[blindLaw] Windows computer Suggestions

Nikki Singh nikki.singh at aya.yale.edu
Sun Jan 14 15:48:26 UTC 2024 

Hi All,

I have been following this discussion on laptops. To answer Teresita's
question, I have a Dell at work. I believe it has 32 of ram and a fair
amount of solid state memory whose amount I am forgeting. I am running
JAWS 2024. Crashes are minimal. I know the model--again, forgetting
the specifics--is newer, so maybe that helps all things considered. As
a quick side note, I have to contend with random loss of JAWS
authorization. This is done periodically over WIFI, and I suspect my
agency's layer cake of security software sometimes interferes with the
authorization process--an issue that should not be a problem for most
folks.

Generally, firm and government agency security software make JAWS
performance variable. It is important to get the greatest amount of
ram and SSD as you can. You neat a robust unit if it is going to run
that much software and also to counteract JAWS' massive use of memory.
More below.

For Dells in particular, avoid if you can for now. You otherwise have
to do a lot of fine-tuning to correct the audio driver issue and to
obtain a sound at the start-up screen. As a further tip, use a USB- or
USBC-connector pair of headphones if you ever want to do field work
using headphones. The audio switch from computer speakers to
headphones is easier when you have a USB connection for reasons that
extend past my technical expertise. Dell laptops have lost their
luster of late. It is a shame because all my laptops till the end of
law school were all Dells! I will say that Dell still makes solid
peripherals.

I have been reading about a memory leak involving Dells. I am not sure
I am aware of a solution. I will also note that JAWS is a big memory
hog. Any computer running it should have at least 32 of ram. I have
insisted at every job I have had that IT add more ram to get to 32 if
the laptop did not arive with that specification already in place.

I used to have a Think Pad when I was at a firm. I know there has been
a lot of love for this brand. I, however, was not a fan. It constantly
crashed, performed sluggishly, and with the model I had, came equipped
with a terrible keyboard so I always had to use an external one to get
a reasonable arrangement for control-windows key-FN lock-alt in the
bottom right corner and the inclusion of a number pad.

Personally, I use HP. I think Probook (spelling?) and Spectre lines
make solid business laptops, though you can and should look at gaming
units. The gaming computers often have extra memory and better
speakers. In many places, you should also be able to customize the
internals in case you find a device with a good layout and visual
presentation but not so great internals.

Sincerely,
Nikki


On 1/11/24, Brian Unitt via BlindLaw <blindlaw at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> I've been using Lenovos since 2015 and think they are great. As an appellate
> specialist, my laptop is my most important tool, so on my X1 Carbon 11th
> gen, I have the top end processor, 32 MB RAM and a 500GB SSD. Besides the
> normal word processing (still on WordPerfect) e-mail, and Westlaw research,
> I spend a lot of time on Zoom and do a lot of OCR, so I don't think 32 MB is
> overkill these days. My IT contractor is partial to Lenovo, and strongly
> recommends against Dell.
> Best,
> Brian
> Brian C. Unitt
> Certified Specialist in Appellate Law
> By the State Bar of California
>
> Law Office of Brian C. Unitt
> 6185 Magnolia Ave, PMB 40
> Riverside, CA 92506
> P: 951-682-7030
> E: brianunitt at holsteinlaw.com
> Visit my Website
>
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> -----Original Message-----
> From: BlindLaw <blindlaw-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Syed Rizvi via
> BlindLaw
> Sent: Thursday, January 11, 2024 11:33 AM
> To: Blind Law Mailing List <blindlaw at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: Syed Rizvi <syedrizvinfb at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [blindLaw] Windows computer Suggestions
>
> I used a Lenovo X1 Carbon in a pre law summer internship at a firm before
> law school. It worked so well that I bought one for law school and it’s been
> a beast. At the firm where I am currently headed to, they use Dells, and
> they are absolutely terrible. Dells have this notorious spatial audio issue
> and it’s just horrible. I only use JAWS. There’s something about firm
> laptops though that just makes them glitch out. I think it probably has
> something to do with all of their extra software applications running on
> them for security and stuff. I’d suggest avoiding a Dell and if they’re
> paying for it, maxing out the capabilities can only help with handling the
> load of terribly designed assistive programs.
>
> On Thu, Jan 11, 2024 at 2:24 PM Sanho Steele-Louchart via BlindLaw <
> blindlaw at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>
>> For those of you using screen-readers on Windows machines who are
>> experiencing frequent crashes, do you happen to have a Dell? Certain
>> Dell machines are infamous for a memory leak that causes constant
>> sound to crash the operating system after some time. The screen-reader
>> works fine, then crackles, lags, and eventually gives you the modern
>> equivalent of the blue screen of death.
>>
>> Sanho
>>
>> > On Jan 11, 2024, at 2:17 PM, Teresita Rios via BlindLaw <
>> blindlaw at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> >
>> > Hi Page,
>> > I use a Mac but a new firm prefers Windows. I told them my bad
>> experiance with Windoes and ZoomTex and Fusion and they still ask for
>> a Windows alternative. So here I am trying to figure out the windows
>> world.
>> >
>> > My Mac has only glitched like twice in the three years I had it.
>> > I use Zoom with Spoken Content at the same time. This combination is
>> pretty much  ZoomText. It reads what is underneath the cursor and what
>> you type.
>> > However, sometimes for some reason a webpage or PDF is not being
>> > read by
>> Spoken Content. But in such a case I just turn on VoiceOver.
>> VoiceOver, is controlled by the keyboard (not the cursor)  can also be
>> used with zoom on a Mac. and you have essentially Fusion.
>> >
>> > Warmly,
>> > Teresita
>> >
>> >
>> >> On Jan 11, 2024, at 2:02 PM, Paige via BlindLaw
>> >> <blindlaw at nfbnet.org>
>> wrote:
>> >>
>> >> Hi!
>> >>
>> >> I’m using a 32GB ram, i7 processor, and not sure what type of video
>> memory.
>> >>
>> >> My system is constantly crashing, but I use Fusion. I got the same
>> response from Freedom Scientific.
>> >>
>> >> Does anyone who uses Apple/Voiceover have these issues?
>> >>
>> >> Thank you,
>> >> Paige
>> >>
>> >>>> On Jan 11, 2024, at 11:56 AM, Capelle, Michael C. via BlindLaw <
>> blindlaw at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> >>>
>> >>> I am running a 16 GB system with a core I 5/12 General processor,
>> >>> 512
>> GB of hard drive, with no issues whatsoever. My laptop is running four
>> gigs of ram, a core three, and a 256 GB hard drive, with no issues at
>> all.
>> >>> Sent with Mike’s iPhone 14 promax.
>> >>>
>> >>>> On Jan 11, 2024, at 12:39 PM, Teresita Rios via BlindLaw <
>> blindlaw at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> >>>>
>> >>>> Dear all,
>> >>>>
>> >>>> I called Freedom Scientific for suggestions of what computers
>> >>>> would
>> not constantly crash with their software. and they gave me a list of
>> speks like 32 GB of ram and large Cache video memory. I asked what is
>> a good number and what Cache is. But they were not helpfull stating
>> “large vvideo rendering memory is all you need” and that they could
>> not give me more specifics.
>> >>>> So if I am overwhelmed by the number of Windows computers out
>> >>>> there,
>> I humbly request aid by providing a starting point. I have several
>> questions.
>> >>>> Do you use Zoomtex, JAWS or Fusion?
>> >>>> if yes,
>> >>>> How often does your computer crash?
>> >>>> if not very often
>> >>>> What Windows computer are you using? what are the specs?  RAM and
>> >>>> SSD
>> and other memory internal things.
>> >>>>
>> >>>> Does anyone know what is a good amount of cache or how to check
>> >>>> for
>> that on a computer?
>> >>>>
>> >>>> Thank you all!
>> >>>> Teresita
>> >>>>
>> >>>> _______________________________________________
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