Can I install Microsoft voices Mary, Mike and Sam?

[Jim Bretti]

All versions of Windows have some pre-installed Sapi5 voices available. The question is can the older Microsoft voices, Mary, Mike, and Sam, be installed on Windows Vista and later?

Sapi5
We currently don't know of any way to install Sapi5 versions of Mary, Mike and Sam on Windows Vista and later. The Sapi5 versions of these voices only work on Windows XP.

Sapi4
You can, however, install the Sapi4 versions of Mary, Mike and Sam on Vista and later. If you haven't installed any Sapi4 voices on your system you should install the Sapi4 API first, by running the installer at https://nextup.s3.amazonaws.com/sapi4/Spchapi.exe. Then, install the Microsoft Sapi4 voices using the installer at https://nextup.s3.amazonaws.com/sapi4/marymksm.exe. These voices are *very* old, but still seem to work ok.

I recommend running both installers as administrator. To run an installer as administrator, right click the installer from Windows explorer, and select "Run as Administrator" from the popup menu. Depending on how you are logged in, you will either be prompted for administrator confirmation, or to enter an administrator password.

If you have questions send us an email at support@nextup.com