Re: [Blind-sysadmins] accessible live CD's

Hi, I got a cheap Dectalk Express from Ebay and it works well with GRML. However, Vinux http://www.vinux.org.uk may be a better alternative, it is based on Ubuntu, and has both console and GUI screen readers in-place. It is on the todo list to try it out. Andrew. -----Original Message----- From: blind-sysadmins-bounces@lists.hodgsonfamily.org [mailto:blind-sysadmins-bounces@lists.hodgsonfamily.org] On Behalf Of Ryan Shugart Sent: 24 May 2009 04:41 To: Blind sysadmins list Subject: Re: [Blind-sysadmins] accessible live CD's Actually that's Dectalk Express, Dectalk PC is the internal card. I've used GRML to do disk wipes of machines we were giving away. I got the software speech to work relatively easy, you enter a code at the boot screen, then another command when it starts up. You get no prompt at the boot screen, but if I remember right you get a sound when its at the command prompt for you to enter the second command. Also, I got GRML to work with my Logitek USB headset once on a machine with no sound card, if I remember it just autodetected it. I'd honestly recommend this over an external synth, as USB ports are more common than serial ports. The Logitek USB headset has never had a problem coming up on Windows and as I said on GRML, I've not tried Ubuntu but I'd be surprised if it didn't work. Ryan -----Original Message----- From: blind-sysadmins-bounces@lists.hodgsonfamily.org [mailto:blind-sysadmins-bounces@lists.hodgsonfamily.org] On Behalf Of Scott Granados Sent: Saturday, May 23, 2009 9:09 PM To: dave.mehler@gmail.com; Blind sysadmins list Subject: Re: [Blind-sysadmins] accessible live CD's Might not help but always check Ebay. I bought a Dectalk PC there once for $50. (I think it's dectalk PC the one with the serial cable and it recharges, says Dec Talk in big Braille letters on the side) ----- Original Message ----- From: "Dave" To: "'John G. Heim'" Cc: "'Blind sysadmins list'" Sent: Saturday, May 23, 2009 6:19 PM Subject: Re: [Blind-sysadmins] accessible live CD's Hello, Thanks for your reply. I do not have a hardware synth, i wish i had the budget right now to get one. I agree that troubleshooting should be text for simplicity just as i do not run a gui on a server system. I was wondering if it were possible to modify either ubuntu or grml the CD to come up talking with software speech by default? Thanks. Dave. -----Original Message----- From: John G. Heim [mailto:jheim@math.wisc.edu] Sent: Saturday, May 23, 2009 9:04 PM To: dave.mehler@gmail.com; Blind sysadmins list Subject: Re: [Blind-sysadmins] accessible live CD's I usually use grml for troubleshooting hardware. That's linux though. If you're interested, you can check out www.grml.org. Lately, though, I've had to depend more and more on ubuntu. I say "had" to because it does not support the very reliable text console screen reader, speakup. Instead you must use the GUI screen reader orca. Orca is actually really coming of age. However, in a troubleshooting environment, you want a text console. But it seems to me that grml has not been as quick to support new hardware as ubuntu. Often, the newest ubuntu CD will have drivers for the newest NIC or sata drive whereas grml will not. Neither of these live CDs comes up talking by default. Each has a series of hoops you have to jump through to get speech. So I usually modify the grml CD to work with my speech synth, a doubletalk LE or "lite talk". If you have a hardware synth, you can boot grml and then type in the command to load the driver for your synth after it boots. But if the problems is that the machine won't boot, you will need to modify the CD. Another thing I've done in the past was make a bootable CD with freeDos and jaws for DOS. Jaws for DOS is a free download from the freedom scientific web site. Then you can make a bootable floppy with freeDos and then make a bootable CD from the diskette. Or you can do what I did and boot from the diskette and then access the freeDos CD. That requires you to put CD-ROM drivers on your diskette. I spent a lot of time on that but in the end, I ended up just using grml most of the time and ubuntu. There are a lot of people out there supporting grml and really a lot supporting ubuntu. They can do a way better job than I could do in my spare time with freedos and jaws. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Dave" To: "'Blind sysadmins list'" Sent: Saturday, May 23, 2009 7:29 PM Subject: [Blind-sysadmins] accessible live CD's

Hello, I'm looking for either a pre-made or a howto on how to compile a live CD Linux distribution unimportant so i can drop it in a computer, boot, and have speech, for diagnostic purposes, hardware analysis, and also to have access to custom software such as a system imaging util. Anyone know of something similar? I'm looking for something to replace ghost and it's ghostcast server for the imaging part and something that will talk when a windows machine won't boot so i can troubleshoot it. Thanks. Dave.

David Mehler (MCSA 2003, MCP, Network+, A+) dave.mehler@gmail.com

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