Useful Microsoft Utilities: Snipping Tool and Problem Steps Recorder

Snipping Tool

With the release of Windows Vista, Microsoft created a new faster way of taking a picture of your screen than ever before. In the old days you would have to press the printscreen button, then open a program like Paint or Word and paste the image. Now Windows Vista (along with Windows 7 and Windows 8) comes with the “Snipping Tool.”

Just go to Start->All Programs->Accessories->Snipping Tool. This neat little application lets you select a part of the screen which it then immediately displays to let you markup, save, or email for help.

Problem Steps Recorder

A useful utility released with Windows 7 is the “Problem Steps Recorder”. This handy little application also in Windows 8 was designed to assist helpdesk collect information from end users when things aren’t working right. PSR will take a picture of the screen every time you click the mouse so that support can follow along to troubleshoot the issue.

Problem Steps Recorder How To

1. Click on Start->Run.
2. Type in "PSR" and hit Enter to launch, or type "PSR" in the Start menu's Search box and click on the program.
3. Once PSR is open, click on “Start Record” and perform the steps to reproduce the issue.
4. Optional: Click "Add Comment" if you'd like to add a comment during a particular part of the recording. A box will pop up that will allow you to highlight part of the screen and type in your comment.
5. When you are finished, click on "Stop Record".

 (Thanks to our tech, Dennis, for posting about these utilities.)