Still Waiting For Microsoft's Mail...
My programs crash pretty often, and when that happens, a window pops up that asks me to send an error report to MS, which I do. What happens to these reports? My impression was that MS would analyze them, and eventually email back the reason these programs crash. Is that a fantasy? Why should it be a one-way flow of information from me to MS? What do I get out of these reports? Sincerely, Steve Brown
Microsoft won't take the initiative to get back to
you, but you can theoretically go find out the status of your report on the
Microsoft Online Crash Analysis Web site (
https://oca.microsoft.com/en/welcome.aspx ). The service uses .NET Passport
to identify you. In rare cases, the cause of your crash can be identified, and
the problem solved--- usually with a link to an updated driver or some
downloadable repair tool. More often than not, however, your report won't result
in a direct resolution to your problem.
The most important benefit is indirect. Microsoft claims that it gathers error
information from all users who report crashes, identifies trends, then informs
companies that are causing the problems with their applications or drivers.
If you'd rather not be presented with the error reporting dialog box, you can
turn it off. Right-click on My Computer and choose Properties, click on the
Advanced tab and click on the Error Reporting button. You'll be presented with a
dialog box that enables you to configure which programs error reporting will
track--- including an option to disable the lot.
And BTW, if your programs "crash pretty often," something's very wrong. Even on out-of-date versions of Windows (such as Win98), a properly set up and maintained system should be able to go at least days or weeks without trouble; and in XP, serious crashes are normally very, very rare. But the key in both cases is to have a system that's set up right, and well maintained. Please check out the abundant resources here ( http://langa.com/archives.htm ), here ( http://langa.com/search.htm ), here ( http://support.microsoft.com/search/default.aspx ) and at Google for solutions to the root cause of your system's problems.
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