Microsoft Text-to-Speech Help!

My operating system is windows XP and I would like a text-to-speech application that could read Microsoft word and Outlook e-mail messages from their respective programs. I thought Microsoft had a default text-to-speech program that was included with Windows XP but for the life of me I cannot find it.

If someone could point me in the right direction I would be forever grateful. I've been searching all morning for solution with no success.

Thanks to whoever can help.

reply to post by kinglizard


Though you might find it in the Control Panel applets, Adobe Acrobat has this capability:

View|Read Out Loud

I'm not sure if you want speech control over your PC or you want a text file read out loud.

Let us know what you find out.

(Vista has a speech training applet in control panel, which is what I'm referring to, but since I don't have XP, I can't check that.)

it should have a text to speech thing, but it's designed with visually impaired users in mind. i haven't really used it, but i do sometimes find it activated after my toddler is done mashing keys. it tends to read EVERYTHING on the screen - window titles, error messages, dialog box buttons, etc.

Thanks for responding, Bud.

Right now I'm using Dragon NaturallySpeaking 9.5 for my speech to text application. With this program I can speak and have it automatically type, whatever I say into the microphone. What I'm looking for is a program that can read text from an e-mail I received in Microsoft Outlook or a Microsoft word document. I know Microsoft's Windows XP has the capability, but I'm not sure how to initialize the program...or, if I need to download something from Microsoft.

Thanks...

[edit on 4/8/2008 by kinglizard]

Maybe this link will help.

Speech application

I believe you have to have a program to accomplish this, and as the link explains it is available in MS Office (though I don't know which version).

If you can convert your email to a .pdf then AA will read it aloud.

I do seem to recall downloading a program called 'Cool Speech' to do this.

Here's a link:

Text-to-Speech

[edit on 8-4-2008 by Badge01]

sorry i forgot to mention, the text to speech stuff built into windows can be activated from the accessibility options int he control panel. overall the libraries that provide the text to speech are always there. you just might need some program to utilize those libraries in the way that you need.