[blindLaw] Screen-readers and Dell Machines

Thu Jul 1 22:32:47 UTC 2021

Steve,

Dell Support Assist and Windows Update are both causing the drivers to
break. I tested that by running a clean install on two different
machines, then updated one with Support Assist and one with Windows
Update. Both immediately brought the problem back.

If the Dell you reference is a business class machine, business class
machines seem not to be having the problems that more entry level
models do. This could be due in part to companies opting for LTSC
rather than the standard consumer model of Windows 10.

RealTek has a number of problems, yes. Including the MaxAudio Pro
screen asking what you plugged in every single time. This particular
memory bleed seems to be on Dell home and home office machines running
a screen-reader and the most up to date drivers on Windows 10.

Warmth,
Sanho

On 7/1/21, Steve Jacobson via BlindLaw <blindlaw at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Hi,
>
> Well, here is another slant on this.  I have a Dell Inspiron laptop and I
> have had no trouble with it.  I have regularly updated all drivers, though,
> using Dell's support tool which is not easy to use.  This is a good idea
> even on new machines because you don't know how long it sat in a box after
> being configured.  However, I have had different issues with the Real Tech
> drivers on machines with several different brands.  The information that
> Dell may have tweaked their drivers causing the memory errors may be
> correct, but I've had trouble with audio stopping altogether on an HP when I
> plugged in a pair of headphones, and on another computer I have to confirm
> that I am plugging in headphones every single time I plug them in.  Also,
> the Real Tech driver interface is in some cases barely accessible if at all,
> although the interface seems to have different interfaces on different
> machines.  I am just not certain that the bigger problem is not with Real
> Tech rather than with Dell, although Dell has some influence as a large
> volume customer of Real Tech.
>
> Best regards,
>
> Steve Jacobson
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: BlindLaw <blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Timothy Meloy via
> BlindLaw
> Sent: Thursday, July 1, 2021 2:06 PM
> To: 'Blind Law Mailing List' <blindlaw at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: tmeloy83 at icloud.com
> Subject: Re: [blindLaw] Screen-readers and Dell Machines
>
> I purchased a Lenovo a couple months ago and absolutely love it!  Good audio
> quality, great specs for the price and tremendous battery life!
>
> I tried two surface pro 7's and a Surface Pro laptop.  I loved the small
> form factor, but the battery life wasn't quite what I needed.  Couldn't
> quite make it through an entire work day with those.  Hope some on this list
> find this helpful.
> T.J.
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: BlindLaw <blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Sanho
> Steele-Louchart via BlindLaw
> Sent: Thursday, July 1, 2021 2:47 PM
> To: Blind Law Mailing List <blindlaw at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: Sanho Steele-Louchart <sanho817 at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [blindLaw] Screen-readers and Dell Machines
>
> All,
>
> I'm personally moving over to an HP machine, though I've heard a ton of
> great things about Lenovo. I second Nikki's observations about the Surface
> line.
>
> I'm also grateful for everyone's input here. I've been in nearly constant
> contact with Visparo/Freedom Scientific, Dell, and Microsoft.
> Everyone pointed the finger at everyone else. They also told me I was the
> only one reporting the problem. Turns out it's exactly what I thought it was
> to begin with. Wow, if only I'd known that a year ago.
>
> Warmth,
> Sanho
>
> On 7/1/21, Singh, Nandini via BlindLaw <blindlaw at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> I want to interject and say that Microsoft Surface units have a number
>> of issues. Granted, the family member from where I got this
>> information has an older Surface Book, but I hope this is useful: (1)
>> the unit does not work well as either or a tablet, one of the main
>> features that it advertises, (2) it is fairly heavy for what it is,
>> (3) the audio output is not the greatest,
>> (4) the audio headphone jack tends to fail in a relatively short
>> amount of time but warranty does not cover it, (5) limited ports,
>> which is becoming more standard as laptop profiles get thinner, so (6)
>> please pay attention to specs when evaluating which set of ports you
>> need vs how much money you could end up spending for an adaptor, hub, or
>> docking station.
>>
>> I am not affiliated with HP in any way, but I urge you to take a look
>> at some of those models. They are really quite good. Also, while I am
>> happy to spout out all kinds of stuff here about tech, you can check
>> out Wirecutter, a consumer affairs website related to the NYTimes and
>> secondarily, PC Mag, where you want to be more critical.
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: BlindLaw <blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Tim Elder
>> via BlindLaw
>> Sent: Thursday, July 1, 2021 1:54 PM
>> To: 'Teresita Rios' <teresitarios22 at gmail.com>; 'Blind Law Mailing List'
>> <blindlaw at nfbnet.org>
>> Cc: tim at timeldermusic.com
>> Subject: Re: [blindLaw] Screen-readers and Dell Machines
>>
>> [EXTERNAL]
>>
>> I'm thrilled to see this thread.  I recently bought a new Dell
>> Precision laptop to replace my old XPS and have been having all kinds
>> of problems with it.  I will gladly help with a letter while I start
>> shopping around for Microsoft Surface machines.
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Teresita Rios <teresitarios22 at gmail.com>
>> Sent: Wednesday, June 30, 2021 7:25 AM
>> To: Blind Law Mailing List <blindlaw at nfbnet.org>
>> Subject: Re: [blindLaw] Screen-readers and Dell Machines
>>
>> Lauren I like your idea of writing a letter. Perhaps all of us who are
>> having serious issues with Dell computers can write a draft, then we
>> can approach NFB and ask any other affected individuals to join. I
>> think NFB would be more inclined to send the letter if we help.
>> I am usually busy during the week, but I am pretty free on the weekends.
>> Having a job is easier than school. lol.
>> To start, if anyone is interested email me directly so we do not
>> bombard the mailing list with suggestions and edits.
>>
>> Thanks
>> Teresita Rios
>>
>>
>> On Wed, Jun 30, 2021 at 9:31 AM Lauren Bishop via BlindLaw <
>> blindlaw at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>
>>> Hello all,
>>>
>>> I have been following this thread for a while. I also have a Dell
>>> machine, and I have definitely had apps crash while I am using them
>>> and I have also
>>> seen an out of memory error box pop up   Now that I know others are
>>> experiencing this problem, I have done a little digging. I read on a
>>> form for NVDA users that this memory leak is caused by dels real tech
>>> audio drivers. Essentially, Dell  has tweaked the drivers in such a
>>> way that it causes a memory leak when NVDA or jaws are running. Given
>>> that Dell is a popular brand of computers, it might be wise for the
>>> NFB to reach out to Dell  regarding this issue.
>>> Lauren
>>>
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>
>>> > On Jun 29, 2021, at 5:00 PM, Sanho Steele-Louchart via BlindLaw <
>>> blindlaw at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>>> >
>>> > Luis and others,
>>> >
>>> > Just changing the subject line so the powers that be don't need to
>>> > grumble at us.
>>> >
>>> > No, anti-virus programs don't make a difference, and both of my
>>> > laptops have plenty of space when the problem happens. I actually
>>> > did a clean install of Windows from a USB this weekend and the
>>> > problem disappeared... right up to the point Windows Update
>>> > reloaded the various security patches and driver updates it
>>> > onboards automatically.
>>> >
>>> > Rob mentioned loading on Windows 10 LTSC, the stripped-down
>>> > operating system without bloatware, etc. Unfortunately, Windows
>>> > Enterprise will only sell LTSC licenses to authorized businesses
>>> > and only in packages of 5 product keys. The upshot is that private
>>> > individuals aren't usually granted licenses, and when they are,
>>> > they're about $400.
>>> >
>>> > At this point I'm considering buying something from a different
>>> > manufacturer. I'm just afraid of spending many hundreds of dollars
>>> > just to have the same problem present itself on another machine.
>>> >
>>> > Sanho
>>> >
>>> > _______________________________________________
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>>
>>
>>
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