Forum Discussion
Windows freezes if I try to access speech
I noticed this problem a few days ago after installng Dragon Pro 16 on my desktop computer that when I opened it the computer froze after a few seconds. Both the mouse and the keyboard were unresponsive so I had to switch the computer off and then on again.
I had seen some problems with Dragon prior to the freezing so tried uninstalling and reinstalling it, and I also tried a repair, but this made no difference.
Thinking this might be a Dragon problem I decided to try Windows Speech Recognition, but part way through the installation process the computer froze.
I have also found that if I go into Settings and try to access the Sound options the computer freezes almost immediately as well. Usually within seconds.
System File Checker and Check Disk do not find any problems with my computer.
It was suggested that it might be a memory problem but removing both memory cards, one at a time, did not solve the problem.
At the moment the only thing that I can think of trying is another clean reinstall, after formatting the C drive.
As I did that recently I would prefer not to do it again. When I did that reinstall I was surprised to see a few shortcut icons on my desktop to programs which I had not reinstalled, and also the Documents and Pictures folders were mapped to my D:\ and F:\ drives respectivley. I had expected to have to remap these folders myself.
If anyone has any suggestions as to how I might solve this problem I will be very grateful. Thanks for reading this.
3 Replies
This kind of issue usually happens due to a problem with speech services or audio drivers in Windows. First thing you can try is restarting the Windows Speech service from Services (look for “Windows Speech Recognition” and restart it). Also make sure your microphone and audio drivers are up to date, outdated drivers can cause freezing when accessing speech features. Another thing that helps is running the built-in troubleshooter for audio and speech settings. If it still freezes, try disabling and re-enabling speech features from Windows settings or reinstalling the related components. Sometimes a simple system update or repair scan (like sfc /scannow) can also fix these glitches.
I have looked in Services, (Extended and Standard), but there is no Windows Speech Recognition, nor is there a Speech Recognition, nor anything like that. Maybe that is because when I tried to enable Windows Speech Recognition the computer froze. I have tried the troubleshooter for audio and speech settings but this achieved nothing. Thanks again for your suggestions.
Thanks mohdadeeb,
I have tried scannow and sfc which find no problems. I did try updating display, mouse and sound drivers which all have the best drivers installed. Trying to use an earlier version of the Nvidia audio and display drivers did not help either.
I will have a look at your other suggestions tomorrow and see if they make any difference.
