Windows Vista Snipping Tool Tips And Tricks
Click the Vista Orb, type snipping in the Start Search text box and hit ENTER key will call up the Snipping Tool program – the tiny and useful screen capture program designed for XP Tablet edition which is now also available in Windows Vista Ultimate edition.
If you don’t find this program, most likely it’s not comes with your Vista edition. The Tablet PC utilities are only available in Windows Vista Home Premium, Windows Vista Business, or Windows Vista Ultimate.
If you couldn’t find the Snipping Tool program in Windows Vista Home Premium or above, the Tablet PC Optional Components might have been disabled or removed.
How to restore Snipping Tool in Windows Vista?
1. Click the Vista Orb, type Program in the Start Search text box and click Programs And Features link the Program list,
2. Click the Turn Windows Features On Or Off link in the Programs And Features window,
3. If the UAC is not turned off or tweaked, click OK to acknowledge the UAC dialog box for administrative privilege elevation prompt.
4. Locate and tick the check-box of “Tablet PC Optional Components” in the Windows Features dialog box. Click OK all the way to close the open windows / dialog boxes – the Snipping Tool program should be available now on those Vista editions.
Though the Snipping Tool is specifically designed for Tablet PC or UMPC, it’s fine to use with Desktop or Laptop computer too, except difficulty of snipping irregular shape with mouse movements. Otherwise, you could “cut” a perfect shape using stylus.
Overall, Snipping Tool is still much attractive than using PRINT-SCREEN button!
For example, you don’t have to PRINT SCREEN, paste to MS Paint and then only “cut” the selected area for documentation purpose. With Snipping Tool, all these can be done in one place and less hassle – even able to snip a pop-up Context menu!
How to snip a screen-shot of Windows Context menu with Vista Snipping Tool?
1. Open Snipping Tool by
Click the Vista Start button (Vista Orb), All Programs, Accessories, Snipping Tool.
Click the Vista Orb, type snipping and click Snipping Tool shortcut in the Program list.
Press a user-defined shortcut key of Snipping Tool.
2. Press ESC key to disable Snipping Tool screen capture function and put the program to idle mode,
3. Open the Context menu that you want to capture,
4. Press CTRL + PRINT-SCREEN shortcut key to freeze the Windows or Desktop and re-activate screen capture function of the inactive Snipping Tool.
If you’re snipping a screen-shot of web page in web browser, the URL might appears below the snip when it’s saved to hard disk. However, you may turn it off in Snipping Tool Options dialog box – click the Option button to bring up Snipping Tool Options dialog box.
Similarly, the Snipping Tool Options dialog box allows you to change color of the ink that’s used to capture snips or totally remove the ink.
