Microsoft introduces "Fix it" button

Microsoft has unveiled a new tool to help users deal with problems by automating the steps they'd normally go through manually when following its online support guidance.

The software giant says its is currently placing the Fix it button on pages that resolve the most common issues, and on the more complicated knowledge base articles that regular users may struggle to work through.

"When you find a Fix it solution you have a safe and trusted way to apply automated fixes, configuration settings, and workaround steps just as you would find in the manual steps section of support content assets," states Microsoft on its support website.

"The Fix it team has been working with several computer manufacturers (OEMs) to automate their customers' top issues and are engaging with Microsoft MVPs to leverage their expertise to suggest additional automation candidates."

One early example of the button can be found on the page that shows users how to create an Internet Explorer icon on their desktop.

Microsoft has been adding the Fix it button for the last six weeks, and says it currently has around a hundred pages covered. This still makes it fairly rare, given that there are thousands of pages of knowledge base articles on the internet.

Despite this, Microsoft claims that over 75,000 customers have used the system since it was introduced in December, with over 95 per cent of those customers reporting that it resolved the problem.