This document contains information on the latest version of ZoomText 8. The information is grouped by release, with the most recent version listed first.
Version 8.04.3
Version 8.04.2
Version 8.04
Version 8.03
Version 8.02
Version 8.01
Release Date: September 9, 2005
New Feature
Enhancement
Bug Fix
Fix for crash when selecting text in Microsoft Word
On some systems, when block selecting text in Microsoft Word (2000 and later), Word would crash and generate a series of Windows Error Reporting dialogs. This problem would also occur in Microsoft Outlook, when configured to use Microsoft Word as the email editor. This problem has been fixed.
Fix for screen corruption on Intel graphics controllers
On systems containing an Intel 828xx or 829xx graphics controller, the screen would become corrupted, or turn gray or blue when running ZoomText. These problems have been fixed.
Fix for switch to 4-Bit color mode after Intel driver update
On Windows XP systems containing an Intel 828xx or 829xx graphics controller, after updating the Intel display driver and restarting the computer, the system would switch to 4-bit color mode. This problem has been fixed.
Fix for screen corruption and loss of typing echo after GDI hotfix
On Windows XP systems, the user could experience random screen corruption or loss of typing echo in Microsoft Word. These problems were related to a specific Windows XP GDI hotfix. These problems have been fixed.
Fix for screen corruption on ViaS3 graphics controllers
On systems containing ViaS3 graphics controllers, screen corruption would occur when running ZoomText. This problem has been fixed.
Release Date: May 29, 2004
New Feature
Enhancement
Bug Fix
Fix for Screen Corruption on Intel Graphics Controllers
On systems containing an Intel 82845, 82852 or 82855 graphics controller, the screen would become corrupted, or turn gray or blue when running ZoomText. These problems have been fixed.
Fix for Screen Corruption on ATI Graphics Controller
On systems containing an 'ATI 3D Rage Pro AGP 2x' graphics controller, a black bar would appear in the top-left corner of the screen when using non-shadowed mouse pointer settings. This problem has been fixed.
Fix for Screen Corruption on Trident Graphics Controller
On systems containing a Trident 3D Image985 graphics controller, a ghost pointer would appear on the screen. This problem has been fixed.
Fix for Screen Corruption on S3 graphics controller
On systems containing the S3 Savage4 graphics controller, the mouse pointer would sometimes disappear. This problem has been fixed.
Release Date: November 19, 2003
New Feature
Enhancement
Bug Fix
Support for Microsoft Office 2003
ZoomText 8.04 now supports Microsoft Office 2003, including new versions of Word, Excel and Outlook.
Support for Windows NT 4.0
ZoomText now supports Windows NT 4.0 (with Service Pack 6 or later).
Addition of Italian, Japanese and Hebrew localizations
The International version of ZoomText now includes localizations for Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Slovak, Spanish, Swedish and UK English. Any of these languages can be selected during Setup.
All localizations include translations of the Setup program, ZoomText and the ZoomText Help System. Translated documentation (ZoomText User's Guide and Quick Reference Guide) for all the supported languages exist in MS Word and PDF formats on our website: www.aisquared.com/support/more/documentation
Support for Windows FG/BG Colors in DocReader
When the DocReader settings were configured to "Use colors from captured document", DocReader would display black text on a white background, regardless of the text and background colors selected in the Windows Appearance Settings (located in the Appearance tab of the Display Properties dialog). This problem has been fixed.
Fix for IE Hang when Registering for .NET Passport
When logging onto Microsoft websites requiring a Microsoft Passport, after entering the user name and password and then clicking OK, Internet Explorer would hang if ZoomText was running. This problem has been fixed.
Fix for AppReader/DocReader Errors in Eudora 6.0
When composing a new email in Eudora 6.0, attempts to read the email with AppReader or DocReader would fail and generate various error messages. These problems have been fixed.
Fix for AppReader Highlight Stuck on MSN Butterfly Logo
When using AppReader on the Microsoft MSN website, the AppReader highlight would stick on the MSN Butterfly logo after pressing the Page Down key. This problem has been fixed.
Fix for AppReader Error on MSN Homepage
When starting AppReader on the Microsoft MSN homepage, an AppReader error would occur if a caret was active in the "Search the web" field. This problem has been fixed.
Fix for Large AppReader Highlight in Internet Explorer
When using AppReader in Internet Explorer, the AppReader highlight could appear at an incorrect size after using the Page Up and Page Down commands. This problem has been fixed.
Fix for Problem Launching AppReader in Outlook 2000
When Outlook 2000 was configured with Word 2000 as the email editor, attempts to read rich text email with AppReader would fail (when invoked from the AppReader button on the ZoomText UI). The AppReader highlight would appear on the first visible word in the email, but when clicking or pressing the ENTER key (to begin reading) the window would scroll to the end of the email and AppReader would exit. This problem has been fixed.
Fix for Cursor Enhancements Appearing in DocReader Dialog
When opening the DocReader Settings dialog from within DocReader, the cursor locator could appear on the screen even though a cursor was not active. This problem has been fixed.
Fix for Restarting DocReader After First Use
On some systems, after the first use of DocReader, attempts to restart DocReader would fail and display an error message. This problem has been fixed.
Fix for Corruption While Using Adjust and Freeze Tools
On some systems, when using the Adjust and Freeze Tools, screen corruption would occur when operating the tool cursor with the keyboard. This problem has been fixed.
Improved Screen Refresh When Dragging Windows
On some systems, when dragging a window over the screen screen refresh was slow. Screen refresh has been optimized eliminating this problem.
Fix for Ghost Pointer in Top/Left Corner of Screen
On systems containing an ATI Rage 128 VR AGP video card, when ZoomText is activated a ghost mouse pointer would appear in the top/left corner of the screen. The ghost pointer would remain visible even when exiting ZoomText. This problem has been fixed.
Fix for System Freeze After Changing Display Color Depth
On systems containing an ATI Rage 128 VR AGP 2X or ATI 128 Rage Pro UltraGL AGP video cards, if the display color depth was changed while ZoomText's pointer enhancements were active, the system would become unstable and eventually freeze. This problem has been fixed.
Fix for Pointer Enhancement Colors Not Displayed Properly
On systems containing an ATI Rage 128 VR AGP video card, when running in High Color (16 bit) display mode with pointer shadows enabled, the pointer color did not change when activating ZoomText’s pointer enhancements. This problem has been fixed.
Support for Extended Czech Characters in Typing Echo
When running in Czech Windows operating system or using Czech input locale (selected in Keyboard settings) some extended Czech characters were not output by ZoomText's typing echo. This problem has been fixed.
Fix for Loss of Focus in Screen Enhancements Dialog
In the Screen Enhancements dialog box, when navigating to the 'Customize' button and pressing ENTER, the dialog would lose keyboard focus. This problem has been fixed.
Release Date: September 20, 2003
New Feature
Enhancement
Bug Fix
DocReader Now Available in ZoomText Magnifier
ZoomText's DocReader, the full-screen reading environment, is now available in ZoomText Magnifier (previously available in Magnifier/ScreenReader only). DocReader displays text in an easy-to-read format and can automatically read complete documents from beginning to end. In ZoomText Magnifier/ScreenReader, DocReader includes fully integrated speech and magnification. In ZoomText Magnifier, DocReader will display scrolling text, without speech output. With 8.03 being a maintenance release, the ZoomText toolbars will not be modified. Therefore in ZoomText Magnifier, DocReader will be accessible only by hotkey: Alt + Shift + D.
Addition of Finnish and Portuguese localizations
The International version of ZoomText now includes localizations for Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Slovak, Spanish, Swedish and UK English. Localizations Any of these languages can be selected when installing from the ZoomText product CD. Note: Online updates do not install newly available languages or facilitate changing languages.
All localizations include translations of the Setup program, ZoomText and the ZoomText Help System. Translated documentation (ZoomText User's Guide and Quick Reference Guide) for all the supported languages will be available on the Ai Squared website in early November, 2003.
ZoomText Toolbars Support Large/Extra-Large Fonts
The ZoomText toolbars display properly when using Windows Desktop Scheme configured with large and extra large font settings. Note: Changing the Windows Desktop settings while ZoomText is running may require a restart of ZoomText.
Support for Shadow Pointers in Windows XP and 2000
ZoomText now supports shadowed mouse pointers in Windows XP and Windows 2000.
Improved Display Driver and AT Compatibility
ZoomText's display architecture has been revised, providing improved compatibility with display drivers and AT products (such as JAWS and WindowEyes). In addition, ZoomText now supports mode changes and Fast-User Switching in Windows XP.
Improved Stability in Windows 98 and Millennium
Numerous problems that caused instability in Windows 98 and Windows Millenium have been addressed in this release, including crashes that occured when clicking in list view controls.
ZoomText Compatibility with WindowEyes
ZoomText is now compatible with WindowEyes screen reader from GW Micro. ZoomText and WindowsEyes can be installed on the same system and run independently or simultaneously.
Fix for AppReader Pausing at End of Lines
When using AppReader to read in WordPad, NotePad and other generically supported applications, AppReader would pause at the end of each line of text - as if it were the end of a sentence. This problem has been fixed.
Fix for Disappearing Icons After Exiting ZoomText
In Windows XP and Windows 2000, after exiting ZoomText desktop icons and graphical symbols, such as those displayed in Windows Explorer and Microsoft Outlook, were not displayed properly. Solid black boxes usually appeared in their place. This problem occurred with specific video chips, including: Intel 82845/G, ATI Rage Mobility, ATI Mobility M1 and S3 Savage. This problem has been fixed.
Fix for Tracking Problems in ZoomText Magnifier
In ZoomText Magnifier versions 8.01 and 8.02, ZoomText would fail to track in some list box, combo box and tree view controls. This problem has been fixed.
Release Date: August 7, 2003
New Feature
Enhancement
Bug Fix
Additional Localizations in International Version
The International Version of ZoomText 8.02 now includes localizationsfor Czech, Danish, Dutch, French, German, Norwegian, Polish, Slovak, Spanish, Swedishand UK English. Any of these languages can be selected during Setup.All localizations include translations of the Setup program, ZoomText and the ZoomText Help System. Translated documentation (ZoomText User's Guide andQuickReference Guide) for all the supported languages exist in PDF format on our website, www.aisquared.com.
Separate Configurations for each ZoomText User
ZoomText now supports separate configurations for each user, based on the Windows login name. Multiple ZoomText user's can share the same system and configure ZoomText according to thier personal needs - without affecting another user's settings.
Enhanced Support for JAVA Applications
ZoomText now provides more complete and reliable tracking, magnification and screen reading in JAVA applications.
Fix for Hibernation and Standby Modes
ZoomText would crash when a system went into hibernation or standby mode. ZoomText now automatically turns itself off when entering hibernation or standby. When the system comes out hibernation or standby you can turn ZoomText back on using Enable ZoomText hotkey <Alt + Insert>.
Fix for DocReader commands (Beginning/End of Document)
The DocReader commands for navigating to the Beginning of Document (Ctrl + Home) and End of Document (Ctrl + End) were not working. This problem has been fixed.
Fix for Numpad Echo in Windows 98
In Windows 98, ZoomText was not correctly echoing the Numpad keys - depending on the selected typing echo settings and NumLock state. This problem has been fixed.
Fix for tracking in Word's spell-checker dialog
When tabbing in Word's Spelling and Grammer dialog box, ZoomText would track back to the underlying document window. This problem has been fixed.
Release Date: June 16, 2003
New Feature
Enhancement
Bug Fix
First Release of the International Version
The ZoomText 8.01 is the first release of version 8 to include international support. The International Version of ZoomText includes localizations for Danish, Dutch, French, German, Spanish and UK English. Any of these languages can be selected during Setup. All localizations include translations of the Setup program, ZoomText and the ZoomText Help System. For translated documentation (ZoomText User’s Guide and Quick Reference Guide) for all the supported languages in PDF format click here.
Support for BigShot
ZoomText 8.01 is now compatible with BigShot Screen Magnifier in Windows 2000 and Windows XP. Both products should not be run at the same time, but they are now able to co-exist on the same system. BigShot should be installed first. If ZoomText 8.0 already exists on a system on which you want to install BigShot, uninstall ZoomText 8.0, install BigShot and then reinstall ZoomText.
Support for Dvorak Keyboard
Typing echo in ZoomText now supports non-primary keyboard layouts, including Dvorak and international layouts.
SayCurrentLine Hotkey Fixed
The SayCurrentLine hotkey (Shift + Numpad 5) was not working in DocReader. This problem has been fixed.