Microsoft Agent Installation Guide
Unlike most applications, Microsoft Agent isn't just a program you double click and run. It is instead a tool that runs in the background whenever you run a program that utilizes Microsoft Agent technology. Because of this, there are some applications which will fail to run if Microsoft Agent isn't installed. While most applications install it automatically, some may require for you to manually install it. This guide will help you install Microsoft Agent on your computer.
Step 1
Install the Microsoft Agent Runtime
While Microsoft Agent is pre-installed in Windows 98, 2000, ME, XP, and Vista. Users who use Windows 7 or later will have to install it manually. Simply download the installer from above and run it to install the Microsoft Agent core components. This will allow you to run programs which utilize Microsoft Agent.
Step 2
Install the Lernout and Hauspie's TruVoice Text-To-Speech Engine
Many Microsoft Agent characters use Lernout and Hauspie's TruVoice as their Text-To-Speech (TTS) engine. If you don't have Lernout and Hauspie's TruVoice installed, Microsoft Agent characters will not be able to speak in their TTS voice, and only their speech bubble will appear. Simply download the installer from above and run it to install Lernout and Hauspie's TruVoice.
If you want, you can download more TTS voices from below. If you're downloading a speech engine for a different language, make sure you also install their respected language add-on as well.
| Language |
TTS
Engine |
Language
Add-On (128 KB) |
| American English | tv_enua.exe | Already installed |
| British English | lhttseng.exe | Already installed |
| Dutch | lhttsdun.exe | agtx0413.exe |
| French | lhttsfrf.exe | agtx040C.exe |
| German | lhttsged.exe | agtx0407.exe |
| Italian | lhttsiti.exe | agtx0410.exe |
| Japanese | lhttsjpj.exe | agtx0411.exe |
| Korean | lhttskok.exe | agtx0412.exe |
| Portuguese (Brazilian) | lhttsptb.exe | agtx0416.exe |
| Russian | lhttsrur.exe | agtx0419.exe |
| Spanish | lhttsspe.exe | agtx0C0A.exe |
You can also download the original 3 TTS voices that were released by Microsoft.
Step 3 (Optional)
Install the Microsoft Speech Recognition Engine
While having characters speak is one thing, you might also want them to listen to you and preform commands based on what they heard. If you want your characters to be able to listen to you, simply download the installer from above and run it to install the Microsoft Speech Recognition Engine. While installing, you'll need to train your voice to the engine so it can recognize your voice and preform actions based on the spoken command.
Step 4 (Optional)
Install the Microsoft Speech Control Panel
The speach control panel will allow you to customize the settings of the compatible speech recogition and text-to-speech engines that are installed on your system.
Step 5 (Only on modern versions of Windows)
Install AgentPatch for Windows
If you're on Windows 7 or later, you might notice a transparency issue with Microsoft Agent characters. That is due to the way aero graphics on Windows Vista and later render Microsoft Agent characters compared to the non-aero graphics on XP and earlier. While Vista's Microsoft Agent version has support for the aero theme, the default TTS API uses SAPI 5.3 instead of SAPI 4.0, which may make characters have the incorrect TTS voice.
To fix the transparency problem without having to use the SAPI 5.3 voices, download the ZIP file for AgentPatch above, extract it, and then run the installer inside of it. This will run Microsoft Agent in a hidden Windows NT 4.0 compatibility mode which will fix the transparency problem for characters.
