This is a modernized, high-performance replacement for Microsoft's Problem Steps Recorder (PSR), which was discontinued in newer Windows versions. PSR was a valuable tool that IT professionals and everyday users relied on to document technical issues. PSR++ fills that gap, acting as a super-powered version of the Windows Snipping Tool equipped with advanced tracking, automated storage, and an interactive modern interface.
What Was PSR? A built-in Windows utility that recorded step-by-step actions to document computer problems for tech support. It automatically captured screenshots of each click and generated an MHTML report. It was an unsung hero in enterprise IT departments.
Why PSR++ Was Created PSR's discontinuation left users and organizations without a native, reliable alternative. Support teams still require detailed problem documentation, and end-users need a simple way to show what they are seeing. PSR++ was built to not only replace the original tool but to vastly improve upon it by giving you more control over the capture process, highly organized output, and a completely modernized capability set.
PSR++ goes far beyond standard print-screen functionality.
- Single Capture: Fire a precise screenshot with a built-in delay timer for perfect framing.
- Continuous Capture: Start a loop that automatically snaps off-focus hardware input events (every time you click), debounced to prevent duplicate images. Press
ESCto stop. - Smart Bounds: Choose to capture the entire physical desktop viewport or automatically clip strictly to the targeted window underneath your cursor.
- Hardware Cursor Capture: Visually record the actual Windows cursor state.
- Mouse Highlighting: Draw highly customizable, translucent highlights directly over click coordinates to make instructions crystal clear.
- Window Outlining: Automatically draw a customizable border around the active element or window you are interacting with.
- Complete Style Control: Sliders and color-pickers to adjust outline width, highlight size, colors, and opacity levels.
- Session History Sidebar: An interactive, collapsible sidebar that dynamically populates with thumbnails of your current session's captures.
- Auto-Clipboard Synchronization: Every capture (and every click of a history thumbnail) automatically copies the high-res image directly to your OS clipboard.
- True DPI-Awareness: Deep GDI hardware integration bypasses Windows scaling virtualization. Whether you are on a 100% or 150% scaled display, captures are mapped 1:1 to physical pixels without clipping or blurring.
- Persistent Configuration: Automatically saves your UI preferences, colors, and slider values to an
.inifile so your tool is ready exactly how you left it.
- Automatic Directory Creation: Generates a primary
Screenshotsfolder in your Pictures directory. - Session-Based Subfolders: Every time you launch PSR++, it creates a unique
YYMMDD_HHMMSSfolder. - Sequential Naming: Captures are automatically numbered and timestamped (e.g.,
01-26.06.12_19.45.00.png) so you never lose track of a sequence.
For Professional Use Perfect for IT and support teams who need to:
- Create rigorous technical documentation.
- Record step-by-step work procedures and user guides.
- Conduct Quality Assurance (QA) software audits and visual bug reporting.
- Generate visual training materials.
For Regular Users Better than basic Print Screen when you need to:
- Show someone exactly how to perform a task on a computer.
- Save sequential proof of something you saw on screen.
- Quickly report an error to a helpdesk without having to manually paste and save multiple images.
Under the hood, PSR++ is a highly optimized, lightweight script requiring no heavy installations:
- Core: Written entirely in Windows PowerShell 5.1+.
- Interface: Built on Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) with strict anti-aliasing configurations (
UseLayoutRounding,SnapsToDevicePixels). - API Integration: Leverages heavy C# P/Invoke definitions to access
user32.dllandgdi32.dll. This allows for off-focus hardware keystroke detection (GetAsyncKeyState), raw screen coordinate handling, and deep window hierarchy traversal (GetAncestor). - Portability: Includes base64-encoded embedded icon data—no external image assets required.