The Event Viewer is a good place to go when trying to figure out why an error occurred. Information found there is far more useful to a developer tasked with fixing a bug than a description like, "and then I turned toward the mountain and as soon as the Super Mutant came into view..." Error events give information about the origin and nature of an error. If more of us included that information in our posts regarding bugs, it would be much easier for the developers to categorize them and determine which are affecting the largest number of users. So, here is how you could go about doing just that...

• Windows key + R
  
• Type 'eventvwr' and click OK
  
• Expand 'Windows Logs' in the Navigation Pane
  
• Beneath 'Windows Logs' select 'Application'
  
• From the Action Pane choose 'Filter Current Log'
  
• In the http://home.comcast.net/~navek/public/guide/3.png check 'Error' and click OK
  
• Right-click on an error, hover over 'Copy', and then hover over 'Copy Details as Text'

http://home.comcast.net/~navek/public/guide/1.png

http://home.comcast.net/~navek/public/guide/2.png

Now, for the sharing part... If you format your event as a code snippet when pasting it into the editor, it will preserve some of the formatting and look like...

Log Name:      ApplicationSource:        Application ErrorDate:          11/1/2010 9:13:11 PMEvent ID:      1000Task Category: (100)Level:         ErrorKeywords:      ClassicUser:          N/AComputer:      XxxDescription:Faulting application name: FalloutNVLauncher.exe, version: 1.2.14.0, time stamp: 0x4cc0aa7dFaulting module name: GameOverlayRenderer.dll, version: 0.94.9.25, time stamp: 0x4caa36f9Exception code: 0xc0000005Fault offset: 0x00011ac3Faulting process id: 0x430Faulting application start time: 0x01cb7a4442b5f769Faulting application path: x:\program files (x86)\steam\steamapps\common\fallout new vegas\FalloutNVLauncher.exeFaulting module path: X:\program files (x86)\steam\GameOverlayRenderer.dllReport Id: 8133fb61-e637-11df-af3b-00248c777a6dEvent Xml:          1000    2    100    0x80000000000000        18034    Application    Ren            FalloutNVLauncher.exe    1.2.14.0    4cc0aa7d    GameOverlayRenderer.dll    0.94.9.25    4caa36f9    c0000005    00011ac3    430    01cb7a4442b5f769    x:\program files (x86)\steam\steamapps\common\fallout new vegas\FalloutNVLauncher.exe    X:\program files (x86)\steam\GameOverlayRenderer.dll    8133fb61-e637-11df-af3b-00248c777a6d  

i been saving these who can make any sense of them for me>

:whisper: Install Steam outside the Program Files directory.

Just wanted to say that the example Application Error I posted is not something I want or need help with (http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1137432-fix-from-steam-support-for-crash-on-launch). Their suggestion took care of things for me, and I haven't had a crash in days.

As to whether a person should do what Níeh?ggr suggested, I have no opinion, and this thread is just meant to be about events in general. Focusing on one exemplar event would be off-topic.

Well, if what you want is to use the forums as a sounding board or grab the attention of developers who might fix your problem, it is all about picking the right place. I saw that one of the moderators created a thread that was one long list of bugs. Maybe the developers are looking there, but I would guess that they have plenty of emails and calls coming in. It is more likely that you would be able to use things like your dxdiag info and Application Errors from the Event Viewer to solicit feedback from other forum members. You can check the FAQ to get guidance, and you can look at other heavily trafficked posts to get a sense of what got the kind of results you are looking for.