Question: Why can’t I dictate into Microsoft Word?  My Select-N-Say indicator is grey, what’s the deal?

When dictating into Microsoft Office Word 2007 installed on Microsoft Windows Vista 32-bit or 64-bit operating system, the following message may appear:

“Dictating into a non-standard window”. or

“Microsoft Office Word has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for the inconvenience.”

Aside from any specific errors displayed, the user may experience loss in functionality and compatibility.

Cause: The DragonBar includes aSelect and Say” indicator that turns green when accessing an application or window where all of NaturallySpeaking’s functionality is supported. Occasionally, an application or a specific window in an application will not respond to voice commands or will not work consistently.

Certain software combinations can result in conflicts within the system and specific applications. Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10.1 installs the NatSpeak Word AddIn (dgnword.dll) into Microsoft Office Word 2007. Add-ins from other applications can conflict with the NatSpeak Word AddIn which result in loss of functionality.

Note: Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10.1 is fully tested to work with Microsoft Office Word 2007 environment.

Solutions: There are several different solutions that may resolve this issue. It is recommended to start with solution 1, then proceed to the next available solution:

Solution 1: Register the NatSpeak Word AddIn (dgnword.dll) that integrates Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10.1 and Microsoft Office Word 2007. Please follow these steps to register NatSpeak Word AddIn:

 Close out of all running applications.

  1. ClickStart > All Programs > Accessories > Run”.
  2. In theRun” dialog, type:
    • On a 32-bit system: regsvr32C:Program FilesNuanceNaturallySpeaking10Programdgnword.dll”
    • On a 64-bit system: regsvr32C:Program Files (x86)NuanceNaturallySpeaking10Programdgnword.dll”

    Note: If Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10.1 was installed to a different location, the path will need to be modified accordingly.

  3. ClickOK”. A message should appear stating:
    • On a 32-bit system: DllRegisterServer inC:Program FilesNuanceNaturallySpeaking10Programdgnword.dll” succeeded.
    • On a 64-bit system: DllRegisterServer inC:Program Files (x86)NuanceNaturallySpeaking10Programdgnword.dll” succeeded.
  4. ClickOK”.


Solution 2: Disable all Microsoft Office Word Add-ins that have been installed by other applications except for the NatSpeak Word AddIn (dgnword.dll). By only enabling the NatSpeak Word AddIn, this will allow this compatibility module to function properly with Microsoft Office Word 2007 and Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10.1. One or more of this add-ins may be conflicting with Dragon NaturallySpeaking.

Note: Before disabling anything, be sure to document the existing state of all Add-ins in the event the solution needs to be reverted.

 Close out of all running applications.

  1. Launch Microsoft Office Word 2007.
  2. Click the Microsoft Office Button, and then clickWord Options”, and then clickAdd-Ins”.
  3. In the Manage box, select each add-in individually from the available pull-down, and then clickGo…”

Note: The NatSpeak Word AddIn is a compatibility module and is located in theCOM Add-ins” pull-down option. To ensure all Active Application Add-ins and Inactive Application Add-ins are properly disabled, repeat step 4 from above for each pull-down option.

Solution 3: Microsoft Office Word 2007 uses a default template to build the work environment. This template can become corrupt which can also lead to errors. This template can be removed from the system and Microsoft Office Word 2007 will automatically recreate it. Follow these steps to remove it:

 Close out of all running applications.

  1. Browse to C:Users[USER]AppDataRoamingMicrosoftTemplates
    One or moreNormal.dot” (Microsoft Office Word Macro-Enabled Template) files should be located in the folder.
  2. Select all templates and temporarily move them to the Desktop

The next time Microsoft Office Word 2007 is opened, the file will be recreated using the default values.

Note: If custom styles or macros were added to Microsoft Office Word 2007, they will be removed with theNormal.dot” template. If it does not resolve the problem, theNormal.dot” file can be returned to the original location to return these settings.

Solution 4: As a last resort, the NatSpeak Word AddIn that Dragon NaturallySpeaking installs into Microsoft Office Word 2007 can be permanently unregistered. Please follow these steps to permanently unregister NatSpeak Word AddIn:

Note: If the NatSpeak Word AddIn is disabled (unregistered), specialized commands and Select-and-Say functionality will be lost within Microsoft Office Word 2007.

 Close out of all running applications.

  1. ClickStart > All Programs > Accessories > Run”.
  2. In theRun” dialog, type:
    • On a 32-bit system: regsvr32 /uC:Program FilesNuanceNaturallySpeaking10Programdgnword.dll”
    • On a 64-bit system: regsvr32 /uC:Program Files (x86)NuanceNaturallySpeaking10Programdgnword.dll”

    Note: If Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10.1 was installed to a different location, the path will need to be modified accordingly.

  3. ClickOK”. A message should appear stating:
    • On a 32-bit system: DllUnregisterServer inC:Program FilesNuanceNaturallySpeaking10Programdgnword.dll” succeeded.
    • On a 64-bit system: DllUnregisterServer inC:Program Files (x86)NuanceNaturallySpeaking10Programdgnword.dll” succeeded.
  4. ClickOK”.

If this doesn’t work, you will need to uninstall Dragon using the DNS v10 Removal Tool then reinstall the application. 

Verification Source: Nuance Knowledge-base and In-House testing.