ROM drive; Windows compatible soundcard; microphone, headset or speakers.

Demonstration Disk

For a demonstration disk of Streaming Speech, Listening and Pronunciation for Advanced Learners of English, write to
speechinaction, 10 Victoria Road, Harborne, Birmingham, B17 0AH, UK
Tel: 44-(0)121-427-5056 Fax: 44-(0)121-240-9804
email richard@speechinaction.com