Quick Tip

By Scott Babcock

Disable Windows XP’s Error Reporting

When Windows XP encounters a severe error that has the potential to crash the operating system, it immediately halts the offending program and displays an error message that says the application has encountered a problem and needs to close. Then, the operating system prompts you to send an error report to Microsoft. You can avoid having to click the Don’t Send button by disabling Error Reporting. Here’s how:

• 1. Press + to display the System Properties dialog box.
• 2. Select the Advanced tab and click the Error Reporting button.
• 3. When you see the Error Reporting dialog box, select the Disable Error Reporting option. (If you don’t want to see any type of error message, clear the But Notify Me When Critical Errors Occur check box.)
• 4. Click OK twice — once to close the Error Reporting dialog box and once to close the System Properties dialog box.

Note: This tip is for both Windows XP Home and Professional.

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