Jump to content

Rover

From Agentpedia, the Microsoft Agent encyclopedia

Rover
NameRover
Developer(s)Microsoft Corporation
Initial releaseOctober 25, 2001 Microsoft Agent 2.0 only. / March 10th, 1995 Microsoft Actor only.
DescriptionRover will help you sniff out what you're looking for. Microsoft Agent 2.0 only. / Hmmm...let's see...I'm an easygoing sort of pup, I guess. I can dig up information and fetch whatever you need. Oh--and I'll stay off the furniture! Microsoft Actor only.
Extra dataI love to play fetch. Throw me a question! Microsoft Agent 2.0 only.
Animations29 Microsoft Agent 2.0 only. / 28 Microsoft Actor only.
TTS voiceNone
Downloadhttps://tmafe.com/classic-ms-agents/rover.acs Microsoft Agent 2.0 only.
https://tmafe.com/classic-ms-actors/ROVER.ACT Microsoft Actor only.

Rover is a Microsoft Actor and Microsoft Agent character that comes bundled with Microsoft Bob and Windows XP developed by Microsoft Corporation. Rover was used as the default guide in Microsoft Bob, as well as the default assistant Windows XP's search, where the user would tell Rover what to search for and have Rover pull up the search results. His appearance throughout all variants is a yellow dog with a red collar, with the earlier builds of him having him larger. In his Microsoft Actor form, Rover has a more cartoon-style with his red collar having a Microsoft Bob logo as a charm.

Use in Microsoft Bob

Main article: Microsoft Bob

Rover was the default guide in Microsoft Bob, a desktop shell initially released for for Windows 3.1 and Windows 95 in 1995. The program featured a cartoonist-influenced interface, with Rover being available in the bottom-right corner of the screen to guide the user. However, upon Microsoft Bob's discontinuation in 1996, the Rover character would not be utilized again until 2001, when he was re-introduced as the default search assistant for Windows XP.

In Microsoft Bob 2.0, Rover was going to be replaced with Rocky, but the program was ultimately scrapped following Microsoft Bob 1.0's negative reception.

Rover is the default assistant of the Windows XP operating system search. As a result, he is the most well-known of the Windows XP search assistants. Inside the Windows XP search, the assistant provides six options for the user, including:

  • Pictures, music, or video
  • Documents (word processing, spreadsheet, etc.)
  • All files and folders
  • Computers or people
  • Information in Help and Support Center
  • Search the Internet

The user may right-click on Rover to get the assistant to "Do a trick", which plays a random animation from Rover or another assistant if selected. The end user may also turn off Rover or select another animated character in the right-click menu. When the user finishes their search, the user may click "Finish search" which hides Rover until the search menu is re-opened.

Use in XP Search Assistant Rewritten

Main article: XP Search Assistant Rewritten

Rover makes an appearance as the default character in XP Search Assistant Rewritten, a re-implementation of the original Windows XP search for modern Windows versions. As with the original "Search Assistant" feature in Windows XP, the user can type in a search query, which will prompt for Rover to "search" the file system for the query. Uniquely, the program features three variants of Rover, the original Microsoft Actor (.ACT) version, the Microsoft Agent (.ACS) version, and the FCS Engine (.FCS) version, with the FCS version being meant for computers without Microsoft Agent.

Beta builds

In the beta versions of Windows XP, there were beta versions of Rover, with build 2410 being the earliest known build to have Rover. Listed below is a brief summary of each of the known Rover builds:

Build 2410

Build 2410 has the earliest known build of Rover in his Microsoft Agent form. He is larger than his regular version and has only eight animations. He has no character description in this version.

Build 2416

Build 2416 adds "Lovable Rover is your best friend in cyberspace. He's a loyal companion with an exceptional nose. You can count on Rover to help you sniff out what you're looking for on the Internet." as its description. Three more animations were added.

Build 2419

Build 2419 adds seven new animations, bringing the total to 18. Some animations were also changed.

Build 2428

Build 2428 makes Rover smaller and is the final version of Rover.

Build 2430

Build 2430 adds four new animations.

Build 2433

Build 2433 adds an additional animation, bringing the total to 23.

Final Rover

The final version of Rover has 29 total animations.

Character data

Character data for Rover Microsoft Agent 2.0 only.
File name: rover.acs
Description: Rover will help you sniff out what you're looking for.
Extra data: I love to play fetch. Throw me a question!
File size: 1.77 MB
Animations: 29
TTS voice: <Speech Output Disabled/No TTS Engine Found>
GUID: {1969B465-244F-4E82-8A08-457A5FA01116}
TTSMode ID: <Speech Output Disabled/No TTS Engine Found>
TTS speed: 170
TTS pitch: 0
Width: 80px
Length: 80px


Actor data for Rover Microsoft Actor only.
File name: ROVER.ACT
Description: Hmmm...let's see...I'm an easygoing sort of pup, I guess. I can dig up information and fetch whatever you need. Oh--and I'll stay off the furniture!
Pick Me: Let's go, Anybody!~~Whaddya say, Anybody?~~Hey! Where to, Anybody?
File size: 420 KB
Animations: 28
Width: 192px
Length: 144px
  • The default animation frame of Rover.
    The default animation frame of Rover.
  • The default animation frame of Rover (Microsoft Actor version).
    The default animation frame of Rover (Microsoft Actor version).
  • The color table used by the Rover character.
    The color table used by the Rover character.
  • Rover inside of the Windows XP search window.
    Rover inside of the Windows XP search window.
  • Rover inside of Microsoft Bob.
    Rover inside of Microsoft Bob.
  • The default animation frame of Rover before build 2428.
    The default animation frame of Rover before build 2428.
  • All frames inside of Build 2410 Rover.
    All frames inside of Build 2410 Rover.
  • All frames inside of Rover from the final build.
    All frames inside of Rover from the final build.
  • Rover inside of XP Search Assistant Rewritten.
    Rover inside of XP Search Assistant Rewritten.
  • Rover's Actor file displayed outside of Microsoft Bob.
    Rover's Actor file displayed outside of Microsoft Bob.
  • Rover being designed in the Utopia Animation Editor.
    Rover being designed in the Utopia Animation Editor.

Trivia

  • Rover was created in 2001, making him one of the most recent Microsoft Agent characters to be developed by Microsoft.
  • Rover is one of the few classical Microsoft Agent characters to have development versions found of the ACS file.
  • Rover originates from Microsoft Bob, a Microsoft program made to provide a more user-friendly experience on Windows 3.x and Windows 95.
  • He is one of the few Microsoft Agent characters to be developed by Microsoft Corporation.
  • As with most classical Microsoft Agents, he has his own color table to utilize multiple unique colors to make the character seem higher quality.
Retrieved from "https://agentpedia.tmafe.com/index.php?title=Rover&oldid=14605"