ewelin
Sep 23, 2009, 10:15 PM
Saw this posted on another Home Automation forum I check out from time to time and I know some users of HCA use the speech feature on XP, so maybe you'll find this useful:
Vista's default voice is Anna. Anna is a far superior voice to those found on XP (Sam, Mary, Mike). Although there's no installer program for Anna on XP, there is a roundabout way to get it done.
The 60-day trial version of MS Streets and Maps 2010 (huge download: 1.4 Gb) will install Anna on XP. Before installing the full product, it will install a few support programs including Anna and the associated speech engine. After it installs the voice, it pauses and lets you abort before proceeding to install the balance of Streets and Maps. Abort it and, thanks to this loophole, you now have Anna on XP without having to install the full product.
Vista's default voice is Anna. Anna is a far superior voice to those found on XP (Sam, Mary, Mike). Although there's no installer program for Anna on XP, there is a roundabout way to get it done.
The 60-day trial version of MS Streets and Maps 2010 (huge download: 1.4 Gb) will install Anna on XP. Before installing the full product, it will install a few support programs including Anna and the associated speech engine. After it installs the voice, it pauses and lets you abort before proceeding to install the balance of Streets and Maps. Abort it and, thanks to this loophole, you now have Anna on XP without having to install the full product.