Window-Eyes

Product Information

• Window-Eyes 6.1 is the most powerful screen reader to support Microsoft's newest operating system: Windows Vista. Window-Eyes 6.1 provides the familiar and expected stability, performance, and reliability under Microsoft's newest operating system, along with Windows 2000, XP, and 2003.
• Window-Eyes Professional is nothing less than the most stable screen reader available on the market today.
• Featuring Windows 95, 98, Me, 2000, XP, and Windows Vista, Window-Eyes puts you in the hands of the most powerful and easy-to-use screen reading software ever created.
• Window-Eyes gives total control over what you hear and how you hear it.
• With its enhanced Braille (Braille Printers, Notetakers, and Displays), support that control is extended to what you feel as well.
• The power and stability of Window-Eyes means that most applications work right out of the box with no need for endless tinkering in order to get them to function properly.
• In a world where work takes precedence over technical hassles, Window-Eyes is a leading software application for the blind and visually impaired, which converts components of the Windows operating system into to synthesized speech allowing for complete and total access to Windows based computer systems.
• Window-Eyes integration into Windows is seamless, providing you with instant access to the operating system without having to learn a complicated set of keystrokes. Window-Eyes works with all of your favorite Windows applications allowing them to be spoken automatically with no configuration necessary!

The Window-Eyes User's Guide (available in a several of formats) provides detailed instructions and examples for beginning configuration options such as voice parameters and verbosity, as well as advanced instruction for tasks such as setting up user and hyperactive windows, and creating customized settings for individual applications. Partnerships with mainstream companies such as Microsoft, Adobe, Macromedia, and AOL has made Window-Eyes one of the primary tools for testing product accessibility. Window-Eyes provides you with the best access possible for the most popular applications.

Window Eyes Solutions -

• Window-Eyes Manual (PDF)
• Window-Eyes Supported Equipment

New Features

Windows Vista
Window-Eyes 6.1 provides complete access to all versions of Microsoft's newest operating system: Windows Vista. Windows Vista is similar to Windows XP in terms of layout: there's a start menu, task bar, system tray, and desktop, all of which you can tab between. Windows Explorer still lets you browse your file system, the Internet and Email are still accessible through Internet Explorer 7 and Windows Mail (formerly known as Outlook Express), and all other third party applications will still sound and feel the same. Window-Eyes 6.1 provides additional access to some of Vista's new features, including:

Start Menu

• Integrated desktop search - Just enter the name of an application you want to run (for example, Word), and press ENTER. If multiple search results are found, just arrow up and down through the options, and press ENTER on the one you want to launch. Window-Eyes will also automatically read the selected item as it changes. All of this functionality is contained completely within the start menu.
  
• All Programs tree view - Instead of using multiple expanding menus, the All Programs menu now resolves to a tree view listing all installed applications. The standard method of opening and closing the various folders and files works similar to other tree views. This feature is also contained completely in the start menu.
  
• Tab between various portions - Common folders and shutdown/power tasks are also included in the start menu. Simply press the TAB key to move between each start menu group. After pressing TAB, use your arrow keys to move through the items in that group. Press ENTER on the selected item to open it.

Windows Explorer

• Address - The address area in Windows Explorer is similar to the breadcrumb feature found on some web pages: it contains items that show you how to get back to where you started. For example, opening up the Window-Eyes program folder causes the command bar to display "Program Files -> GW Micro -> Window-Eyes," with each of the options linked to their respective folders. Once you select one of the items in the command bar, you can either press ENTER to open that selected folder, or press the DOWN ARROW to open a list of folders contained in the selected folder.
  
• Search - Much like the search feature of the start menu, each Windows Explorer window also contains a search edit box.
  
• Navigation pane - The navigation pane provides links to common folders, as well as a tree view containing all of the drives, folders, and files on your computer.
  
• Command Bar - The command bar displays tasks that are relevant to the files displayed in the Explorer window. For example, a folder containing music files will have command bar buttons that are relative to music tasks, such as a Burn command for burning music to a CD. A list of documents might bring up other command bar actions, such as emailing or sharing the selected file.
  
• List View Headers - When you're in a list of files or folders, pressing TAB once takes you to the current folder's list view headers. List view headers function differently under Windows Vista than they do under XP. First, the headers are always present, regardless of which view your folder is in. Second, you can actually TAB to the headers, and arrow through them. Once you have selected a header, you can press the DOWN ARROW to open a menu containing various options for the selected header.
  
• Additional Views - Windows Vista introduces new methods of sorting files in Windows Explorer, including Group by, and Stack By. For example, using Group By Name, Explorer will group folders and files into alphabetical groups A-H, I-P, Q-Z. Names like Internet Explorer would show up in the I-P group. Window-Eyes would show up in the Q-Z group. Groups can also be expanded (to display all contained files and folders) or collapsed (to hide all contained files and folders).

Security Features

• User Account Control - When issuing a command in Windows Vista that requires special permission to run (such as opening the Device Manager, or running an Administrator tool), a User Account Control dialog will pop up, asking you for your permission to continue with the task. Window-Eyes provides full access to all UAC prompts.

Login Screen

• As with Windows XP, the Windows Vista login screen is fully accessible. One special note about the login screen is that you may hear a different voice from what you have selected as a normal user. This is due to the fact that Window-Eyes is using the settings provided during the initial installation rather than your current user settings.

Switching Users

• Unlike Windows XP, Window-Eyes fully supports switching users under Windows Vista. Multiple users are able to stay logged in at the same time. Each of those users could even be running Window-Eyes, and any changes made to Window-Eyes would only affect the user currently logged in.

Common Applications

• Internet Explorer - Windows Vista ships with Internet Explorer 7. If you're familiar with IE7 under Windows XP, you'll be right at home with IE7 under Windows Vista.
• Windows Mail - Formerly known as Outlook Express, Windows Mail provides an easy, familiar way to access email under Windows Vista.
• Windows Media Player - Windows Vista ships with Windows Media Player 11. If you're familiar with WMP11 under Windows XP, you'll be right at home with WMP11 under Windows Vista.
• Windows Games - Microsoft enhanced the functionality of Windows Games (such as Minesweeper, Solitaire, Mahjong, etc.), and Window-Eyes takes full advantage of the games that have been enhanced.
• Remote Desktop - Just like under Windows XP, Window-Eyes works seamlessly with Windows Vista Remote Desktop. Window-Eyes also fully supports Citrix and Terminal Services under Windows Vista.

• GW Micro has worked very closely with Microsoft to incorporate mirror driver technology in Window-Eyes, a significant enhancement over DCM used in previous versions of Windows. The Window-Eyes mirror driver technology makes working with video adapters (such as updating drivers, or installing new video cards) a seamless task.
  
• Regardless of whether you're using the latest high end video card with the latest Vista drivers, using a lower end card running only XP drivers, or a high end video card with XP drivers, Window-Eyes will function the same, ensuring full access regardless of video adapter.

Automatic Changes

• Although customization is possible, it is not necessary for Window-Eyes to function under Windows Vista. In other words, you don't have to change resolutions, schemes, or the like for Window-Eyes to read. Graphic labels do require the default theme, but there is no need to set Vista to use the "Classic" view, as was often suggested (although also not required) under Windows XP.
  
• Microsoft mirror driver technology automatically disables many visual affects, thereby increasing performance and accuracy for adaptive technology using mirror drivers (such as Window-Eyes). Some of the changes made automatically include:
  
  • Disabling Aero/Glass (if enabled)
  • Disabling ClearType
  • Disabling Window and Menu animation
  • Disabling Menu and Mouse Shadows

• Due to security restrictions, installing under the root of your default hard drive isn't a simple task under Windows Vista.
• To conform to the Microsoft installation standards, the Window-Eyes program files will be installed (by default) to C:\Program Files\GW Micro\Window-Eyes. Under previous operating systems, set files were stored in a users\default folder under the Window-Eyes program data folder.
  
• This is no longer possible under Windows Vista, so set files are stored (by default) in C:\Users\\AppData\Roaming\GW Micro\Window-Eyes\users\default (where is the name of the currently logged in user).
  
• To maintain consistency, new installations of Window-Eyes, regardless of operating system, will conform to this new directory structure. If you upgrade a previous version of Window-Eyes (pre 6.1) under Windows 2000/XP/2003, however, your directory structure will be maintained, and will not be altered. The new directory structure is only used for new installations of Window-Eyes 6.1.

Ease of Access Center

• Windows Vista contains a new control panel called Ease of Access Center, which contains all of the default accessibility tools that ship with the new operating system, including Narrator. Similar to Windows XP, the hot key WINDOWS-U will open the Ease of Access Center control panel. Unlike Windows XP, Narrator will not start speaking automatically. Once the Ease of Access Center control panel is open, press ALT-N to start Narrator.
  
• Another caveat of the Ease of Access Center control panel is that it cannot be launched via the WINDOWS-U hot key while Window-Eyes is running. This is, according to Microsoft, by design. The Ease of Access control panel can still be accessed through the normal control panel window.
  
• The Ease of Access Center control panel lets you choose which accessibility tools will launch automatically when Windows starts. Although Window-Eyes is listed in the Ease of Access Center control panel, its startup behavior should be controlled with the Startup Options in the Window-Eyes file menu.

Additional Features Between Window-Eyes 6.0 and Window-Eyes 6.1

Startup Options

• The Window-Eyes startup options have been dramatically improved for all supported operating systems. The Startup Type option in the File menu has been renamed to Startup Options, and the startup dialog has been redesigned, and includes the following controls:

Administrative Options group box:

• L = Run Window-Eyes at the Login Screen - Check Box - Default: Checked - This system wide option allows administrator to control whether or not Window-Eyes will launch at the Windows login screen.
  
• R = Run Window-Eyes after login for all users - Check Box - Default: Checked - This system wide option allows administrators to control whether or not Window-Eyes will launch at the desktop after a user logs in.

After Login for Current User, Run Window-Eyes group box:

• U = Using Above Configuration - Radio Button - Default: Checked, A = Always - Radio Button - Default: Unchecked, N = Never - Radio Button - Default: Unchecked - This option allows the currently logged in user to control how Window-Eyes starts after logging in. If Using Above Configuration is selected, Window-Eyes will launch after login for the current user based on the administrators settings specified in the previous check boxes. If Always is selected, Window-Eyes will always launch for the current user after login for the current user, regardless of the second administrative option check box described above. If Never is selected, Window-Eyes will never launch for the current user after login, regardless of the second administrative option check box described above.
  These options provide administrators control for all system users, and provide each individual user control for themselves.
  
  
• S = Set Admin Options - Button - Note: This button is only available under Windows Vista, and will only be enabled if Window-Eyes is not already running as an elevated process. - This option will bring up the User Account Control dialog, providing true Vista administrator privileges for modifying administrative Window-Eyes Startup options. The administrator check boxes described above will not be active under Vista until the Set Admin Options button has been selected, and the UAC dialog has been successfully confirmed.

• Window-Eyes now fully supports list view grouping under both Windows XP and Windows Vista. Listview groups allow you to group folder items in related sets.
  
• Listview groups are separated visually with a horizontal group header that describes the items in the group. You can group listview items alphabetically, by date, or any other logical grouping. For example, a folder of files could be grouped by date, putting files into categories like Last Week, Last Month, Two Months Ago, Yesterday, Today, and so on.
  
• Under Windows Vista, the group headers are focusable making navigation between groups quick and easy. Groups under Vista can also be collapsed and expanded, much like a tree view.

User Profiles

• Window-Eyes Multi-User information has been changed to User Profiles. Window-Eyes now controls speech environments for individual operating system users automatically. Multiple user profiles can be created to support various speech environments for the currently logged in user.

Talking About Security

• Along with stability and performance, Window-Eyes leads the way in security by taking advantage of Windows Vista security enhancements, such as User Account Control. Not only does Window-Eyes provide access to UAC dialog, it takes advantage of them when modifying administrative options, such as the new Window-Eyes Startup Options. Instead of requiring security options to be disabled, Window-Eyes strives to ensure all security enhancements are supported and encouraged, making your computing experience a safe and reliable one.

Enhancements between Window-Eyes 6.0 and Window-Eyes 6.1

The following section provides detailed information about the enhancements between Window-Eyes 6.0 and Window-Eyes 6.1.

Microsoft Office - Click Here for Details

Browse Mode

• We fixed a problem where Browse Mode would come back on after selecting items in combo boxes in Internet Explorer 7.
• We fixed a problem where Window-Eyes would incorrectly read list box entries on web pages with multiple list boxes when using Internet Explorer 7.
• We fixed a problem where combo box items were not being shown in Braille on some web pages when using Internet Explorer 7.
• We fixed a problem where checking check boxes or radio buttons on a web page would cause the page to reload when using Internet Explorer 7.
• In Firefox, if a password dialog popped up, Window-Eyes would re-read the entire dialog each time a key was pressed when typing a username or password. This problem has been resolved.
• We have made some speed enhancements for Browse mode, regardless of browser choice.
  

Braille

• Window-Eyes now includes updated support for the Handytech Braille displays. Note: this may require new Handytech drivers.
• We have added support for the BrailleConnect, VarioConnect, Conny Braille displays, and the Papenmeier Braillex Trio.
• We fixed a problem where Braille translation tables were not staying selected.
• We fixed a sluggishness problem when using bluetooth with the Braillenote.
• We fixed a problem where dates in Vista were presented with question mark characters in Braille.
• We fixed a problem where some Braille settings, such as translation table languages, were not being saved correctly.
• The Window-Eyes 6.1 installation will now install Braille drivers automatically if needed. Note: this only applies to all Handy Tech, Focus, and PacMate displays.

Miscellaneous - Click Here for details

Set File Enhancements
The following set files have been added or updated:

• Firefox
• Goldwave
• K1000
• Office XP/2003/2007
• Skype
• Outlook Express
• All InPlay
• Window-Eyes Defaults
• Windows Explorer
• Libera
• Microsoft Outlook Express/Windows Mail
• All set files have been updated to include all

• Compatibility with Windows 95, 98, 98, Me, 2000, 2003 and XP.
• Support for Microsoft Active Accessibility (MSAA)
• Compatibility with many popular voice synthesizers
• Full support for video attributes and all video systems
• Easy access to the Windows system tray
• Automatically labels many application's graphics
• Unparalleled stability and responsiveness
• A WE cursor for reviewing the screen without disturbing the caret or mouse pointer
• No need to learn or use macros or a scripting language
• Easy-to-use drop-down menu system for control and setup
• User-assignable hot keys for operating Window-Eyes on the fly
• Forty-six user-definable cursor-tracking keys
• Advanced light-bar tracking with intelligent automatic mode allowing easy access to menus, buttons, icons, and more.
• Exception dictionaries for altering the way words, graphics, key-labels, characters, and mouse pointers are pronounced
• Automatic loading of speaking environments and dictionaries
• A wide variety of features for automatic reading of menus, dialog boxed, and other Windows activities
• Audible signals to alert you to capitalization and format changes when proof reading
• A read-to-end feature for reading nonstop from the beginning to the end of a document Standard look, feel, and intuitive operations of the Windows environment
• An easy-to-use Window-Eyes User's Guide, presented in a tutorial format

• Keyboard commands for moving the mouse pointer without having to use a physical mouse
• Automatically reads information under the mouse as it is moved
• Full mouse movement and clicking support from the keyboard
• Extensive search capabilities
• Mouse pointer dictionary

  50 Standard windows
  

  • Fifty simultaneous Window-Eyes windows for reading user specified areas of the screen
  • Self-adjusting windows to read screen information in moving areas of the screen or for compensating for the resizing of windows
  • Windows can be either Neutral, Speak, Silent or Float
  • Any of the first ten windows can be read with a single keystroke
  • Each window can be chained, setup to speak and spell, associated with a specific color and much more

  
  26 Hyperactive Windows
  
  

  • Hyperactive windows allow you to monitor screen areas for certain occurrences. You can monitor for: any change, contains attribute, does not contain attribute, contains string, does not contain string, contains caret, does not contain caret, contains focus, or does not contain focus.
    
  • Once triggered, you can execute any three of seven options: speak any window, speak specified message, speak light bar, activate any window, load a new voice environment, execute any hot key, or beep.
  
  Voice Configuration
  
  
  • Set up the speech rate, pitch, tone, volume and punctuation independently for screen, keyboard, and mouse
  • Has capitalization alert and Format alert
  • Keyboard can voice characters or words
  • Numbers can be spoken as digits or full numbers
  • Includes a word exception dictionary for mispronounced words
  • Features a character dictionary to define exactly how to pronounce a character
  • A key label dictionary can be used to define any key press
  • Includes a graphic dictionary
  • Allows speech to be interrupted or silenced with the press of a key
  
  Hot keys
  
  
  • These are Window-Eyes commands only. The underlying applications program will not be disturbed with these keystrokes.
  • Over 150 assignable hot key speech features
  • Hot keys to read previous, current and next for character, word, line, sentence, and paragraph
  • Extensive mouse manipulation
  • Hot key to read to end of document
  • Hot key to read the date and time
  • Bypass hot key which allows the next Window-Eyes command to be ignored so the underling application can receive the keystroke
  • Each hot key can easily be assigned the keystroke of your choice
  • Hot keys which are of no interest can be undefined
  
  Cursoring keys
  
  
  • These are applications keys. You simply tell Window-Eyes what you want voiced after the application acts on the command. Your choices are: prior char before, prior char after, char before, char after, next char, previous word, word, next word, prior line, line, next line, sentence, paragraph, to end of line, light bar, marked text, caret position, field data and/or name, title/status, speak window, activate window, mouse top left, load set, or ignore speak windows.
  
  Documentation
  
  
  • A step-by-step instruction guide is supplied in print, on audio cassette, and on disk. This documentation gives all needed information through a tutorial format.

Equipment Supported

• Braille Displays: Alva 240, Alva 280, Alva 320/340/440, Alva 380/480, Alva Satellite 544, Alva Satellite 570, Braille Lite 18, Braille Lite 40, Braille Lite M20, Braille Lite M40, Braille Voyager, Braille Window/CombiBraille, BrailleNote, Braillex EL 2D/40/80, Braillex EL Braille Assistant (Elba), Braillex 2D Screen, Braillex Compact/Tiny/2D Lite, DM80, Handy Tech Mod 80 and Braille Wave, Handy Tech Braillino, Handy Tech Book Worm, Handy Tech Braille Star 40/80, Navigator 20/40, Navigator 80, PowerBraille 40, PowerBraille 65/80, Vario 40/RBT40(Rabbit), Vario 80
  
• Synthesizers: Sounding Board, Speak-Out*, Accent PC, Accent Mini or Messenger, Accent SA*, Artic, Artic Transport*, Apollo External*, Apollo II External*, Apollo Internal, Apollo II Internal, Votalker, Audapter*, ASP, All Blazie Engineering Synthesizers*, BrailleMate, Braille 'n Speak, DECtalk, Portable DECtalk, DECtalk PC, DECtalk Access 32*, DECtalk External (original), DECtalk Express*, Echo PC* or GP*, Keynote, Keynote PC, Keynote SA*, Keynote Gold Multimedia, Litetalk*, DoubleTalk PC, DoubleTalk LT*, MultiVoice, or PCKPR, NewEcho, Personal Speech System, Reading Edge, SmarTalk, SAPI* (Microsoft Speech Engine, Eloquence/Via Voice and others), FlexTalk (dependent on SAPI version), SMP*, SSIL, TextAssist, PROSE 4000, or VertPlus, VoiceCard (PCMCIA), Triple Talk PCI*, Triple Talk USB* Synthesizers marked with an asterisk (*) are supported by both Window-Eyes Standard and Professional. Those without the asterisk are only supported by Window-Eyes Standard. Others may be supported but not listed.

Windows System Requirements -

Window-Eyes Professional:

• IBM Compatible (Intel Pentium/Celeron, AMD K6/Athlon/Duron) with a clock speed of 400 MHz or greater (300 MHz minimum)
• 128 MB RAM or higher (64 MB RAM or less may cause system performance degradation)
• Windows 9X, Windows Millennium (Me), Windows 2000, Windows XP Home, Windows XP Professional, or Windows 2003 (and greater)
• 20 MB available hard-disk space
• CD-ROM drive

Window-Eyes Professional with SMA Bundle

• Order a Software Maintenance Agreement with your copy of Window-Eyes and save! You will then receive the next three paid upgrades free of charge as they are released. The SMA covers 3 major upgrades. Upgrading to version x.x is a major upgrade but x.xx is not. In other words, 4.0 to 4.1 is a major upgrade but 4.1 to 4.11 is not. A minor upgrade may be downloaded at no charge via the internet, or you may purchase a CD for a nominal charge.

Window-Eyes: A Technologist’s Review
© Chris Meredith, March 2006

If you’re a user of adaptive technology, you’re probably aware that learning a new screen reader can be, at worst, quite daunting—and, at best, a severe time sink. From my own perspective, I frequently found myself having far better things to do than spend a day or twenty learning an entirely new command structure just so I could eventually get back to what I was doing. In fact, it took getting paid by the hour to learn Window-Eyes before I finally sat down to learn it, and I can definitely say it was worth my time.

Enhanced Stability

GW Micro goes out of its way to let you know that Window-Eyes is the most stable screen reader out there. Their claims are totally correct. Even having downloaded demos of Window-Eyes from time to time and given up on re-learning how to do things, I found myself using it to bail me out of deep crashes from which the competition refused to recover. Window-Eyes is also the only screen reader with its own error reporting feature which, in the rare instances where it does crash, happily sends the crash report to GW Micro, permitting their developers to determine its cause and work to prevent it from happening in future releases.

Enhanced Word and Excel Support

Window-Eyes boasts 100% text accuracy in Microsoft Word 100% of the time, and can even go so far as to recognize certain inline shapes and graphical objects. Its plethora of verbosity options allow you to control precisely what types of information you’re given within a document. Just reading for pleasure? Turn off everything. Proofreading an essay before you print and submit it? Window-Eyes will inform you of style changes, spelling and grammar errors, even instances where Word has corrected your typos for you. You can be informed of font, style and color changes, and even interact with forms within a Word document. You’ll know your document is visually appealing before you submit it.

And now, this support extends to Microsoft Excel. Window-Eyes can let you know when text wraps within a cell, when text is clipped or when text spans multiple cells. Window-Eyes is also the only screen reader on the market that can give you information on charts in Excel, allowing you to create visually appealing charts without seeing them.

Enhanced Web Support

Window-Eyes was the first screen reader to support Mozilla Firefox, giving you the same great support to which you are accustomed with Internet Explorer. Even now, Window-Eyes is the only screen reader that claims to have more than beta support for the Mozilla browsers.

Ready For The Future

In independent tests, Window-Eyes outperformed the competition when used with Internet Explorer 7.0, still only available in beta. On all the sites that were tested, Window-Eyes performed nearly as well with the beta version of Internet Explorer as it did with the version presently in use, which puts it ahead of the Wells Fargo online banking site, which refused to recognize Internet Explorer 7.0 as a valid browser. The competition, conversely, broke down on any site that used frames with Internet Explorer 7.0, rendering a series of frames that appeared to have no text.

Also, Window-Eyes is the only screen reader that can claim to support Windows Vista, giving blind people access to an operating system before the public has access to it. Other applications that are supported include Adobe Acrobat, allowing visually impaired people to create PDF documents, and Visual Studio 2005 software development suite from Microsoft, and all before the competition.

In Summary

I can remember taking Window-Eyes for a test drive once upon a time back when Windows 3.1 was in wide use. I found it confusing and impractical and, I’m sad to say, this colored my opinion of it for some time. In this instance, however, I don’t mind being proven wrong. In fact, watch this space as, to assist people transitioning from the competition, a Window Eyes Transition Guide (535 KB) Left Click to Open and Alternate Keyboard Layout (41.5 KB) Left Click to Open will be available soon. Five out of five stars.

Professional Training Available!
EnableMart can provide professional one-on-one training on this product for any level of user. Whether you need a quick refresher course to hone your skills, or comprehensive product instruction, our expert trainers are the best choice to get you up to speed fast. Telephone training is availabe in one hour increments and can be customized to suit you needs. 1/2 day, full day, and on-site training are also available.