Qmark
 | |
| Name | Qmark |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Microsoft Corporation |
| Initial release | 2001 |
| Description | N/A |
| Extra data | N/A |
| Animations | 13 |
| TTS voice | None |
| Download | https://tmafe.com/classic-ms-agents/qmark.acs (new version) https://tmafe.com/ms-agent-hosting-3/qmark1.acs (build 2469) https://www.tmafe.com/ms-agent-hosting-4/qmark_unused.acs (unused version) |
Qmark (short for Question Mark) is a Microsoft Agent character released by Microsoft Corporation. Qmark is one of the few characters to have been developed by Microsoft. Qmark was developed for use inside of the Windows XP operating system setup.
Use in the Windows XP Setup
Qmark was used in the Windows XP setup as part of the OOBE and would assist the user in setting up their computer with Windows XP. It can also be found on Windows XP systems inside of the "oobe" folder present inside of system32.
Old qmark
There is an older version of qmark present inside of Windows XP Build 2469, which has a TTS voice and the use of the Comic Sans font inside of the word balloon. It is unknown why Microsoft removed the voice from the agent, but it is speculated that it would not be fitting for the Windows XP setup. This version of qmark also has slightly different sounds than the final version.
Windows XP source leak
Inside of the Windows XP source code leak, the qmark ACS and ACD files are both present inside of it, including its palette and a bunch of unused frames for what would be an early version of its show animation. This version of qmark however is identical to the one present inside of the final release of Windows XP and the unused animation is not compiled. The qmark character with unused animations can be downloaded in the downloads section.
Character data
| Character data for Qmark | |
|---|---|
| File name: | Qmark.acs |
| Description: | N/A |
| Extra data: | N/A |
| File size: | 1.11 MB (new version) / 1.61 MB (build 2469) |
| Animations: | 13 |
| TTS voice: | N/A (new version) / Adult Male #1, American English (TruVoice) (build 2469) |
| GUID: | {92AE9591-34FC-4468-936E-59B9C23266B8} |
| TTSMode ID: | <Speech Output Disabled/No TTS Engine Found> (new version) / {CA141FD0-AC7F-11D1-97A3-006008273000} (build 2469) |
| TTS speed: | 150 |
| TTS pitch: | 85 |
| Width: | 200px |
| Length: | 157px |
Gallery
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The default animation frame of Qmark. -
A photo of Qmark inside of the Windows XP OOBE. -
Unused spiral animation, assumed to be an earlier version of the Show animation. -
A palette file of Qmark. -
Another palette file of Qmark. -
Unused hiding animation. -
Another unused hiding animation. -
Unused move animation.
Trivia
- It is one of the few characters to be developed by Microsoft Corporation.
- It was created in the year 2001, making it the most recent Microsoft Agent character to be developed by Microsoft.
- As with most classical Microsoft Agents, they have their own color tables to utilize multiple unique colors to make the character seem higher quality.
- Peedy and Qmark are the only two Microsoft-developed characters to not have a Microsoft Agent 1.5 version developed.