Did you ever wonder what the PrtScn (print screen) button on your Windows keyboard does?  Ever press on it and wonder why it never does anything? Well, it does do something! It copies an image of your screen onto your memory "clipboard," ready to paste into any graphics program.

These steps show you how to use your PrtScn (print screen) button along with Windows' standard image editor, "Microsoft Paint"  to save an image of your screen.

1. Press the Print Screen key on your keyboard. It may be labeled [PrtScn].
2. Open an image editing program, such as Microsoft Paint.
3. Go to the Edit menu and choose Paste.
4. If prompted to enlarge the image, choose Yes.
5. Optional: Use your image editor's crop tool to crop out unnecessary portions of the screen shot.
6. Go to the File Menu and choose Save As.
7. Navigate to the folder where you want to save the image.
8. Type a file name for the image.
9. Select a file type.
10. Click the Save button.

You now have a picture of your screen (a screenshot) that you can attach to an email or upload into a support ticket!

Additional tips:

1. Hold the Alt key down while pressing Print Screen to capture only the active window.
2. The Windows "clipboard" is a term used to describe the temporary storage space in memory where an item is placed when you copy or cut. When you paste, the item is transferred to the program you're working in. If you copy something else, the old item is replaced with the new. You can't manipulate the clipboard directly; it's only used for copy and paste operations.
3. Want to see an example of a screenshot?  Click below on "Quick View"
4. Would you rather see a video that shows how to take a screenshot?  Click here: http://video.about.com/graphicssoft/WinXPScreenshot-mov.--8z.htm