Debugging problems with TA Toolbar for Internet Explorer

[Jim Bretti]

If you're having trouble with the toolbar for Internet Explorer, the first thing to do is to try updating TextAloud to the current version. You can download the current version of TextAloud from http://www.nextup.com/files/ta3.exe. Close your Internet Explorer windows, run the installer, reboot your machine, and restart Internet Explorer.

If updating TextAloud doesn't help with the problem, here are some things to check.

If you are running a 64 bit version of Windows you need to make sure you are using the 32 bit version of Internet Explorer. The TextAloud toolbar for Internet Explorer is a 32 bit plugin, and does not work in the 64 bit version of IE. Click your Start button, and then click 'All Programs'. The list of programs should include both 'Internet Explorer' and 'Internet Explorer (64-bit)'. If you launch 'Internet Explorer' you should be able to use the TextAloud Toolbar for IE.

If the toolbar does not appear in the Internet Explorer window, click View -> Toolbars from the Internet Explorer menu, and see if the TextAloud toolbar appears in the list. Frequently all you'll need to do is make sure the TextAloud entry is checked, and the toolbar will appear.

In some cases, the TextAloud toolbar entry under View->Toolbars will be disabled, or it may not appear at all. In these cases, try the following.

1. From the Internet Explorer window, click Tools -> Manage Add-Ons. In the "Add-On Types" section of the dialog, select "Toolbars and Extensions", and set the Filter dropdown to display "All add-ons". Find the TextAloud toolbar in the list of add-ons displayed. If the toolbar has a status of "Disabled", select the toolbar and click the "Enable" button at the bottom of the dialog.

2. For Internet Explorer 9 or later, right click the Internet Explorer window, right above the tabs. In the popup menu displayed, make sure the entry "TextAloud Toolbar" is checked.

3. From the Internet Explorer window, click Tools -> Internet Options, and go to the "Advanced" tab. Scroll through the settings to the "Browsing" section, and find the checkbox labeled "Enable third-party browser extensions". If this entry is unchecked, go ahead and check it, and restart Internet Explorer.

If this doesn't help send us an email at support@nextup.com.