You’d think by now I would have learned. In my defense, though, I was out of town for awhile, and when I returned, I was greeted by my computer with the dreaded, "New updates are available" prompt. Normally, this would not distress me, but in this case I was informed that 20 "important" updates and 5 "optional" updates were available. Did I look at the list and judiciously choose which updates to install? No. You probably already know where I’m going with this.
among the 20 important updates were two in particular that have created a problem for users of ZoomText screen reader, as am I. One was the most recent update to Internet Explorer, the other was the most recent update to ZoomText. The latest update to ZoomText is version 9.19.1, which does not support the other important update, the latest release of Internet Explorer, version 9. Let ‘er rip, I thought, pressing the "install now" button and walking away. Mistake.
If you have also done this, you now know that ZoomText Magnifier/Reader will not work in conjunction with the latest I E release. Specifically, the speech component of ZT does not function consistently, particularly when filling in data fields, using the App Reader tool, or when writing email. At first, I was unable to get ZoomText to speak the letter characters under the cursor when using the arrow keys, even while in my word processor. I called A I Squared tech support, and was told to try the cursor detect toggle, CTRL+ALT+SHFT+d. After invoking that hotkey combination while in the document, I was prompted to answer "yes" or "no" to the question asked, and I selected "yes." That worked perfectly. However, the same trick did not work for reading email, or entering data into edit boxes or when using the App Reader.
The upshot is, ZoomText release 9.19.1 does not work with Internet Explorer 9, and the only way to solve the problem is to uninstall I E 9. Sorry.
If you go to the A I Squared web site blog page, you can read the post on how exactly to do this, if you need tips. There is also a video on that page, where tony from tech support walks you through the process. It isn’t hard to do, but it is disappointing that ZoomText users will be unable to take advantage of the new features of I E 9. Just a friendly reminder: When attempting any sort of major alteration to your versions and setttings, do set a system restore point and make a backup before proceeding. Just looking out for my friends, here.
Here is the link to the AI Squared blog post and video:
www.aisquared.com/blog/2011/04/zoomtext-tech-support-tip-uninstalling-internet-explorer-9/
Good luck, and let me know if you discover any work-arounds.
LL