Quite often, it is very helpful to get a so called "screenshot" of a problematic situation at your computer. This means you will create a picture (like a photo) with the content of the screen at the time the error happens which then can be used by an IT expert to understand and possibly solve the problem.

GENERAL NOTE: When something unexpected happens, do not click any buttons on the screen! Never ignore any (error) messages unless you know why! If you don’t understand the message, write it down (or create a screen shot as described below) and make sure you ask somebody else at a later, convenient time.

Hint: It is recommended to work through the following instruction at least once, to be able to do it in the actual event when you might not have access to these instructions!

Print Screen Key on Keyboard

This is how you should proceed:

1. Press the "Print Screen" key

On you keyboard, you will find a button labelled "Print Screen / SysRq". It’s usually in the top row, the third from the right. Press this button.

This will create a copy of the current screen content as a picture (photo) and places it into the "clipboard". The clipboard in Windows is the (virtual) area where Windows stores text or graphics when you use "Copy & Paste" functions.

Note: If you hold the "shift" key while pressing the Print-Screen key, only a screen copy of the "active window" in the foreground will be made, not the whole screen. While this could be sufficient at times, it is better to get the whole screen content to understand the context of the situation.

2. Open Paint

Click on Windows XP Start Button (Windows XP) resp. Windows Vista Start Button (Windown Vista), select "All Programs", "Accessories" and then "Paint".

Paste Screenshot into Paint

3. "Paste" the screen photo it into Paint

In Paint, select "Edit" from the menu and then "Paste" or press [Ctrl]+V. The screen content should now appear in the Paint window.

4. Save it to a file

 Save the file by going to the menu "File" and select "Save as…" or pres [Ctrl] + S.

5. Choose a proper file name

In the upcoming dialog box, choose a filename of your liking, but change the file type in the input field underneath to "JPEG (*.jpg …)".

6. Forward to IT-Services

You can email this file as an attachment to knockanean.it.services at gmail.com with a brief description of the problem or situation or you can leave it on the computer for the next "inspection".