print screen problems in XP

Question

My computer was running very slowly, so I tried to download my files to CD.  To make retrieval easier-- I used the Alt-print screen-- edit/paste method to copy and print my file names for a label sheet to accompany my CD's.  In the meantime, my computer continued to run (crawl) very slowly, so I scanned it with McAfee, Spybot and Window Washer.  Well, now when I try to continue with printing the file names for reference, none of the copy/print functions work.  I tried to restore my system to earlier today and even yesterday when I could successfully perform this function, but nothing works.  Now all I get when I do the Alt/print-screen and edit/ paste function is a page with horizontal lines and no file names.  Any suggestions as to what went wrong?   Can I fix this someway?   Help!

jmwills · Answer

Shift + Print screen captures the entire screen while Alt + print Screen captures just the active window.  Try ti see if you can get the former to work.

Dragonfly7 · Answer

Tried your advice, but all I am still getting is horizontal lines.   If this helps-- I am getting the outline of what appears to be a text box-- but no info and no file names nor icons will print.

jmwills · Answer

Have you recently chnaged your video driver?

Dragonfly7 · Answer

Not that I'm aware of-- but somewhere in looking at error messages-- I did see something that a flash or some similar type file was missing.  This zipped by before I realized it tho, and so I missed writing down the exact file.

jmwills · Answer

Check your event viewer, it should be in there.

Dragonfly7 · Answer

Thanks-  I'll try that and see what I can find.    Appreciate your help! :o)

jmwills · Answer

Start>Control>Administrative Tools>Event Viewer Look thru all three folders for any suspicious looking errors.

Dragonfly7 · Answer

Found something else that happened just before my print function disappeared.  I had an MsiInstaller event that added security files for WinWord 2002.  I think I did this from the automatic updates list.  Should this be deleted?  This appears to be only application that occurred right before I started having problems.

Dragonfly7 · Answer

How do I go about doing this please?     Thanks!

Dragonfly7 · Answer

Looked in the 3 folders associated with this and there were no problems in the security folder-- however, there were messages in the other two of which I truly have no idea what they mean.

In the application folder there are warning messages listed as userenv- mutiple times.

In the system folder which has more messages and warnings-- they are listed as atapi/disk;

W32time; application print; Tcpip. Not sure-- but the system listing is pretty extensive as to warnings and errors. Anything I should now do to correct this? Thanks!

jmwills · Answer

Look back to the dates when the error messages strating occruing and see if you can do a Restore to the day before that.

Dragonfly7 · Answer

I restored it to the day prior to this problem, but nothing still works.  Would uninstalling the Windows Word security file that I installed prior to this help?   If I uninstall it could I do any further damage?  This was the last thing I did before the print function stopped working and my guess is that's it's the closest clue to my system failing to do the commands.  Just don't want to make a bigger mess-- but it does show up as the last install in my windows update installs.  Thanks!

Windows General

print screen problems in XP

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