Defining the Bug Reporting Process
By Chris De Herrera, Copyright 2002
 Version 1.00  Revised 4/24/2002

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What is a Bug?

If during your use of your Pocket PC, you encounter problems, they may or may not be a bug. A bug is defined as a problem that can be reproduced on the specific Pocket PC by your OEM or Microsoft. Any issues that cannot be reproduced will not be addressed since there is no definitive way to address these problems. Since you purchased your Pocket PC from an OEM, and not Microsoft directly, you should report any issues you encounter with your Pocket PC to your OEM. Your OEM works with Microsoft to resolve the issues if they can reproduce them. Not all issues are bugs; some problems are related to the design of the Pocket PC or the use of 3rd party software. Design issues and 3rd party software compatibility will not be addressed using the bug process.  You can comment on the design issues by sending an e-mail to [email protected].

Resolving Bugs

After a bug has been identified, Microsoft or your OEM internally tracks them. They also prioritize the bugs to decide the priority of the severity of the bugs so the most disruptive bugs are addressed before bugs that are not very common or are minor in nature. Microsoft is always working on resolving critical bugs that they have identified and reproduced. Microsoft works with the OEMs regarding releasing patches (QFE) or Service Packs to address issues. The OEMs are responsible for releasing the bug fixes to the public. If your OEM has not released a Service Pack or QFE, do not install one from another OEM. You may prevent your OEM's Service Pack from installing correctly. However, you should contact your OEM and ask whether they plan on releasing the Service Pack or QFE. Ultimately, it is up to your OEM to decide what fixes are released.

OEM Comments Regarding Support

All OEM comments regarding issues with the Microsoft software to end users should be reflected back to the OEM since they assumed full control over the system they sold to you. Therefore if you have a problem with your Pocket PC, now more than ever, you need to contact your OEM for assistance and ask for a tracking number. Your OEM is your official channel of support for your Pocket PC. So your only recourse is to monitor what the OEMs do to resolve issues and vote with your wallet when you make purchases.

Bugs Reported at Pocket PC FAQ

Bug reported at Pocket PC FAQ are based on specific individual end users experience.  They may or may not be identified as a bug by the OEM or Microsoft.  I created these bug lists to keep track of issues that were being discussed in order to make it easier for users to resolve issues. Some of these bugs may never be fixed depending on the severity of the issue, however I believe it is important that users know that the behavior they are seeing has been reproduced by others.  I have provided notes where possible on how to resolve these issues.

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