It’s time to delve into the tips box and share this week’s top reader tips. Today we’re looking at an easy and built-in way to record problems in Windows, squeezing life out of your batteries, and supercharging CCleaner.
Recording Windows for Problem Diagnosis and Tutorials
How-To Geek reader Mark shares an interesting tip for using a built-in Windows tool that many people aren’t even aware of:
Problem Steps Recorder seems like an easy to use compromise between using a single screen shot and going to full video. To access the Problem Steps Recorder click on the start button and then type “problem steps” in the run box. Nice find Mark!
You just start it, and then do whatever it is you want to record. Every time you use the mouse or keyboard it snaps a screenshot. When you’re done you can add comments to the slideshow you’ve made. It’s super easy to use. I use it to make tutorials for my coworkers and relatives and I’ve trained my relatives to use it before bugging me with a problem they have. It makes trouble shooting way easier!
Extending the Life of Batteries
Shelly writes in with an easy way to squeeze life out of disposable batteries:
Great tips Shelly. If you’ve purchased premium batteries for a high-energy device it’s nice to know you can squeeze life out of them in the light-duty items like TV remotes.
The other trick I use, the conveyor, is where I move batteries from high-energy use items to low-energy use items. Batteries that were in my camera flash almost always have more than enough life to power my wireless keyboard for months after they’ve become too weak to power the big capacitor in the flash anymore. If you think in terms of a battery being a person who is fatigued and able to do less instead of in terms of it either being on or off, you’ll start to see places where you can put the battery to work!
Supercharge Your Installation of CCleaner
Nick writes in with a way to supercharge your CCleaner installation:
We’re all for anything that makes the already useful CCleaner even more useful. You can download a copy of CCEnhancer here.
Have a great tip to share? Shoot us an email at tips@howtogeek.com and we’ll do our best to get it on the front page.
