> Have you had any problems with Dragon NS and Windows ME please?

No problems.

> What is the minimum training time any of you have achieved using Dragon NS
> v4 or v5 and Dragon USB please, with say PIII 750+, 128RAM, Win98 or ME?

It depends on what you mean by "training time."

Do you mean the length of time it takes to (1) train the system to respond
somewhat accurately to one's voice? (2) become proficient at dictating simple
documents? (3) learn to edit and revise complicated documents? (4) operate a
PC by voice alone?

The short answer is that training time is more a function of what someone
needs to do than on the specifications of their PC. Previous computer
experience also affects training time.

Initial training (preparing the voice files) does not take long. Maybe 15
minutes on a fast system (like the one you mentioned). But only the most
linguistically-competent and technically-savvy users would be able to start
working by voice after enrolling the system. Even sophisticated users need a
lot of time and practice to figure out strategies for working by voice.

To become proficient at basic tasks, e.g., dictating non-critical documents: I
recommend eight to sixteen hours of one-on-one training, including follow-up
after a few weeks to ensure that everything is working.

To learn to use the system in sophisticated ways, e.g., revising documents or
operating the PC entirely by voice -- I recommend 20 to 30 hours of one-on-one
training, and maybe more.

I will be discussing training issues during a general session at CSUN 2001 in
Los Angeles in March. The session is about ways to enhance the effectiveness
of speech recognition as workplace and educational accommodations. See:

www.interlog.com/~acantor/upcoming.htm

Alan Cantor
Cantor + Associates Inc.
Workplace Accommodation Consultants
[log in to unmask]
www.interlog.com/~acantor