Alt+Print Screen doesn't work on my W2K test machine

[CougTek]

Hi,

Question is probably for those MCSE guys among you. I tried to capture benchmark images using Alt+PrtnSrn and then paste the copied image into an imaging application (Arcsoft PhotoMAX Pro 2.0, came with a past Epson Stylus 860 I once had). But it doesn't work. It worked fine when I had WinMe, but it doesn't with Win2K Pro SP2.

I also tried Ctrl + Alt + PrntScrn, but it doesn't work either. So, what's the trick?

Oh, I forgot to mention it, but the window I tried to copy was the active windows. I know about that.

[i]

Does the PrintScreen key all on its own work?

I've never used Windows 2000, but on every other version of Windows (including 3.x) it worked this way:

PrintScreen = Whole screen is captured
Alt + PrintScreen = Only the currently active window is captured

Try both of these, and paste the results into a simpler application. I presume MS Paint was included in Windows 2000 - that's what I typically use as the capture is just a bitmap anyway.

[P5-133XL]

Does the Print screen work in any application - i.e try using paint.
Does the clip-board still work in other applications?
Can you actually use cut/paste with Photomax from a different application?
Have you installed a 3rd party clip board application?

[Mercutio]

Is there such a thing as third-party clipboard software?

Printscreen by itself seems to work pretty well, if you're OK with capping your whole screen.

[P5-133XL]

Yes there are 3rd party clip-board applications. The native clip board has limitations to the number of entries which are extended by the 3rd party programs and there are applications that add the ability to organize and label the entries.

[CougTek]

Alt+Print Screen works on one system (but I can only paste in Paint, not PhotoMAX), but not on the other. Problem is, it doesn't work on the system on which I run the test :( Winblows is so whimsical sometimes, damn! (I was about to say sometime sexist, by I'll refrain ;-))

I don't have any 3rd party clipboard application. The test system is running a nearly fresh install of Win2K Pro plus several patches and updates (SP2, Directx 8.1, several security updates, etc.), but not much else.

[CougTek]

BTW, when Alt+Print Screen doesn't work, Print Screen alone doesn't either...I tried with no success.

[P5-133XL]

The fact that it works in paint but not photomax means the problem is probably with Photomax. Try uninstalling and reinstalling the application.

[CougTek]

I'll simply edit the .bmp created by Paint with PhotoMAX to convert it to a more Net-friendly format.

In the mean time, I found out why it didn't work on one of my two systems. I feel real stupid. Last time I reconstructed my keyboard, I reversed the Scroll and Print Screen buttons :oops:. Now everything's fine.

Sorry to have taken your time needlessly.

[P5-133XL]

How did it work with the paint program if the keys were switched?

[Tea]

www.pmview.com

[Handruin]

Check out IrfanView, I've been using it for years and it offers screen capture ability. This little utility opens almost all types of images including audio files and video files.

It's great if you have kodak CD's because it offers a way to view them. I also like how it will view photoshop files. This way I don't have to waitr for photoshop to open in order to quickly look at 10-15 images.

you can also double click an image and then cycle through all your images with the left and right mouse buttons.

http://www.irfanview.com/

[CougTek]

How did it work with the paint program if the keys were switched?
I wasn't clear. It worked on the system without the reversed buttons (under Paint), but nothing worked on the system with the wrong keyboard layout.

[Mercutio]

Did you try shift-printscreen?

[CougTek]

No, what is it supposed to do?

[Mercutio]

The same thing as all the other commands. Why?

[time]

Okay. I'm fairly confident that this (http://www.hardcopy.de/hardcopy/english/) is the last word in capture utilities.

Yes, it reads Kodak Photo CDs. And it writes as well as reads Photoshop files. And lord knows how many other formats - check the File Formats page to see. There's a bundled image browser, extensive editing tools, and even support for SAP, not to mention Canon and Kodak camera formats.

It's also free, although the author asks you to donate $15 if you like it.

I hope your German's up to snuff, though ... methinks his English pages must be courtesy of Babelfish.

[CougTek]

Thank you time. I'll try it soon, probably in my next review (if any).