"Print Screen" Key

Pressing the Print Screen key copies the display image to the Windoze clipboard. You then need to paste it into a compatible document (Windows Paint, IrfanView, MS Word, CorelDraw/PhotoPaint,....)

The idea of the buton causing the screen contents to be directly printed out is an archaic holdover. For that matter, anyone have any idea the functionality of System Request, Scroll Lock,or Pause/Break in current OSes? Not much, if any. Kind of like the appendix - a no longer used organ that just won't go away.

Val

Dear Val,

Many thanks. That explains the mystery. But now I have to figure out how the clipboard works (never used it; I tried today, but did not get very far, i.e., I was able to copy an item to it using the "Print Screen" key, but could not copy and print the image and text from there). Is there any instruction in the Windows Help pages on this subject?

Hans,
Two words that should never be side by side are "Windows" and "Help". I just entered "clipboard" as a search term in Windows Help and Support - got 11 hits, exactly 0 of which applied. You'd think a common term would actually have some help directly available. Go figger!

As to getting a screen image - after pressing the Prt Scr key, open Windows Paint ( Start/Programs/Accessories/Paint). In Paint, either use menu option Edit/Paste, or just hit Control-V key combination (right-click for context menu doesn't work here). Voila, your screen image is now in Paint. There you can crop to get just the part you're interested in, and save it as a bmp, jpg, gif, tif file.

Val

Dear Val,

It worked. I am most grateful. Many thanks.

Hans

Hans M.,

Don't take this wrong, I'm not trying to be mean or funny, I'm wanting to help.  Go to a local bookstore and get a copy of "Windows for Dummies" and check it out.  Anybody who claims that they've read the book and didn't learn something is lying.  Like if you ever meet anybody who claims to know everything about computers, don't take any advice from them.

The reason I'm saying this is that it sounds like you're really, honestly, trying to learn and all you need is a little help now and then.  I've got a bachelors degree in computer science and I need help all the time.  That's one of the reasons I come to the forum, to learn what others are doing.

Oh, you can still ask questions here.  I just think this book and the forum together would answer most of what you want to know.

You are absolutely right - I've actually been planning to do that and now I will.