I found a Microsoft website that explains the difference between 
formatting and refreshing. I decided refreshing was probably what I 
wanted to do, so I did. What I discovered is that my little netbook was 
most likely dying because it became incredibly slow even after a couple 
of hours and because it was still not behaving normally, so I ordered a 
new one.

Anyway, my question is to those who have refreshed their computers:

Do you lose speech?

The computer I was trying to refresh ran Windows 8 when I bought it, so 
it would return to windows 8 after the refresh. Using Narrator, I went 
into Settings or the control panel and followed the steps to refresh, 
but as soon as I hit the Get Started (or whatever) button, I heard a 
soft click, and Narrator stopped Talking. I waited a while for things to 
happen, then tried starting Narrator again. With sighted help, I 
discovered that the Ease of Access Center wasn't on screen and neither 
was Any of the stuff Narrator says. We went through a setup process, 
entering Wi-Gi info and a couple other things. I tried starting Narrator 
again after signing in, but still nothing. A couple more screens popped 
up, and eventually, I got to the regular desktop. This time when I tried 
Narrator, the Narrator screen was visible, but the computer wasn't 
speaking. After a little trial and error, we figured out that the 
speakers were on mute.

Does speech go away, or was this yet another example of the computer not 
behaving? I want to know so I can prepare in case there's a next time.



On 10/25/2015 2:42 PM, Ana G wrote:
> Hi All,
>
> I have a little netbook I take to school to hook up to the overhead 
> projector when I teach. It's been acting strangely for the last three 
> or four weeks. For example, it suddenly tells me Word isn't my default 
> word processor, even though it's the program I generally use when I 
> take the netbook to class and even though I have clicked on the links 
> for making it my default word processor. Also, I'm using NVDA, and 
> instead of getting the raven voice on the log-on screen, I hear 
> Eloquence. I uninstalled all FS products to prepare for the Windows 10 
> upgrade, and I still get Eloquence, and I've used the FS utility for 
> uninstalling everything, and still I hear Eloquence. finally the 
> windows upgrade keeps failing. I used the Windows Fix-It tool, and 
> discovered I need to repair my upgrade installation, but when I try, 
> the system crashes. I've uninstalled NVDA and run the FS utility 
> again. I've run virus checks. And I've tried to install Jaws 16, only 
> to hear that it's incompatible with my system.
>
> I'm thinking it may be time for me to format my drive or refresh 
> Windows. I've never done either, so I'm nervous, and I'm not sure how 
> accessible the process is. What's the difference between the two, and 
> can I do one or both independently or with sighted help.
>
> the netbook is running windows 8.1. I don't think I've done anything 
> new to it, except update things like NVDA and Thunderbird. It's an 
> Asire One, my second. The first died after about three years. This one 
> is coming up on three years, so it may just be time, but if I can make 
> it last a little longer, I'd like to do that.
>
> Thanks for any wisdom.
>
> Ciao


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