Hi, y'all, I don't know if this is the right KB Forum catagory to post this, but I'm sure someone will let me know. Old fart here who is not very computer savvy wanting to get feedback on a plan. 

 

Plan:

 

I have Dragon 15.3, KB 2017 (that I plan to upgrade to 2020), Speech Productivity Pro 7, and Scrivener 3 for Windows. All I want to do is write.

 

I want to discontinue using Microsoft as much as possible, but I need it for the above writing software. I have been using Windows 10. I don't have the right equipment for Windows 11. I want to go back to Windows 7 on a dedicated machine used only for writing with the aforementioned software. 

 

The dedicated computer will NOT be connected to the internet. It will be on a local network with a router between this computer and a switch. The switch is then connected to two other computers (1. my laptop, and 2. another old desktop (mostly for practicing on Linux Mint, for now). I'll include a graphic of this setup.

 

I think that with a dedicated machine I won't have to put up with Microsoft's continual and frustrating updates that often knock my current system out of wack, I'll have a stable operating system with Win7, and, not being connected to the internet, I won't have to worry about hacks or viruses.

 

Does this sound like a workable plan? 

 

This is a work-in-progress, as I have to learn how to set all this up. Any suggestions and/or advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

-------------------------

Lenovo Desktop, Intel Core i7, 16g RAM, 2T 7200 rpm, Windows 10 Home, Office 365
Laptop Toshiba Qosmio 505-Q870, Intel Core i7 Q720, 8g RAM 500g HDD, Windows 10 Home, Office 365
DPI 15.3, KB 2017, PCbyVoice+, Sennheiser M3 mic, SP Pro7, Scrivener 3

Windows 7 was the best Windows version ever, as far as I'm concerned. Relatively low CPU load, easy to access and easy to tweak. Everything worked fine, particularly Dragon®. I think a large group of users is not asking for the never ending stream of updates since Windows 10. Looks like it won't be much better in Windows 11 (although I am looking forward to the upcoming release with Voice Access!).

 

About your setup (your attached Graphic is being blocked by MS Edge by the way), do I understand correctly that your dedicated machine is not visible/discoverable on the local network by the other two computers? And those two machines are connected to the Internet?

-------------------------

https://speechproductivity.eu

Turbocharge your Dragon® productivity with 40 Power Addons

Thanks, Rob, for your reply. All the machines are SUPPOSED to be connected to the LAN. The last two ARE connected to the internet. I just don't want the dedicated machine to be vulnerable to bad stuff coming in from the internet. Regarding the graphic: It's just a .jpg file. I made it and uploaded it according to what I thought the instructions were from KB (probably goofed somehow). Can you tell me how I correct this? Thanks.

-------------------------

Lenovo Desktop, Intel Core i7, 16g RAM, 2T 7200 rpm, Windows 10 Home, Office 365
Laptop Toshiba Qosmio 505-Q870, Intel Core i7 Q720, 8g RAM 500g HDD, Windows 10 Home, Office 365
DPI 15.3, KB 2017, PCbyVoice+, Sennheiser M3 mic, SP Pro7, Scrivener 3

I think it's just an "Edge" thing. It is complaining that the KB forum itself has HTTPS connection, but the download of the image still uses HTTP... Anyway, I just used Firefox and that would open the graphic without issues.

 

So, all three machines are connected to the LAN. That means that the two machines that are connected to the Internet also have access to the Speech Recognition Desktop. Is that correct?

-------------------------

https://speechproductivity.eu

Turbocharge your Dragon® productivity with 40 Power Addons

Yes, the two machines that have access to the internet also have access to the dedicated machine's desktop. At least that's the plan. I want to be able to be able to be working with any of the machines, and have them be able to communicate (i.e. "see" data from any of the other machines) with each other. Although, now that you mention it, I don't think I NEED for the dedicated machine to have access to either of the other machines. If I want to do any work on my writing in another machine, I can copy my writing to a flash drive, and move it to either of the other machines via that.

Is there a way to be able to communicate (safely) back and forth between the dedicated computer and the other two with the setup I'm planning (on the graphic)? Or is there another setup that would be better? Thanks.

-------------------------

Lenovo Desktop, Intel Core i7, 16g RAM, 2T 7200 rpm, Windows 10 Home, Office 365
Laptop Toshiba Qosmio 505-Q870, Intel Core i7 Q720, 8g RAM 500g HDD, Windows 10 Home, Office 365
DPI 15.3, KB 2017, PCbyVoice+, Sennheiser M3 mic, SP Pro7, Scrivener 3

Just thinking: I'm not married to any plan at this time. I just want a Windows program so I can use my writing programs (Dragon, KB, Speech Productivity, and Scrivener). I only have the combination modem/router and switch (along with the three computers) so far, so any setup that keeps Windows updating at bay (so they no longer screw up my system) is good with me.

-------------------------

Lenovo Desktop, Intel Core i7, 16g RAM, 2T 7200 rpm, Windows 10 Home, Office 365
Laptop Toshiba Qosmio 505-Q870, Intel Core i7 Q720, 8g RAM 500g HDD, Windows 10 Home, Office 365
DPI 15.3, KB 2017, PCbyVoice+, Sennheiser M3 mic, SP Pro7, Scrivener 3

Although quite old-school, completely unplugging the Dedicated computer and "communicating" via flash drives indeed sounds like the only safe option. 

 

As soon as computers are able to communicate, then malware gets a chance. Internet computers --> Dedicated computer and then Dedicated computer (via security leaks in Windows 7) --> Internet computers.

 

However, since you are mentioning that the issue is mostly about problematic Windows updates, it is probably better to avoid the update issues in the first place (instead of going back to an older unsafe Windows version). 

 

I know from experience that sooner or later the last Windows update is the one that either damages Dragon® or the current Windows installation itself. It's just a matter of time. Particularly if you have a lot of other software installed as well.

 

Therefore I do a completely fresh Windows install every two years or so (format my ssd drive, completely fresh Windows install with the most recent Windows ISO). The new installation works like a charm. As soon as I have all my other programs installed and activated, I immediately create a system image with Macrium Reflect.

 

In your situation, and particularly since you only need a few programs, you can keep your new installation simple and small. If you keep it very small, then chances of ever running into update issues again are next to none.

 

If you should decide to go that way make very sure to first maintain your activations for Dragon® (uninstall in your current Windows installation while being connected to the Internet!) and KB (release activation option). I take it Scrivener also allows releasing the activation? When it comes to SP 7 PRO, there is no issue at all. I can always send you a new setup package and license file.

 

When it comes to installing Dragon® in the fresh Windows version. I recommend sticking to version 15.3 (if you still have access to the installation files).

-------------------------

https://speechproductivity.eu

Turbocharge your Dragon® productivity with 40 Power Addons

Not quite 100% safe though,  as Iran learned.

Although I doubt that Mossad and the CIA  want to sabotage your writing.

 

-------------------------

DPG15.6 (also DPI 15.3) + KB, Sennheiser MB Pro 1 UC ML, BTD 800 dongle, Windows 10 Pro, MS Surface Book 3, Intel Core i7-1065G7 CPU @ 1.3/1.5GHz (4 cores, 8 logical, GPU=NVIDIA Quadro RTX 3000 with Max-Q Design.

Thanks, Rob, for the options. I think I will go old school with the flash drive. I don't like how Microsoft jerks customers around, forcing them, if the customer wants to be safe, to the last supported program. That "last supported system" was supposed to be Windows 10. But now it's 11 and new equipment is required. 'Nuff!!

If I knew then what I know now, I would have stayed with win7 years ago (for Dragon, et al), and gone with Linux for everything else. It looks like that's still an option for me. I have a Window 7 disc and the product key, so I'm good to go there. Again, thanks for your help.

-------------------------

Lenovo Desktop, Intel Core i7, 16g RAM, 2T 7200 rpm, Windows 10 Home, Office 365
Laptop Toshiba Qosmio 505-Q870, Intel Core i7 Q720, 8g RAM 500g HDD, Windows 10 Home, Office 365
DPI 15.3, KB 2017, PCbyVoice+, Sennheiser M3 mic, SP Pro7, Scrivener 3

I wonder what software the novelist Richard Powers uses? He's been using speech recognition software to write his novels for at least 20 years. He has won the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize.

https://www.good.is/articles/dictation-and-generosity

https://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/07/books/review/Powers2.t.html (paywalled, I think)

https://www.thesmartset.com/article08121001/

Whatever he uses (I assume it is Dragon), it works for him.

This is a good idea Matt. Always consult the professionals before jumping to conclusions.

-------------------------

No need to buy if all you want to do is try ...

DragonCapture KB Download (Latest)
DragonCapture Homepage

Yes feel the same about Windows 7. I think your plan will work, especially if you use on the thumb drive/sd card to transfer files. Just do not depend on the thumb/ sd card as the home of your files because they can fail. Also, be cautious about the files you are transferring.

In the past I have done something similar. It is mostly dealing with the inconvenience. I always wondered if it was worth having virus protection as you would need to update the virus definitions. But I felt better scanning the thumb drive or sd card. I had an old KVM with a usb port that I could use to switch the usb drive between machines without having to unplug it. Also had a thumb drive plugged into the router and I would turn on wifi transfer and then turn it off. Can use a file sync utility to speed up the process.

It is possible to achieve what you want with a virtual machine, but there is a learning curve and you need a pretty fast machine.
Also there are programs out there that make it pretty easy to lock Windows from doing major updates.