Dragon speech recognition software has come a long way since the ’90s, now onto its 15th version. Over this time, the product has moved from “cereal box” off-the-shelf sales to digital downloads. This has been the trajectory for most software products, avoiding the physical copy limitations of a boxed product in favour of the instant download approach. While downloading software over the internet has its benefits, there are some drawbacks.
In the past, you could expect to find speech recognition products lining the shelves of popular computer supply stores like ComputerMania and Incredible Connection. While typically promoting entry level products with companies like HCD providing more specialised versions such as Premium or Professional with support services, the boxes began to disappear. This wasn’t necessarily from sales but seemed to run in proportion with the jump to digital as internet speeds made quicker downloads faster and more secure.
One of the setbacks to doing it this way is that it’s easy to forget where your install files are located. You could just as easily lose the installation disc but having a disc and basic user guide in a draw is somehow more comforting as a fall back option. You can convert the disc into digital by simply copying all of its contents onto your hard drive, which is a good idea. Then, make sure you keep the installation key code in a safe place. Having a copy of the installation files and your license key code will make it easy to get up-and-running again without much fuss if your PC or hard drive fails, damaged or stolen.
Whether you get a download link, flash drive or a physical media DVD, be sure to keep them accessible and in a safe space for retrieval at a later date. It will be a major hassle to try and find invoices to prove your purchase and have these details recalled. The disc gives more confidence to users, who will also be able to sell the software on at a later stage or set another user up with the license if they buy a secondary software license at a later date.
If you have the disc and it gets damaged, you can use some toothpaste to help mend deeper scratches, which is a popular hack. However, having a digital copy of the install files on your PC or flash drive will always be first prize. When it comes to installation, using files already located on your PC also tends to be quicker than installing from the disc – so there’s that too!