INFO: Copying the screen

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Copying the Screen
Key Description
Prt Scn Copies the whole screen to the clipboard as a graphic or the screen with the mouse if using multiple monitors. Use MS Paint to paste the image. This is also known as Snap Desktop.
Depending on Prt Scn key settings on the Misc tab of a Dos program's properties, a Dos program can still print to printer with Prt Scn key.

Alt + Prt Scn Copies the active window to the clipboard as a graphic. This is also known as Snap Windows.
Ctrl + Prt Scn Copies the entire virtual screen when using multiple monitors to the clipboard as a graphic. Unlike the other two Print Screens above this one doesn't appear to have a name, or if so, it is not listed in the Windows' header files.
Ctrl + Alt + Number Pad Minus Key Copies the active window to the Remote Desktop clipboard as a graphic (same as Prt Scn locally)
Ctrl + Alt + Number Pad Plus Key Copies the whole screen to the Remote Desktop clipboard as a graphic (same as Alt + Prt Scn locally)

To capture a screen from a DVD or other hardware type playback, disable Overlays in Media Player's Tools menu - Options - Performance - Advanced. This won't work on every computer as video drivers can use overlays and not every driver provides a way to turn off. In short, Print Screen won't work if overlays are being used.

Media Player has its own similar feature for DVDs only (Ctrl + I) but is usually not available due to computer hardware issues and also content protection issues.

Programs such as Outlook Express won't allow pasting of non web graphics. Paste into MS Paint and Save As a web graphic. If sending the screenshot by email save it as a jpeg, gif, or png file before sending (in MS Paint, File - Save As then choose a format in Save As Type). As colour usually isn't important for screenshots a way to make a file really small is save as a Gif (this reduces it to 256 colours), then save the Gif as a Png (lossless and better compression than Gif) or Jpeg (lossy).

To take screenshots of menus in the current window use the Alt key and keep it held down throughout the entire procedure. Alt + a letter key to access menus, then arrow keys to move the selection, then Print Screen. Release Alt.

Run MS Paint
 

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