Why Can't I Create Full Screen "Screen Shots"?

[Myrm]

Hi

I have installed Vista HP 64-bit (SP1).  I have altered my services to that of "Tweaked" in BV's Vista SP1 Configuration guide.

No matter what programs I use, including the "default" PRNT SCRN button, I just do not seem to be able to capture "full screen" screen shots, such as when playing a game on full screen mode and wanting to capture a screen shot.  If I play the game in Windowed mode, then the screenshot captures.  Sometimes, on full screen mode, dependent, it seems, on what software I am using, the "screenshot" file is either nothing, or, oddly enough, I get my desktop and whatever is on it being captured despite the fact that I am playing a full screen mode game.

Have I disabled a service that needs to be running to allow full screen screenshots? 

I have just tried to use yet another screen capture software called "FS Screen".  When I capture a screen shot of a full screen mode game with this software, I just get a complete black image saved 

Any ideas please?

Thank you.

[Spawn]

Use the Vista Snip Tool.  It will do full screen.

Spawn

[couttsj]

Vista works no differently than previous MS operating systems. {Print Screen} captures the screen that has the current focus and {Alt} {Print Screen} captures the full screen on the clipboard.

J.A. Coutts

[Just Rachel]

The Snipping Tool works wonderfully! I believe you have to have Vista Premium or better, however.

[Myrm]

Hi everyone who replied.

Many thanks for taking the time to reply, but I don't think my problem has been understood.  It's not that I do not have the software to take full screen screenshots (though the Snipping Tool does not appear to be in my version of Vista (Home Premium)); the problem I have is that no software is capturing the screenshot as it should.  I can be playing a full screen game, take a screen shot, but for some reason all that is being captured is either a totally black screen or the desktop itself, even though I am playing a game in full screen mode.

[bphlpt]

Has this ever worked for you, or did it mess up only after you changed some settings or installed an update or what?  Does the full screen Screen shot work while running other programs than your game?  If so, then the game seems to be interfering somehow.  I wasn't completely clear, did you say that you tried to take a "normal" screen shot, not a "full screen" one, while you were in full screen mode, and that didn't work either, or you only tried to take "full screen" screen shots while you were in full screen mode?  Since you tried PrtScreen, while playing the game while you're not in full screen mode and it works, I would imagine that there is something that the game does in full screen mode, bypassing something,  to enhance game play that's screws up normal full screen Screen shots.  Have you thoroughly read all the games documentation and checked the games website and forum?  I'm sure other players also take screen shots.  Sorry I can't offer any other advise, but I don't play many games and I don't have Vista 64.  Good luck and let us know what you find out.

Cheers and Regards.

[Just Rachel]

I have Vista Premium and it includes the snipping tool.  I can't help you with your problem, however.  Good luck!

[couttsj]

Vista works no differently than previous MS operating systems. {Print Screen} captures the screen that has the current focus and {Alt} {Print Screen} captures the full screen on the clipboard.

J.A. Coutts

Once on the clipboard you can do anything you want with it, like pasting it to Paint or some other graphic program that will accept BitMaps. {Print Screen} is a key stroke that is owned by the operating system. Your program would have to intercept that key stroke in order to do anything different, which is quite possible. Having said that, I have encountered a problem in the past with one of the Microsoft Office programs that modified the clipboard by replacing it with four separate clipboards that functioned slightly different than the standard clipboard, and screwed up one of my programs.

J.A. Coutts

[couttsj]

My apologies. Microsoft has changed the way "Print Screen" works in Vista. The two functions now appear to be reversed, with {Alt} {Print Screen} capturing only the active window. For a full description from Microsoft, see:

http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/windows/en-us/help/ffd7392f-dcde-40c0-ab21-acea2a7284fb1033.mspx

J.A. Coutts