a gnopernicus problem

["MICHAEL WEAVER" <michaelweaver1 btinternet com>]

A chap from my Linux User group helped me install Ubuntu on my laptop and 
managed to grab Gnopernicus from Ubuntu's main reposotory.
However while exploring my system, Gnopernicus stopped speaking and it kept 
coming up with a message about speech being unavailable.
I was told to try and boot into Linux and see if this problem disappeared 
but it didn't.
I am still getting the message that speech is unavailable.
As I haven't yet got a keypad for my laptop, he was having to do the slow 
way with the FN key, I think it is FN and scroll key or Insert key to try 
and access the commands.
Could a file have got corrupted?
Will I have to get the chap who installed it to do a re-install of the whole 
system?
I am hoping my laptop will have a USB port as I have read that numeric 
keypads are attached via USB.