How can I tell if Microsoft Agent is installed on my system?
Follow the link below to determine if Agent is installed on your system. This test page requires Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 or later. If the necessary components are not installed, they will be installed automatically.
If you're not using Internet Explorer 4.0 or later, you can download the necessary components from Microsoft's download site using the link below.
Exactly which components are required?
To use Sound-Proof, you will need the following items. All are free, and all are available from Microsoft's Agent site.
-
Microsoft Agent Core Components (395K)
- The L&H TruVoice text-to-speech engine (1 Mbyte)
-
One or more Agent Character file (these vary in size)
Note that a very simple Agent character is included with Sound-Proof.
When I install Sound-Proof, are the preceding items installed automatically.
No.
Where can I get additional Agent characters?
Several Agent characters are available from Microsoft and other developers. Most are free.
Following are links that have Agent characters available for download.
Can I change the voice of an Agent character.
No. Each Agent character is programmed to use a particular voice. And, the voice characteristics vary by character. You may find that some voices are easier to understand. For example, the Genie and Merlin character voices are good choices for Sound-Proof. The voices of the Peedy and Robby the Robot characters are not as easily understandable.
Sound-Proof, however, provides an option that enables you to change the pitch and speed of any character's voice (use the Options dialog box to make these changes). You can also specify a Monotone voice -- a voice that does not use inflection.
I like the idea, but all the Microsoft Agent characters look like cartoons. Are there any agents more appropriate for a business setting?
Sound-Proof 2000 includes a very simple Agent character. When you install Sound-Proof 2000, this character is copied to your \windows\msagent\chars directory (the standard location for Microsoft Agent character files).
The Sound-Proof character,
stored in soundproof.acs, is simply a
green LED display that moves
when text is being read. The animated GIF image to the left demonstrates how
this character looks as it reads text. It occupies very little screen
space and is contained in a
very small file. With the exception of
the LED movements, it has no animations and uses has only one sound
effect.
Can I use a Microsoft Agent character as my Office Assistant?
Yes. First, make sure that an Office Assistant character is visible. Then, access the Options dialog box for Sound-Proof. Click the Agent tab, and choose your Agent character file. You will be asked if you'd like to use that character as you Office Assistant. NOTE: You will be asked this question only if an Office Assistant character is visible.
Can I create my own Agent character?
Yes. Microsoft provides a free application name Agent Character Editor (ACE). You can download a copy of ACE from the Microsoft Agent Web Site. This is the application used to create the simple SoundProof Agent character.
I moved the Sound-Proof 2000 files to a different folder, and now the toolbar doesn't work.
The solution is to build a new toolbar. Choose this menu command: Tools * Sound-Proof 2000 * Rebuild the Sound-Proof Toolbar.
Is there a way to show icons only (no text) on the Sound-Proof 2000 toolbar?
Yes, choose this menu command: Tools * Sound-Proof 2000 * Rebuild the Sound-Proof Toolbar. You will be asked if you want to include the captions in the toolbar buttons.
Can I continue working in Excel while cells are being read by Sound-Proof?
Yes. Sound-Proof 2000 operates asynchronously. This means that you can continue working as a selected range of cells is being read. However, this can also result in a situation in which Sound-Proof reads an incorrect cell entry. For example, assume you instruct Sound-Proof to read the range A1:A20. While the cells are being read, you make a change to cell A20. Sound-Proof will read the original value that was in A20 -- not the new value.
Is there a version of Sound-Proof for Microsoft Word?
Yes. Sound-Proof 2000 Word Edition is included with the licensed version of Sound-Proof 2000 for Excel.
Can I purchase Sound-Proof Word Edition separately?
No.
Is Sound-Proof 2000 available in other languages?
Currently, English is the only supported language. However, the add-in is written such that it can easily be adapted to other languages. This will depend largely on the availability of compatible speech-to-text engines for other languages.
Is the original version of Sound-Proof still available?
Yes. The original version uses an entirely different technology which is quite crude compared to Sound-Proof 2000. For information about the original Sound-Proof add-in, follow the link below.
I purchased the original version of Sound-Proof. What's the upgrade policy?
Upgrades are free, but there is a $5.00 upgrade processing fee. To request an upgrade, use the Upgrade Form.