Problem Steps Recorder - Windows 7

[Techmonkey]

I cam across this a couple of weeks ago and forgot to put anything here about, but in the Monkeys line of work it could be very handy when it comes to resolving remote issues.

With Windows Microsoft decided to include a beta of their new toy the Problem Steps Recorder. If you have ever used a screen recording software then it is very similar but with one in important detail.

Instead of recording the issue as a video it takes a series of screen shots each time the user clicks or types anything.

Once the recording is ended it then puts it in to a web page style document and zips it up for sending to the person who is helping.

I ran a quick test with a simulated problem to see how it coped with a rotated desktop and recording the steps I took to rotate it back to the correct way ( I used the long method rather the CTRL+ALT+arrow).

The screenshots however didnt help too much as the display shows as the right way up in them, but they did show the process I took in quite nice detail

Quote:Problem Step 1: (16/09/2010 16:30:44) User left click on "NotificationChevron (push button)"


Problem Step 2: (16/09/2010 16:30:47) User right click on "Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator Driver for Mobile (push button)"


Problem Step 3: (16/09/2010 16:30:50) User left click on "Graphics Options (menu item)"


Problem Step 4: (16/09/2010 16:31:00) User left click on "Normal (menu item)"

It also at the bottom of the page gives you a text version of what happened.

Quote:Recording Session: 16/09/2010 16:30:37 - 16:31:06

Problem Steps: 4, Missed Steps: 0, Other Errors: 0

Operating System: 7600.16617.x86fre.win7_gdr.100618-1621 6.1.0.0.2.48

Problem Step 1: User left click on "NotificationChevron (push button)"
Program: Windows Explorer, 6.1.7600.16385 (win7_rtm.090713-1255), Microsoft Corporation, EXPLORER.EXE, EXPLORER.EXE
UI Elements: NotificationChevron, Button, TrayNotifyWnd, Shell_TrayWnd

Problem Step 2: User right click on "Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator Driver for Mobile (push button)"
Program: Windows Explorer, 6.1.7600.16385 (win7_rtm.090713-1255), Microsoft Corporation, EXPLORER.EXE, EXPLORER.EXE
UI Elements: Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator Driver for Mobile, Overflow Notification Area, Overflow Notification Area, ToolbarWindow32, NotifyIconOverflowWindow

Problem Step 3: User left click on "Graphics Options (menu item)"
Program: igfxTray Module, 7.14.10.1912, Intel Corporation, IGFXTRAY.EXE, IGFXTRAY.EXE
UI Elements: Graphics Options, Context, #32768

Problem Step 4: User left click on "Normal (menu item)"
Program: igfxTray Module, 7.14.10.1912, Intel Corporation, IGFXTRAY.EXE, IGFXTRAY.EXE
UI Elements: Normal, Rotation, #32768

Not exactly a lesson in structured English , but good enough to get the idea.

As this is a beta access to the PSR is hidden away and there are only 2 ways I have found of accessing it.

1 - Click Start > Run > PSR > OK
2 - GO to Control Panel and search Problem in the search bar and you will see Problem steps recorder listed at the bottom.

I would like to see it refined a bit more and users given more access to the tool either by a desktop shortcut or if a problem occurs they should be given the option to repeat the process using the problem steps recorded.

So far so good though.

[TechGeek89]

(16-09-2010 05:50 PM)Techmonkey Wrote:  1 - Click Start > Run > PSR > OK
2 - GO to Control Panel and search Problem in the search bar and you will see Problem steps recorder listed at the bottom.

Thanks 'TechMonkey', I've never used (or at leased heard of) this tool. Looking for it right now