Occasionally it's the computer. Have you done full preventive
maintenance on it lately? Defragged, checked registry integrity,
thorough safe mode AV and malware scanning? How about getting the dust
blown out of it? Have the hardware benchmarked and tested if most or all
the preventive maintenance has been done. If everything tests out OK,
then it's not your computer but probably Microsoft going unstable for
some reason. That happens.
I'd think twice about jumping into a different system if you're doing
govt work and you've used MS so far. If you're really serious and your
computer passes the tests above, check out the Linux operating system or
the Libre Office Suite.
For free you can test many different flavors of Linux from DVDs and see
what the differences are first hand. Just below, in my signature, are
two Linux links. I'd recommend Vinux. Switching horses in the middle of
the stream leads to one of two outcomes, you either get all wet and have
to swim for it, or you get all wet and but come out with a different
horse. I made the switch from Microsoft under somewhat similar
circumstances back in 2007 and was ticked enough at Microsoft that
switching turned out to be a great relief. I was in the middle of
performing a major web site update, actually a total redesign when XP
went crazy each time I installed one particular update. After one summer
of fighting that thing and MS support I was more than ready to switch.
My wife had a brand new Dell with Vista and Vista just didn't have the
stuff for what I needed. I tried out several Linux builds and settled on
Ubuntu, which back then was very similar to XP in style. I was ticked
enough that I scrubbed XP completely and installed Ubuntu. I'm sighted
enough that I didn't need screen reading even though Linux has several.
I tried a couple different code editors and settled on Bluefish and a
couple other helpful web dev packages and finished the web site project
on time by the skin of my teeth. I wouldn't have finished it at all if
I'd stayed with MS.
If you like it after testing from the DVD, you can install Vinux
alongside your Microsoft in what's called a dual-boot. When you start
your computer a menu pops up letting you start either MS or Linux. You
pick which you want to start or in 60 seconds Linux will default.
The Linux office suite called Libre Office is nearly 100% compatible
with all versions of MS Office and if you get into other projects, there
are many Linux alternatives for MS programs. There are several sites
where you can download templates and extensions for Libre Office to
cover most any business requirement and if there's something you can't
find, the Libre Office help forums will point you in the right
directions. Matter of fact, if your computer is otherwise stable, you
can install Libre Office for Microsoft and perhaps fix your issue with
Word 2007. You just have to remember to set Libre to save in .doc or
.docx formats instead of it's default .odt format. And Libre Office is
free. Check it out at https://www.libreoffice.org/.
There's a couple options to give a try, good luck.
No Microsoft garbage used here, sent by a very satisfied Linux-Mint
<http://www.linuxmint.com/> user (a former disgruntled Microsoft user).
You could check out Vinux, Linux for the visually impaired
<http://wiki.vinuxproject.org/>.
This email and any attachments are not virus scanned either, that's up
to you poor Microsoft users to deal with.
I'd rather be a wild and wacky Linux Penguin than a docile,
domesticated, Microsoft sheep.
On 11/20/2013 01:52 PM, Baracco, Andrew W wrote:
> If you are doing government work, do you have the luxury of deciding
> what platform and software you use? I work for the government, and we
> are definitely a Microsoft shop. I have had the experience of programs
> crashing and taking the screen reader down with them. I have had it
> happen with Outlook and IE, and with JAWS and Window Eyes. This falls
> under the category of stuff happens. Computers are computers, and I'm
> sure that the Mac world isn't perfect either.
>
> Andy
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Visually Impaired Computer Users' Group List
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of harry brown
> Sent: Wednesday, November 20, 2013 10:22 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: [MARKETING] [VICUG-L] where to go from here?
>
> Hi all,
> I'm using windows 7, on a gateway laptop, and using Microsoft word 2007,
> jaws 12, and internet explorer 9.
> I'm at a very crutial time in my life, and in what I do, and I'm very
> very angry about what happened yesterday, and wondering where I'm going
> next.
> Here's what happened.
> I'm working with the government on some important things that I will not
> mention here, but I have a lot of deadlines.
> So, yesterday afternoon, I open a document in word 2007, and I'm also
> reading an article, using internet explorer 9, and I grabbed it and
> copied it to the clipboard, so I'd have it for notes to refer to.
> But then, the moment I pasted it into the document, jaws stopped
> speaking.
> So then, I thought to myself, "ok, launch NVDA, and see if you can read
> it", and what happened? NVDA also locked up, and didn't read anything.
> Then I get this message that says "microsoft word stopped working."
> Folks, I have had enough with microsoft products, such as internet
> explorer 9, and windows in general, that freeze up, lock up, and stop
> working, and also, with jaws not reading things and with NVDA not
> reading things as well.
> So, my question is, for you Mac users, and you IPad users. Do any of you
> folks have the night mares that I just mentioned that happened to me in
> windows?
> I sure look forward to hearing back from you.
> Everything I'm working on, depends on what I decide to do.
> All I know is, things have to get done, and immediately, with what I'm
> working on.
> I can't have all this down time with all the above software not working.
> Harry
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