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DADDY BOB'S COMPUTER Q & A
June 6, 2010
Q.
I sometimes find it difficult to describe a
problem that I am having with my computer
and resort to trying to write everything
down step by step. Is there a better way to
do this?
A.
There are steps recorders available and
these can be found by searching the web.
However, I have never found any that are
easy to use or really reliable. Fortunately,
Microsoft included one with Windows 7 that
is super easy and very thorough. This
program is called the "Problem Steps
Recorder" (PSR).
The
Problem Steps Recorder automatically capture
the steps you take on a computer, including
a text description of where you clicked and
a picture (screen shot) of the screen during
each click. When all the steps are
completed, they can be saved in an HTML file
that can be used you or someone else helping
you with a computer problem.
For
security reasons, nothing that you type on
the keyboard will be recorded. There is a
"Add Comment" provision for you to enter
what was typed if you deem this an
important part of the problem.
For reasons known only to Microsoft, this
program is hidden, and unless you know it
exists, you won't find it. Possibly the same
reasoning that hides so many other what I
consider important things was used. By
default, Windows hides things like file
extensions, contents of system files and
folders, the context menus, etc., etc., but
that's another story for another time.
To access
the PSR, click the Start Orb, and enter psr.
At the top of the list psr.exe will be
displayed and when clicked on this little
window displays.
There may
be some applications that require
administrator privileges, so when you click
the Start Record, this message is displayed.
This message is not shown if the psr.exe
file was opened by right clicking and
choosing "Run as administrator".
Clicking
OK, then changes the above display to this.
Note the little shield on the right.
Clicking
on the shield then displays this
Click
yes, and now clicking on "Start Record"
will start the recording and continue until
you click on "Stop Record". Note the
recording can be paused if desired. When you
stop recording, you will be given the chance
to name the file and save it. The default
save location will probably be the desktop.
It is a HTML file but will be automatically
zipped to make emailing and handling easier.
It can be opened and read from any browser.
I have
created a small recorded file starting with
my desktop then opening Internet Explorer,
going to my website, opening the search, and
searching for System Restore. I added a
comment to explain what was typed in. This
test file called psr-test.zip can be
downloaded
HERE.
A
probably unrealized side benefit of this PSR
program is that it is detailed and
powerful enough to create step by step
instructions for documenting or explaining
just about anything that can be done on the
computer. |
