How do I send a screen shot of what I'm seeing to tech support?

Sometimes sending a screen shot (or a screen image capture--basically just a picture of your screen) to technical support can be helpful in diagnosing problems. There are several methods for sending a screen shot depending on which version of Windows you're using.

If you're using Windows 7, then there's a new "Snipping Tool" included in the Start menu's programs that allow you to capture a region of your screen and save it as an image file. These images can be attached to your email or support ticket.

All versions of Windows allow you to press the Ctrl and PrtScn (Print screen) buttons simultaneously to copy an image of your screen to the Windows clipboard. You can then paste this image into a document file and attached to your email or support ticket.

There are several free screen capture utilities available as well. Faststone (www.faststone.org) makes a free screen capture utility that works similar to the Snipping Tool included with Windows 7.

Once you have captured and saved your image file, just attach the image or document to your reply email or support ticket.