Print Screen Key no longer working in Windows 7?

Anonymous
2009-10-24T16:26:14+00:00

I am running Windows 7 64-bit.  I can't get my PrtScn key to capture my screen so I can paste it to another program.  I used to be able to do this in XP, and even in my wife's 64-bit Vista.  It could also be my MS wireless keyboard 1.1, which as proven to be buggy and requires update fixes from MS.

Anyone else having print screen troubles?

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Windows update

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Anonymous
2010-07-25T06:11:33+00:00

To everyone still having a problem with Print Screen, and none of the proposed solutions work: I have your answer!

I recently bought a brand new laptop, and I'm running both Ubuntu 10.04 and Windows 7. I'm a Simmer, and I was getting more and more frustrated that I could not capture the screen on my Sims game so I can share my CC. Nothing anyone on here said worked, and then I found this.

http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-vista/easily-disable-vistas-aero-before-running-an-application-such-as-a-video-game/

It worked for me, and I hope it works for you all!

Close out of the program you are having trouble with capturing the screen.

Right click on the shortcut of the program on your desktop (in my case it's Sims 2 Apartment Life).

Click on Properties .

Click on the Compatibility tab.

In the middle area of that tab, there should be a bunch of check boxes under Settings. Click in the box alongsideDisable desktop composition.

Apply the changes, click OK.

Open up you program, press on your Print Screen (Prt Sc) button, open up a paint program, paste your image (Ctrl + C) and voilà! It should work! ^_____^

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Anonymous
2009-10-25T15:51:47+00:00

Hi drfkv5,

Welcome to Microsoft Answers Forum.

As you are using a wireless keyboard I would suggest you to check on the F LOCK (function lock) key on your keyboard. Check on the top right of your Keyboard for the F Lock Key, which may be stopping you from using the print screen key. The F LOCK key toggles the alternate function keys. An alternate function key is a key that has two possible commands depending on the F LOCK toggle key state.

Check the below Microsoft article for details:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/894513

Also try and check if the status light on the keyboard for the F LOCK key. Refer to the below article for help on status light identification:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/894037

To add on, I would suggest you to try the snipping tool in Windows7. It can help you take the screen shots easily. You can check the snipping tool functionality with the help of these articles:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/products/features/snipping-tool

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/Use-Snipping-Tool-to-capture-screen-shots

Thanks,

Hope this helps. Let us know the results.

Meghmala – Microsoft Support

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  1. Anonymous
    2010-07-23T19:01:39+00:00

    i suffered the same problem for  months and just now tried the f-lock key. All works fine now.  Thanks for the suggestion.  Hit the f-lock key once, then try printscreen again.  You wont know if you have anything until you paste it into "paint" using control-v.  I had pretty much given up on print screen ever working haha.  what a relief.

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  2. Anonymous
    2010-07-03T03:28:38+00:00

    On Sat, 3 Jul 2010 02:24:56 +0000, GameCyber wrote:

    Why dont you just FIX the print screen to work like it use to work?

    "You"? I can't fix anything on your computer.

    Just in case you're confused, let me make it very clear: this isn't

    Microsoft you're addressing.

    This is a peer support forum. We are all just Windows 7 users here,

    helping each other if and when we can. We are not Microsoft employees

    (not even those of us with "Microsoft MVP" behind our names; that's an

    honorary title for having provided consistently helpful advice) except

    for an occasional employee.

    But to answer your question, the PrtScrn key works exactly the same

    way it's worked for umpteen years in all versions of Windows.

    Back in the days of DOS, the PrtScn key used to print the screen. But

    in all versions of Windows, this works differently, and the name of

    the key is now an anachronism. The key does not print the screen.

    PrtScrn captures the whole screen, and Alt-PrtScrn captures the active

    window.

    Either one captures the image to the Windows clipboard. Once it's in

    the clipboard you can paste (Ctrl-V) it into any application that

    supports graphics (Windows Paint, other graphics programs, even your

    favorite word processor). You can edit or add to the image as you

    wish, then print it.

    This ability to manipulate the image in a program before printing it

    is an improvement over the original DOS method of just printing it.

    But if you'd like that old facility back, there are several

    third-party freeware/shareware programs that can do this, such as

    PrintKey2000 at

    http://www.sharewarejunkies.com/00zwd2/printkey2000.htm

    Ken Blake

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  3. Anonymous
    2010-07-03T02:24:56+00:00

    Why dont you just FIX the print screen to work like it use to work?

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