Why is HELP in W2k so utterly useless?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Jack S.
  • Start date Start date
J

Jack S.

I would say that not one in 20 things I look up in "Help" are answered. Is this done
on purpose? Just now I looked up "Print Screen". Nothing. Its on the friggin
keyboard! How can that not been help? Where can I find real HELP for this
diabolical operating system the world is cursed with in the here and now? BTW I
wanted to find out where Print Screen is stored. On a clipboard? I couldn't seem to
paste the image so obviously its treated differently than other copy functions. (I
know I can post questions here and they are usually answered superbly by numerous
very knowledgeable and patient people. But there must be a place to look up real
answers without wasting people's time here with little problems that I have probably
accidently overlooked.)
 
Well that worked. It turned out that I wasn't pasting it into the correct program.
I thought I would have to paste into a graphics program like Adobe. And since I
really don't know how to work Adobe...:) Worked 100% in Word except that it wasn't
nearly as sharp in the original. Anybody know how I can sharpen the rendition? I'm
using a 32mb video card if that makes any difference.

"The Print Screen button (as well as Scroll Lock and Pause/Break) were carried over
from the days of mainframe computer networking....." Read more about it here:
Windows Tip: Print Screen
http://www.techtv.com/callforhelp/answerstips/story/0,24330,3310065,00.html
 
Jack - it's an enormous right-wing conspiracy. I think the tranquilizer
lobby is behind it.

Actually, in W2k the printscreen key does work. However, what it does is
put the video buffer image on the clipboard. Just hit printscreen,
switch to Word or some other similar editor, and hit paste. Given the
aspect ratios of screen and paper, paste to a landscape page. In Word,
you can manipulate the image size. I find this approach a little better,
actually, than the old dumptoprinter method...you can easily archive the
screen image.
 
I'm confused as to what is confusing you?!?

Granted its only a computer and question need to be asked carefully
sometimes posed in two or more different ways to get the results. We are
a long ways yet from an "inteligent" computer. :-)

Looking up "Print Screen" tells you the Keys to use and the results that
will be generated.
Looking up "Clipboard" gives pointers to "Clipbook Viewer"

Now on the other hand if one attempts to copy the screen and then opens
a "text only" program then a graphical object will not "paste".

As to "where" to look. The world is at your fingertips so to speak. You
can find an enormous amount of information by going to a search engine
such a www.google.com and branching out.
 
Yeah, and they are generally tied to specific topics and the man page
directories are searchable. Let's not compare apples with oranges,
please. Personally, if I'm looking for the parameters to a command
prompt command or shell command, man wins hands down over Windows
Help. For me. YMMV obviously. The Windows Help files are more wordy
and often give a little more context.

More Unix commands come with "info" not "man". I loath "info"......

Cheers,

Cliff
 
I would say that not one in 20 things I look up in "Help" are answered. Is this done
on purpose? Just now I looked up "Print Screen". Nothing. Its on the friggin
keyboard! How can that not been help? Where can I find real HELP for this
diabolical operating system the world is cursed with in the here and now? BTW I
wanted to find out where Print Screen is stored. On a clipboard? I couldn't seem to
paste the image so obviously its treated differently than other copy functions. (I
know I can post questions here and they are usually answered superbly by numerous
very knowledgeable and patient people. But there must be a place to look up real
answers without wasting people's time here with little problems that I have probably
accidently overlooked.)
Click to expand...
Sometimes the problem is that the Help index headings aren't what you expect.
Print Screen is actually listed under 'To copy the window or screen contents'.
Try using the W2K Help Search facility, rather than the contents or the index,
if you can't find what you're looking for in those places.
--
John Thow
an optimist is a guy/ that has never had/ much experience -
certain maxims of archie; Don Marquis.

To e-mail me, replace the DOTs in the Reply-To: address with dots!
 
I would say that not one in 20 things I look up in "Help" are answered. Is this
done
Sometimes the problem is that the Help index headings aren't what you expect.
Print Screen is actually listed under 'To copy the window or screen contents'.
Try using the W2K Help Search facility, rather than the contents or the index,
if you can't find what you're looking for in those places.
Click to expand...

Where is the W2K Help Search facility?
 
Are you saying that the HELP doesn't open, or clicking on search after
placing an appropriate word in the box produces no hits at all?
 
HELP opens but there is often not help information for something used commonly in
windows. I wonder if there is an online resource kit that actually explains things
like Print Screen, and thousands of other features in Windows that we use everyday.
So often I see some option in a Microsoft program. I type in the name in the index
or search for that program and nothing comes up. Bizarre.
 
Can't say :-( perhaps your help files got removed, as it works rather
well for me. Prior to sending someone to "F1"- search, I take a look to
see if something usable comes up on my system using a word likely to be
searched on. So, you can see why I'm puzzled that you're having some
difficulty with it.
 
Not necessarily. Help only works if you get lucky or if you already know the
answer! Same with VBA questions in Office (and even worse in versions after
97). You try and find out which functions does x if you don't already know
the name of the function.

There is no entry for Print Screen even if you type the words into Help's
Search. You will find it in 'printing screen display' if you scroll
downwards far enough but the instructions given are really complicated when
all you need is to press a couple of buttons on your keyboard (PrtScr for
the whole screen and Alt + PrtScr for the top window) and paste either into
Word or the freeware IrfanView.

I've had all my best help from the newsgroups although I am considering
kidnapping Daniel Chang and chaining him into my computer desk :)
Evi
 
Not necessarily. Help only works if you get lucky or if you already know the
answer! Same with VBA questions in Office (and even worse in versions after
97). You try and find out which functions does x if you don't already know
the name of the function.
Click to expand...

That sounds a trifle redundant. When a term is used in a program or on a keyboard it
should definitely be in the Help index. Its like not having Tools in Help though I'm
looking at it right now.
I've had all my best help from the newsgroups although I am considering
kidnapping Daniel Chang and chaining him into my computer desk :)
Click to expand...

LOL--Very good! Oh how I wish I could have the mind of an expert with me when
needed....
 
But isn't there a better online Help for Microsoft windows programs? If you search
the Knowledge Base you get bizarre returned results. We need a bit of common sense
here people!
 
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