Use Print Screen to Show a Problem

One of the biggest problems with providing computer support over the phone is that I cannot actually see what is happening on the computer.  While there are tools that will allow me to see and work on a customer's computer from my own computer, some people are concerned about the security of these programs.

However, there are occasions when simply reading the text of an error message is not enough for me to be able to figure out the problem.  The window containing the error message will sometimes have small clues that can assist with troubleshooting the problem, but without seeing the window, I will not be able to easily pick up on these clues.  Other times, I may be lost while trying to help someone over the phone, and I may want to see what is on the screen to help me get back on track.

It is in these situations where I use today's tip.  If I need to see what is on a screen that I cannot see, I simply tell the person to use Ctrl + Print Screen.  (Print screen is usually located above the Insert and Delete keys to the right of the standard keyboard.  On a laptop keyboard, you may have to look carefully for the correct key.)  The Ctrl + Print Screen command will take a snapshot of your entire screen and place it on the clipboard.  You can then paste it into a Word document or into the Paint program to save and email as an attachment.  If you only want to take a snapshot of the current window instead of the entire screen, you can use Alt + Print Screen, and then paste it into a Word document or Paint file.  In Windows 8, using the Windows key + Print Screen will save the file automatically in your pictures folder.

This tool can be useful to someone who is not a computer tech for many reasons.  If you are having a problem with a particular program, providing an exact copy of the error message when asking for support can speed up the support process.  It also helps to show what happens if you run into problems following the instructions.  If you are trying to help someone learn how to accomplish something, you can take pictures of your screen at each step, and you can even circle buttons or draw arrows to links over top of the picture to stress what they need to do.

There are many more reasons why you might want to take a picture of your screen.  I have simply tried to highlight a few of the most common reasons here.  As a final note, if you forget this command or if the operating system will not load (meaning the Print Screen feature won't work), you can always pull out a cell phone or tablet and take a picture of your monitor.