Take Advantage of Microsoft's Bug Reporting Tools
It is commonly known that the Windows operating systems have suffered from issues that frustrate their users. While the fact that these issues were present was disappointing to their users, Microsoft isn't made widely aware of many of these issues for quite some time. If more users took advantage of the bug reporting tools of Windows, Microsoft would be notified of these issues must faster.
Windows XP
Microsoft's bug reporting tool will detect when there are program or system crashes, and present the user with a window asking if they would like to report the crash and its detail to Microsoft, allowing Microsoft to research the issue. To access the error reporting options in Windows XP, click "Start" then "Run" and type sysdm.cpl, which will bring up the system properties dialogue box. Now, select the "Advanced" tab and click the "Error Reporting" button in the lower right corner. Click the radio option circle next to "Enable error reporting." From here, you have the option of reporting only Windows errors, or you can also report errors associated with specific programs.
Most users have opted to report only Windows errors, but to give Microsoft the most beneficial information that may lead to eliminating more problems with Windows, select both "Windows operating systems" and "Programs." Once programs has been selected, you will now have the ability to click the "Choose Programs" button. The "Choose Programs" window gives you the opportunity to select which programs will report errors to Microsoft, or report errors from all programs. Once you are done selecting the programs, click "OK" twice to save all settings.
Windows Vista
Windows Vista's error reporting system is slightly different from Windows XP. By default the error reporting is enabled. To access error reporting and solutions in Vista, click "Start" and simply type "Problem Reports" and click "Problem Reports and Solutions" above. Once you have accessed the Problem Reports and Solutions window, click "Change Settings" on the left side of the window. Here, you can select "Check for solutions automatically" or "ask me to check if a problem occurs." Also, you can select "Advanced" settings where you can opt for your computer to send error reports regarding program usage as opposed to just Windows specific errors.
The advanced settings give you the option to disable error reporting for specific programs, and allows for each user on your computer to select different options for error reporting. The advanced settings also allow you to block individual programs from the reporting list. All of these options help give you the ability to control your privacy, while at the same time giving Windows users the best possible experience through Microsoft created solutions for Windows issues.
Privacy
Whether you are using Windows XP or Vista, privacy concerns are what stop most Windows users from reporting bugs to Microsoft. This is a dual edged blade, as not reporting causes users to have a less enjoyable and trouble-free experience when using Windows, whereas reporting issues can transmit private data to Microsoft. While the odds of Microsoft using any information obtained via error reporting is minimal, the principal of the issue resounds with privacy advocates around the world. When making your final decision as to whether to transmit details of Windows errors to Microsoft, consider that personal data is typically only transmitted when an error occurs using word processing, spreadsheet managements and other data input applications. That being said, at the bare minimum, consider transmitting Windows errors, but not specific program errors.
Tags: error reporting, Windows errors, Problem Reports, report errors, these issues, Windows Vista, access error