How to Record Screen in Microsoft Windows 7

Recording your screen can be incredibly useful, whether you’re getting technical support or just showing off something cool to your friends and family. There are several programs available for Windows 7 that will allow you to do this, with varying degrees of functionality. Follow this guide to quickly start recording your screen.
1 : Using ScreenRecorder

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   Download the Screen Recorder utility from Microsoft. This program is available as a free download from the TechNet magazine website. Once on the Utility Spotlight page, find and click the link following Code download available at: and save the file to disk.
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   Install ScreenRecorder. Double-click the downloaded "UtilityOnlineMarch092009_03.exe" file to unpack the installation files. You will be asked for a destination that you want to place the files. Designate somewhere that you can access easily. You can delete these files once installation is complete.

   • Navigate to the location where you unpacked the files. You will see two folders: 32-bitand 64-bit. Open the one that corresponds with your operating system.
   • Run the ScreenRecorder program. This will prompt you to install Windows Media Encoder 9. Follow the prompts to install Media Encoder 9.
   • Run the ScreenRecorder program again. This time, the ScreenRecorder installation will begin. Follow the prompts to install ScreenRecorder in its default location.
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   Open ScreenRecorder. After installation is complete, a shortcut for ScreenRecorder will appear on your desktop. Double-click it to start the program. The ScreenRecorder control panel will appear, as well as a screen with a few tips.
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   Select what element you want to record. In the dropdown menu, you can select to either record FULL SCREEN, or you can choose a specific window that you want to record. All of your active windows will appear in the dropdown menu. If you are trying to record Google Chrome and Chrome is not in the list, and you have Google Hangouts open, close Hangouts as it hides the Chrome window from the list. Then restart Screen Recorder.
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   Choose whether you want to record your voice. If you have a microphone plugged in, you can check the Audio box to enable audio recording along with the video capture. This will allow you to narrate what you are doing in the video.

   • ScreenRecorder uses your default Windows settings for audio input. That means that if you need to change levels, you can adjust it through the Volume button in the System Tray.
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   Decide if you want the border of your window to flash. This is a tool to help you see which window you are recording. The flashing border will not appear in the recorded video, but is simply a tool to help you keep focus.
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   Specify the file location. Once you have your recorder configured, click OK to open the recording tool. Before you can begin recording, you will need to specify where you want to save the video and what it should be called. Click the button at the top of the tool to set the location and name.

   • ScreenRecorder records in the .WMV format. Remember that the resulting recording will be low quality.
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   Start recording. You can click the green Start button to begin recording, the yellow Pause button to pause recording, and the red Stop button to complete recording and output it to the file that you specified.
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