Monday, May 31, 2010

Installing Dragon Naturally Speaking in Wine / Ubuntu 10

Installing Dragon Naturally Speaking 10 on Ubuntu 10


I finally got Dragon Naturally Speaking installed on Ubuntu 10.04. Previous searches for help had been fruitless but I found this solution in a forum that worked for me. Since it's often hard to go through a forum and see what works and doesn't, I am posting the solution here, mostly for myself.


(If you want use these instructions for installing winetricks with wine, you don't need step 1&2. I had already installed Wine when I discovered that link.)


Step 1: Install Wine from Ubuntu Software Center (if not already installed)


Go to Applications, Select Ubuntu Software Center, and type wine in the search box. Click and install. Takes about 3 minutes or so.

Step 2: Winehq Winetricks


This is a nice little script that helps automate the process of installing some necessary windows files. (includes an ie6 and ie7 installer too).
Get the file from http://www.kegel.com/wine/winetricks, do file/save as. Right click on the file after you have downloaded it, and select allow execution. The right click and run in terminal.


Step 3: Install files from Winetricks:


You need gdiplus, fontfix and IE (ie6?).

Step 4: Install Dragon

Insert the Dragon CD into the CD tray. If it doesn't work from autorun, view the CD and right click on "setup" and choose to run in wine.

In my case it ran smoothly for quite a while, and got hung up on the registration area. If it does hang up for more then 10 minutes, you can try to force quit it, or log off.


To start Dragon:

Applications/Wine/Browse C:Drive/Program Files/Nuance/NaturallySpeaking10/Program
Right click natspeak.exe and open with Wine Windows Program Launcher.

I use a Lifechat usb headset, and had to adjust the settings in Ubuntu's sound control panel.

You may wish to create a launcher for this - instructions are found here http://jaypeeonline.net/tips-tricks/create-wine-application-shortcuts-ubuntu/




Links:
Ubuntu Forum Answer this is based on: http://swiss.ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=907446
http://www.winehq.org/download/deb
http://www.kegel.com/wine/winetricks
http://www.nuance.com/talk/
http://jaypeeonline.net/tips-tricks/create-wine-application-shortcuts-ubuntu/

5 comments:

Larry said...

Wow!My god! I can now kick windows off my laptop! Thanks so much for your kindness and effort in putting this tutorial out there. Works a treat! And will save me so much neck/shoulder and back ache/pain (and that's with ergonomic seating) and not to mention pulling me out of the jaws of MS.

I am well grateful!

Test said...

Yea, I have a hard time switching back to MS. I am really getting attached to Linux Mint.

Test said...

The winetricks packages don't seem to work on 64bit installs

Renard Bleu said...

Thanks ;) !

Test said...

As David said on the French Ubuntu Forum "un truc qui fonctionne par contre, c'est de virtualiser windows xp avec virtual box et après installer dragon, la ça tourne sans embrouilles"

Which Bing Translator say is "a trick that works, it is to virtualize windows xp with virtual box and after install dragon, the it turns without disaster"

VirtualBox is indeed a very handy tool. I just wish that solution did not involve a windows license.