How to Test Windows 7 Safely

Windows 7 RC is out, and you can get it for free. BUT it may harm your computer if you install it as another operating system. Here is how to download, install and test this OS safely, and better yet, you don't have to pay anything!

Steps

1. Download VirtualBox here and install it. Unless if you want to risk harming your PC, you will need this. It will say something about Windows Logo testing but, unless if you are worried, ignore it. If you are worried you can either contact Sun Microsystems (the vendor) or download an alternative.
2. Once installed, register an account with Sun. VirtualBox can now be used, but for the time being, close it.
3. Now you have everything to run Windows 7, you must now install Windows 7. Start here.
4. Scroll down the page and you will see two versions of the OS, one 32-bit and one 64-bit. To determine which bit version you need, you would want to know which bit version your PC is now. This page has all you need to know about finding out your bit-version.
5. Click on the link corresponding to you. Remember to choose your language first (English, German, Japanese, Spanish or French).
6. You will be asked to enter your Windows Live ID. If you have Windows Live Messenger (MSN), it will be exactly the same as that, and should be (name)@hotmail.com or (name)@live.com (if you live in another country than the USA, .com will be the main domain suffix (e.g. the UK would be hotmail.co.uk, France would be hotmail.fr, Canada would be hotmail.ca, etc.) ).
7. Answer the questions on the next page. Your e-mail address can be the same as your Live ID or anything different.
8. Once completed, check your e-mail inbox. There should be one from Microsoft. Click on the link in the e-mail.
9. You will eventually end up at a screen with a product key and the download link. Note down the product key (or print thr page if you have a printer connected) and click on the download link. If you do not have Java, you can download it for free from the Sun Microsystems website here.
10. Allow anything which pops up. You can click on "Details" to see how long it will take. If you are on high-speed broadband, this download will take 1-2 hours. If you are on a dial-up connection, I recommend you cancel this download immediately, as your dial-up will most likely be switched off, plus it will take around all day to download.
11. Once you have downloaded the .iso file (wait until it says 'Download complete', do NOT do anything with the .dlm file, as it is only a partial download file), open Sun xVM VirtualBox. You should already have a Sun account.
12. Click on the 'New' icon. This will load up a wizard to create a new virtual machine.
13. Click on Next. Name the machine something like 'Windows 7 RC'. The Operating System is 'Microsoft Windows', and the Version is 'Windows 7'.
14. It says that the recommended base memory is 512mb. It should be at least 1024mb. If your computer has less than 1.5gb (1536mb), the PC on which you are running on will crash, so you cannont install Windows 7 virtually.
15. The next page is asking you to create a virtual harddisk. Make one. Name it something like 'HardDisk', make it an expanding hard drive, and let it have 160gb of disk space (if your physical drive has enough space itself).
16. The last screen will be a summary of your new virtual machine. It should look exactly like this:

Name: Windows 7 RC OS Type: Windows 7 Base Memory: 1024 MB Boot Hard Disk: HardDisk.vdi (Normal, 160.00 GB)

1. Press Finish, and you will see your virtual machine, powered off, in the menu. You now need to associate the ISO with your machine.
2. You should see a setting called 'CD/DVD-ROM', under it 'Not Mounted'. Click on it. Ignore the orange text below, and tick Mount CD/DVD Drive. Click on ISO Image File, then the folder, then Add. Locate the ISO image file. Click on OK. You have now mounted the OS with your virtual machine, meaning it will be like an Installation disc.
3. You'll see the VirtualBox startup image, then a line of text telling you to press any key to boot from CD. Press any key, and you will see a bar saying that Windows is loading files.
4. Once loaded, you'll see the Windows 7 startup screen. At this point you may see a dialog saying you need to free up memory. Go into Task Manager (Ctrl+Alt+Delete) and look at the PF usage. Close all the programs you can in the taskbar, then go into processes and End the ones you know are safe to end, such as iPodService.exe, firefox.exe (if you can understand the rest), iTunesHelper.exe, etc. Try not to end any saying that the User Name is SYSTEM or LOCAL SERVICE.

Tips

• Remember to note down the product key.
• As VirtualBox has not passed Windows Logo testing, your PC may say that you should cancel the installation and contact the vendor. Although VirtualBox does no harm, there is another Virtual PC program called Virtual PC 2007, which you can download from the Microsoft website here

Warnings

• The creator of this article used a 32-bit version of Windows XP Home Edition Service Pack 3. Take caution if you do not have this version.
• There is a small possibility that, if you restart your PC with the Windows 7 CD inserted, the PC may boot from CD, meaning it will attempt to install Windows 7 as the main OS. Always remove the CD before rebooting your PC.
• This is a Release Candidate, meaning that there are most likely glitches in the Operating System. If you do not want to install the OS virtually, you can wait until around December 2009 and buy the full version for around $100-175.

Things You'll Need

• VirtualBox 3.0.2 (there are different versions for Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, Solaris and OpenSolaris)
• A Windows Live ID
• An e-mail address (your Windows Live ID can substitute as one)
• A 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows XP Home Edition/Professional (it can be older but is highly recommended)
• At least 160GB of drive capacity. You can install it on any drive you like, so if you are really desperate you can buy a new drive and fit it in.
• Some technical knowledge and a lot of patience.
• A pen and paper, or a printer.
  

source : www.wikihow.com

How to Speed Up a Slow Windows Computer

Windows PCs typically slow down as applications are installed and used. Each application increases the size of the Windows Registry file resulting in increasing the amount of time for the file to be processed and loaded. Whether using word processing, spreadsheets, internet, games or anything else, hard drives fill with temporary files that do not always get removed when no longer needed. Read on to learn of ways to help keep a PC running smoothly with little or no money.

Steps

1. Stop all unused applications. The Taskbar is on the bottom edge of the screen (unless relocated by the user). In the right side of the Taskbar appears a group of small icons, collectively named the system tray. Each of these icons represent a program that has been at least partially started or is running "in the background". Regardless of state, each represents a reduction of available memory and processing power, or resources. Closing, exiting or canceling any unused icon returns those resources to the system, and becomes available for use by the application(s) started specifically by the user.
   
   • There is a utility built in to Windows XP and Vista called the Process Explorer. The program file is procexp.exe. This will list all programs running on your Windows system. It is more comprehensive than the Task Manager, and hovering your mouse pointer over any program name will tell you what it is.
   • A utility is built into Windows that can enable/disable taskbar programs and processes from automatically loading with Windows. To access it, go to Start > Run > type in “MSCONFIG” and click OK. If you do not know what a process does, Google its name. Do not disable processes if you do not know what they do, as some are necessary for your computer to function normally.
   • A useful program called "Game Booster" by the people who wrote the Advanced SystemCare V3 software will temporarily disable unnecessary background processes and boost performance on your computer when you are actively using only one program; such as a game program or video editing software. When you are finished, you can resume "normal mode" and all the background processes will be reloaded.
   
   
2. Do a shut down/reboot also known as a cold reboot. Some programs do not release memory properly when they close. Even doing a warm restart will not release some of the drivers and other core programs in memory. The computer has to be completely shut down and then restarted. The Windows system is designed to hold on to those programs for a period of time. Shutting down the system for 30 seconds will cause the chips to "forget" the settings, an they will start anew when you restart the system. Curing these 'Memory Leaks' is as simple as rebooting the machine when it starts getting sluggish. 
3. Empty the Recycle Bin. Simply deleting files from the disk doesn't really delete them at all, rather they are moved to a temporary holding area on the hard drive for easy restoration. This area is called the Recycle Bin and is usually displayed on the Desktop. Review the contents before emptying. Once emptied, the space on the hard drive that the data occupied is made available for reuse and the restoration of files emptied from the recycle bin becomes extremely difficult. Note that this will only speed up your computer if the hard drive is nearly full. 
4. Uninstall all applications that are no longer needed. When applications and games are installed to a Windows PC, in addition to copying files to the new application directory, some files are written in the Windows directory structure and dozens (or more) changes are made to the Windows Registry file. Most of these changes are not readily apparent to the user, so proper removal requires uninstalling the application through the Control Panel's "Add or Remove Program" or "Programs and Features" icon. If the program is not listed in the Control Panel use the "uninstall" command provided by the application. Simply deleting the entire application directory is not the same as uninstalling, as all the files written to the Windows directory and changes to the Windows Registry file will remain and may be reloaded when the system is rebooted. Make sure that you do not uninstall any programs that are required by others. e.g. iTunes® will not work if Quicktime® is uninstalled, and many programs rely on other Microsoft programs.
5. Run "Error Checking" on all hard drives. Right-click a drive icon in "My Computer" and select "Properties" followed by "Tools". Choose "Error Checking" to let the utility scan the drive for damaged files that can contribute to slow drive access speeds. This process may take several minutes or more to complete. 
6. Run "Defragment" on all hard drives. Right-click a drive icon in "My Computer" and select "Properties" followed by "Tools". Choose "Defragment" to let the utility clean up fragmented files and consolidate free space on the drive. This should be done at least once per week, or more often if the PC is used heavily. Some versions of Windows allow for the scheduling of this utility, and in those cases could be set to run automatically without ever having to manually run again. This process may take anywhere from several minutes to an hour or more to complete depending on size of the drive(s) and amount of unused capacity or free space. Consider starting the defragment process so that it will run over night or prior to logging off. After completion the speed of hard drive read and write times may improve significantly. There are also stand-alone defragmenting programs available from other developers available for download that may or may not charge a fee for use. 
7. Run CCleaner. CCleaner is a freeware application^[1] that can perform an entire suite of Windows PC optimizations. Included are options to help protect privacy, system and registry cleaning among others. It has a loyal user base as shown by the number of downloads (over 300 million), is fully supported and is adware and spyware free. Follow the link above to the application's webpage for complete details. There are other system optimizers available from other developers available for download that may or may not charge a fee for use. 
8. Install anti-virus software and keep it current. Anti-virus (AV) software is an absolute must. There are many from which to choose at the software store, but there are free AV solutions that do a very good job, too. Three popular free AV solutions are Avast!, AVG, and Avira AntiVir. All include regular "virus definition" file updates that allow the AV program to detect and protect from the latest virii being released. Note that while installing antivirus software actually slows down your computer, it does not slow it down as much as malware does. 
9. Relocate the Swapfile or Virtual Memory file. These files (depending on Windows version installed) are hidden and are usually located on the Windows drive (usually "C:") If there is a second physical hard drive in the system, consider moving to the secondary drive. Ideally, these files work best when located on the fastest and largest (in terms of free space) drive in the system. The procedure for changing the location varies by version of Windows, and is not detailed here at this time as it is fairly advanced. 
10. Find and Delete Temporary Files. Temporary Files are used for supporting some applications for a limited period of time and left unused for later. Go to "C:\Documents and Settings\\Local Settings\Temp" (Windows XP), "C:\Users\\AppData\Local\Temp" (Windows Vista), or "%TEMP%" (any version of Windows) and delete all the files from this folder. If there is a problem deleting one or more files, skip those files and remove the rest. This will free a lot of space on the drive. The Temporary Internet Files directory can also be emptied
11. Add memory. Adding memory will boost system performance if your system does not have enough. Generally having twice the recommended hardware for an operating system will yield good performance. The hardware specifications may be found on the Microsoft website or on Wikipedia. While unfortunately not a free solution, it is one of the most effective ways of boosting performance. The computer's operating system is important to know when selecting memory upgrades. Newer computers run either 32 bit or 64 bit operating systems. A 64 bit (x64 or x86-64) Windows Operating System can support more memory than is currently available, whereas a 32 bit (x86) version of Windows will only recognize up to 3.25 - 3.5 GB regardless of how much more is installed. Increasing the amount of memory installed reduces the need for the computer to keep reading data from the hard drive (which is slower), since it can keep it in the memory. Regardless if the computer is running a 32 bit or 64 bit Operating System, check the motherboard or system documentation to determine size, type, speed and permissible configurations of memory before purchasing and installing additional memory. A 64 bit operating system and a 64 bit motherboard and CPU are required to use more than 4 GB of memory. Systems with lower amounts of memory (256 MB to 1 GB) installed receive the greatest boost when increased to 2 GB or more (as this represents a 100-400% increase in system memory). 32 bit systems that already have 2 GB or more already installed receive a less noticeable boost when upgraded, as most of the extra memory will go unused.
12. Replace your main hard drive and keep it cool: It has been observed, particularly on laptops, that replacing the hard disk without changing anything else (i.e. by a direct sector to sector copy) can drastically speed-up an old PC... which will slow down again after some time. This suggests that, especially on laptop computers, hard drive overheating can produce bad sectors, which are quickly detected and moved/hidden by the hard drive itself. But, in the mean time, this causes some hidden frangmentation which may slow down the whole computer. 
13. Be realistic. The "high end" computer purchased as new 5 years ago may run the latest version of Windows, but that doesn't mean that it will do it very well. Technology marches on and it seems there is a game of "one-up-man-ship" played between software developers and hardware designers. Regardless, eventually new software will require new hardware or vice-versa. It seems that the amount of frustration you can endure best determines how long you will run your current setup. 
14. Original OS. Restore the original operating system it came with. If it's an old windows 3.1 machine, put 3.1 back on and it will probably run like new. Be aware though, web security software and browsers are rarely backward compatable to a machine of this vintage.

source : www.wikihow.com

How to Take a Screenshot with the Snipping Tool in Vista

"Capture a portion of your screen so you can save, annotate, or share the image" is the tag line of the Snipping Tool, a new feature for some versions of Windows Vista to capture a screenshot of any object on your screen and save, annotate or share the image. The Snipping Tool is a huge improvement from built-in screenshot functions used by older Windows operating systems by offering a clean, simple and user-friendly functionality

. 
Steps

Windows Vista Review Considering a move to Vista? Get tons of advice and info here. www.ITBusinessEdge.com

Easy Screen Capture Download a free trial of HyperSnap easy screen and text capture tool www.hyperionics.com

Virtual CD for Windows 7 Access CDs/DVDs without a drive Up to 23 virtual CD/DVD-drives! www.virtualcd-online.com

Set IP Mobile in Vista? Switch network settings on the fly For Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7 MobileNetSwitch.com

Hide these ads

1. Open the Snipping Tool. Click Start>All Programs>Accessories. The Snipping Tool window will open and a white overlay appears over the screen.
   
   
2. 
   
   
   
   
   
   Select the type of snip. Click on the arrow next to the New button and and choose from the options.
   
   
   
   • 
     
     
     
     
     
     Free-form snip. To draw irregular shapes and lines, such as triangles and circles.
     
     
     
   • 
     
     
     
     
     
     Rectangular snip. Draw a custom and precise line by dragging the cursor around an object to form a rectangle.
     
     
     
   • 
     
     
     
     
     
     Window Snip. Capture the browser window or dialog box in a snip.
     
     
     
   • 
     
     
     
     
     
     Full-screen snip. Capture the entire screen, such as desktop background.
     
     
     
   
   
   
   
3. Capture the snip. Use the mouse or tablet stylus to drag around or select an area or program for snipping.
   
   
4. Save, annotate and share the image. The snip will be automatically copied to the mark-up window. The toolbar hosts options for saving, creating, copying, e-mailing and editing the snip.
   
   
   
   • To save a snip, press the Save Snip button. In the dialog box enter a name for the file and choose a format if need be.
   • Annotations in the Snipping Tool include the ability to draw/write with a customizable pen, use a highlighter and clear selections with the eraser. These are simple to use tools for minor edits.
   • To share a snip, click the arrow on the Send Snip button and select an option from the menu.
     
     
     
     
     

     
     

     Tips
     

     • To turn off the white overlay projected onto the screen by the Snipping Tool, click Options. Clear the check box Show screen overlay when Snipping Tool is active.
     • To assign a shortcut key to the Snipping Tool, right-click the Snipping Tool icon, click Properties and select the Shortcut tab. Enter your preference in Shortcut key.
     • Snips can be saved in a range of formats including HTML, PNG, GIF and JPEG. These can be chosen upon saving the snip.
     • Windows Vista's Snipping Tool is highly customizable. In addition to the annotation options, you can also change the color of the ink (border) used to capture snips. Go into Options and choose a color from the drop-down menu under Selection by clicking on the arrow. The standard ink color is black. Ink colors can be removed as a standard feature by clearing the box Show ink selection after snips are captured.

     
     
     
     
     

     source : www.wikihow.com
     

     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
   
   
   
   

How to Pimp Your Windows XP Desktop to Look Like a Cool Mac Desktop

If you use the default Windows desktop, chances are that you could use a “look and feel” overhaul. Apple's OSX desktop is widely considered to be cleaner and more intuitive. The following instructions will show you how to get that Mac look for your PC by installing some cool, free applications. Some of the instructions may be a tad advanced for some users, but give it a try.

Steps

1. Remove all unused shortcuts and icons. Right click the desktop and go to "Arrange desktop icons by" and uncheck “Show desktop icons”. You should now have a completely clean desktop. Don’t be afraid. You can still access the My Computer, My Documents, and Recycle Bin standbys from Windows Explorer.
2. Install RKLauncher (Even though Star Dock is better because you can get a mac OS X Leopard (10.5) theme). RKLauncher (also called RKDock) is a free Windows version of the animated Mac taskbar, or “dock.” You can download it here. RKLauncher comes with a pretty cool theme. If you want to make your dock look exactly like a Mac though, try RealDock for RKLaucher, a great clone of the Mac Dock appearance. RKLauncher's official build hasn’t been updated lately, so if you would like something more up-to-date, grab a nightly build from Aqua-Soft. The farther down you go, the newer the build. Another good dock program is ObjectDock by Stardock, you can skin it to be anything you want and it does the animations and everything.
3. Hide the taskbar. It doesn't make sense to have both ObjectDock/RKDock and the Windows taskbar. Right click a blank space in ObjectDock, go to the settings tab, select behavior then on the box with check marks select “Hide the Windows Taskbar,” and hit OK. RKLauncher should work similarly. This makes the taskbar disappear. You can also just move the taskbar to the front of the screen.
4. Add Widgets. Widgets are desktop toys to entertain and to inform. Think of them like things you’d put on a real desk: a picture frame, a newspaper to a dancing hula girl! But they’re on your PC desktop, not your real desk. You’ll get it once you see it. They could be a fun addition to your boring computer. Download free widgets from the Yahoo Widgets page. You'll download a widget machine called Yahoo! Widget Engine, which comes with widgets like a picture frame, analog clock, calendar, and weather display. You can get more widgets like RSS news feeds and a dancing hula girl from the widgets gallery. Yahoo! has also released an engine that can help you make your own widgets and is available here.Kludget Engine is also an option for running widgets. It allows you to run Apple's Dashboard widgets on Windows and Linux. It is free and open sourced. Available here
5. Get Safari for Windows Just Get the new Safari 4, for Windows here, or get Firefox here. You can skin Firefox to look like Safari.
6. Change your wallpaper to look like Mac OS X Leopard or Snow Leopard. Or you can get a high resolution wallpaper here which won't make your computer mimic a mac desktop but will add a sense of style and a unique touch.
7. Install Expose from docs.kr. With this program (screen shot shows the 'Windows Vista Flip' move) you can set your Windows to spread out at the stroke of a key! A free download!
8. Move your buttons. ShellWM is a “titlebar-only” shell replacer. It lets you have the maximize, minimize and close buttons on the left for free. You’ll want to download this theme.
9. Change your mouse pointers. For the full effect, download a new set of mouse pointers. Save these to your computer (preferably in C:\WINDOWS\Cursors). It may be a good idea to make a folder within this for easier setup.) To setup these cursors, choose Mouse from the Control Panel, click the Pointers tab, and set your new pointers appropriately. For a the best OS pointer, use FLyakiteOS. If you don't feel like changing cursors manually, you can install them all with a simple Mac OS X Mouse Cursors Installer
10. Keep tweaking and playing. Try customizing all of the applications you downloaded. Whatever suits you!

Tips

• If RKLauncher doesn’t work well, an alternative to try are RocketDock. Rocketdock is updated more often, and has more themes to choose from.
• You can also use the Mac OS X Install DVD
  
  
  
  
  • If you have a recent Mac OS X Install DVD (2005 and newer) that uses an x86 architecture, you can install OS X directly on your computer using InsanelyMac, which will circumvent the hardware detection used by the OS X install disc.
  • If you have an older Mac OS X Install DVD (2004 and older) that uses a PowerPC architecture, you can emulate PowerPC's architecture using PearPC. PearPC is a tool which will allow you to run Mac OS X in an x86 environment, without putting in any effort. The emulation method is much slower than the method using InsanelyMac above.
  • Do not resort to using OS X unless you are aware of the legal action Apple can take if they know you are using that software.
  
  
  
• Since installing Mac OS X on a PC is illegal, you could also try installing Linux (Ubuntu Linux is the most popular linux out there) on your PC. Since Linux is fully constumizable you can use this guide to make it look like OS X.
• For the simplest way, install this patch. It lets you access Windows XPs built in skinner. Then go to customize.org and download all the Window’s themes you want. This is a great Mac OS X style theme.
• If you have enough money, an easier way would always be just to buy your own Mac, of course.
• If you want to bootscreen, sound scheme and whatever, you should try flyakite OS X.

Warnings

• Widgets could make your computer run slowly.
• Be warned this method may cause you to never have your windows desktop taskbar again. If you lose it you can't blame anyone but yourself.
• Beware of legal issues with installing Mac OS X onto a computer for which is not licensed.
• The Shock 4Way 3D program makes your mouse disappear in the other 3 screens.

source : www.wikihow.com

How to take a Screenshot in Microsoft Windows

Learn how to take screenshots of your internal computer problems, so that the people at Microsoft and other troubleshooting services can help you solve your problems much faster and more efficiently. It is also just fun to take screenshots and butcher your screen or set up "ghost desktops" to mess with your parents or friends.

Steps

In Windows XP

          Press the "Prnt Scrn" button.

          Open Microsoft Paint. To do this, click Start > All Programs > Accessories > Paint. Click inside the white part of the screen.

1. Go to the Edit menu and click Paste or you can press and hold "Ctrl" and tap V. Then you may crop if you like.
   
   
   
   

   
   
   
   
   
2. Click File > Save As. In the box that pops up, change the "Save As Type" to PNG or JPG. Type in a filename for your image. Choose a place to save, like the Desktop, and click save.
   
   
   
   

   
   
   
   
   
3. You have now successfully taken a screenshot! If you want to send your image to somebody, simply attach the .png file that you just saved to an email and send it along. Alternatively, you can upload it onto the internet by visiting a site like TinyPic.com and uploading it.

In Windows Vista

1. In Windows Vista (except in Home Basic), there is a tool called the Snipping Tool.
   
   
   • To open it, click on the start menu, type snip, then hit enter (the latest version of Windows Vista updates the search results as you type each letter).
   
   
   
2. Click on Snipping Tool.
3. The Snipping Tool opens, and a white mask is applied on the screen. In the drop-down menu for the 'New' button, choose from a free-form snip, rectangular snip, window snip, or full-screen snip.
4. In free-form snip mode, draw around the area you want to be captured. Drag a rectangle in rectangular snip mode. For window snip mode, select the window you want to capture. In full-screen mode, just selecting it from the drop-down menu makes the capture.
5. The snipped image is then opened within the Snipping Tool, but is also copied to the Windows clipboard for use in other applications.

Tips

• If you want to take screenshot of just the active window (the one that's most on top and activated), press "Alt - Print Screen". This means, you should hold down the Alt key and then press the Print Screen key.
• A quicker way of accessing Microsoft Paint can be achieved by pressing the Windows key (Between "Ctrl" and "Alt" on many keyboards") and "R", then typing 'mspaint' in the box that appears.
• Many laptops, to conserve keyboard space, have mapped the "PrtSc" key as a primary or secondary function on a shared key. To take a screenshot with "PrtSc" mapped to a key as a secondary function, you will need to locate your notebook's function key (usu. labeled "Fn" and located along the bottom row) and engage it before touching "PrtSc."
• Depending on your version of Windows, Paint will allow you to save the screenshot in different formats.
  
  
  • BMP is the default option (a lossless uncompressed format)
  • PNG is a lossless compressed format
  • JPEG is a lossy, compressed image format, specifically developed for photographic images. For these images, it allows for the smallest file size. When used for non-photographic images, file size is larger than e.g. PNG and GIF and the image has a lower quality.
  • GIF is good for applications windows with a limited number of colors
  
  
  
• If you plan on putting your screenshot on a website, be sure it does not exceed a suggested size limit
  
  
  
  

  
  

  An unsuccessful attempt.
  
  
  
  
• There are a number of free programs that can make taking a screenshot easier like:
  
  
  • MWSnap is a free program that can be used to capture a screen very nicely. It has many options for saving the results of the screenshot. The program is available at http://www.mirekw.com/winfreeware/mwsnap.html
  • ScreenHunter is another useful (free) utility. ScreenHunter allows you to capture the entire screen, the active window, or a specific area you choose by dragging the pointer. It can run in the background and be called at will with a hot-key. It saves in .bmp, .gif or .jpg formats.
  • Alternatively use Screenshoter. It's able to capture the whole screen or a specified area by pressing the "Prnt Scrn" key. After this the screenshot will be directly saved as a .bmp, .png or .jpg image. Get this freeware here: www.inspire-soft.net (Author's page)
  
  
  
• If you are using a Macbook or any other laptop which doesn't have the "Prnt Scrn" key, you can press apple+shift+4 for a part-screen, and apple+shift+3

• It is also possible to pause an internet video and make a screenshot of it. In this way you can create a still from a video, e.g. from youtube.
  
  
  • As a rule your video player allows to make the video full screen and high quality, and to stop at the frame you want.
  • This capturing method may not work if you play the video from version 11 or newer from Windows Media Player.
  
  

Warnings

• Saving a screenshot in some file types (such as bitmaps) will result in a very large file.
• Some people will be annoyed if you email them a large attachment, remember to crop and convert.

source : www.wikihow.com