Windows 7: Problem Steps Recorder

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I never thought I’d say this again – but I’m looking forward to the next version of Windows. In playing with Windows 7, I’ve discovered features that will prove very useful. You’ll definitely fall in love with this particular feature. The Problem Steps Recorder will come in quite handy and be something you’ll wonder how you ever lived without.

If you’ve ever been trying to do tech support to other users via the Internet or telephone, you know how difficult it can be. You may feel like you’re going crazy, trying to make them able to clearly define and describe the problems. Most of the time, it’s not the user’s fault – it’s just not easy to put the problems into words. The Problem Steps Recorder will change all of that.

The tool is an easy-to-use (yet advanced!) variation of screen capturing software. It’s almost like a print screen, of sorts. It has this little advantage of documenting all of the mouse clicks and key strokes that are being done. It grabs all of the technical mumbo jumbo, and ties it all together into a nice little report for you, the tech person, to read.

Ahhh, the report. The reports are amazing! It is actually an XML page which shows each step of the user’s actions, including screenshots with those items highlighted! You can look at the report “as is”, or in a slideshow. Heck, if you’re feeling really frisky, you can dig into the XML to look at every fine detail!

I just… can’t say enough about this feature. It’s practical. It’s useful. It’s easy to use. It’s about time! Kudos to the dev team at Microsoft. This is a definite win!

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