How do I take screenshots of fullscreen games on a Windows 7 PC?

Question

I want to take screenshots during gameplay. This is on a PC with Windows 7. I don't want to use Fraps because my PC sucks and can barely run the game.

What are my options? I would prefer something like the OS X screen capture with Command-Shift-3.

Asked by bronzebeard

Answer

I agree with Oak that Steam is a very viable option for taking screenshots in-game as well as the stock print screen mechanic.

I would like to pose a third option, though. You could always check out a utility like Greenshot. Which takes the print screen mechanic a step further by automatically saving the the image to the desktop, or other desired location, instead of simply leaving it in clip board (as seen here). It's free, safe and open source, and is readily available to download through the homepage I linked above or on Sourceforge. It's a 544 KB download. Unlike an application like CloudApp or Steam's screenshot utility, you will have to upload your image to a host of your choosing.

Answered by G.D. Hamell

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Sims 2 gives blue screen of death while playing on windows 7

Question

I've installed sims 2 on windows 7 and am playing with my cd present in the drive. Everything goes fine for a few minutes and I can start playing the tutorial. However, in the middle of the tutorial I get the blue screen of death and I need to restart my computer with the message that my graphics drivers stopped responding.

I'm having a built-in graphics card which shows up as "Mobile Intel(R) 45 Express Chipset Family (Microsoft Corporation - WDDM 1.1)". This is the latest driver for my card and I'm sure there are no malwares/viruses etc (I've also done a complete scan with ESET security 4 and cleaned the registry with ccleaner).

In dxdiag I see DirectX 11 so I don't think this version should be a problem.

Does anyone have any idea on how I can deal with this problem?

Asked by Mugen

Answer

To whomsoever it may concern I was able to solve this problem. The very first problem was being able to run SIMS 2. I solved this by going to compatibility tab and checking "run as administrator" tab.

After running the crashes were probably due to SIMS 2 problems with windows 7. I found a patch online in the ea sims website (under cd/dvd section) which addressed this issue.

Thanks for looking into this anyways and let me know if anyone wants more info.

Answered by Mugen

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Need For Speed Hot Pursuit seldom responds to Enter key - very difficult to start the game!

Question

I seem to have this issue where NFS HP doesn't respond to the enter key - I have to keep banging it a million times before it accepts ONE input. WTF.

Because of this stupid response I find it impossible to get beyond the first press Enter to continue screen! Sheesh!

Any ideas on how can I get around this ?

(yes, the enter key is working fine.)

Asked by Sathya

Answer

Figured the problem. I had PhraseExpress running in the background and this is causing problems. Closing it resulted in Enter key being recognised. Why only this particular key and this game - I don't know.

Answered by Sathya

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Has anyone been able to run Assassin's Creed 1 on Windows 7?

Question

Please note that I'm talking about Assassin's Creed 1 and not 2. I know that 2 supports Windows 7. It's part 1 that I'm concerned about.

I had installed that game sometime a while back but had been unable to run it on Windows 7. On running it, I get a black screen. I don't know whether thats a specific problem or everyone is having it.

So, is there anyone who has been able to run it successfully on Windows 7 with an on-board graphics card? And if yes, what steps specifically did you follow?

Edit: I tried the test at http://www.systemrequirementslab.com and it passed everything except the graphics card name test - shows up as unrecognized. However, every component of the graphics card passed the test.

2nd Edit: You can also try out Swiftshader and 3d Analyze in case you are trying to install. If it works out, please let me know the settings.

Asked by Mugen

Answer

I have Windows 7 and am playing Assassin's Creed 1 right now with no problems whatsoever. I don't have a very powerful machine, with a 2.9 GHz Core 2 Duo Processor with 1 GB RAM and an onboard graphics card Intel G41 Express Chipset, so it does run, although only on the lower end of graphics and detail settings, but well and fast. The problem with you is most likely in the copy of the game you have, perhaps with some missing files. If not that, then it's surely a problem with the graphics card. Not that it's not fast enough, but because it's not compatible with the processor you have.

Answered by n/a

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Mouse Cursor Won't Display in Full Screen Games

Question

Whenever I run a game full screen, if it doesn't have a custom cursor built into the game, I basically can't play it, because for some reason, my system mouse cursor simply won't display when I run any game in full screen. I know it's still there, because I can see menu item rollovers animating when my cursor passes over them, so with some doing I can usually navigate my way to an option screen to run the game in a window.

But still, this is just silly. What could be causing this?

Asked by GnomeSlice

Answer

Try going into 'Control Panel' through the start menu, and accessing the 'Mouse' option.

Under the 'Pointer Options' tab, uncheck 'Display pointer trails' and press 'Apply'. (this seems to be a common issue)

Under the 'Pointers' tab, uncheck 'Enable pointer shadow'.

If you are running Windows 7, or possibly Vista (not sure about vista), go into the 'Personalization' option within Control Panel, and try switching the theme from 'Aero' to 'Basic'.

---

From there, you could try installing the latest graphics drivers.

Find them here for Nvidia: (Often named 'GeForce'. Recent cards are in a series of '8xxx', '9xxx', '2xx', '3xx', '4xx', '5xx') http://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us

Find them here for Ati: (Often named 'Radeon'. Recent cards are in a series of '3xxx', '4xxx', '5xxx', '6xxx') http://support.amd.com/us/gpudownload/Pages/index.aspx

Answered by Lemmings19

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How to play Heroes of Might and Magic 2 on Windows 7 32 bit

Question

I wish to play Heroes 2 on my Windows 7 machine. My problem is that I have some difficulties starting the application. I know there is DosBOX, but I'm looking for some effective solution for this. Do you know about some helper applications like ScummVM which can be easily configured especially for Heroes 2?

If all else fails I might just install a Windows 98 on a VirtualBOX but before that I want to try out something simpler.

Answer

There's no specific emulator for the HOMM series, from what I can tell. Most people are using DOSBox, and if you have access to the DOS edition of the game, it's worth setting up and using. There are many older games that run under DOSBox, and it's pretty easy to set up and maintain compared to a virtual machine or similar solution. DOSBox rates this game as "playable" and you can use the user reports on that page to avoid any common errors and understand what might not work properly.

If you have the Professional, Ultimate, or Enterprise editions of Windows 7, Microsoft Support suggests using Windows XP mode to run HOMM2. This is pretty similar to your VirtualBox solution, but if you've got it built into the OS, you might as well use this as a shortcut.

Sometimes editing the compatibility settings of an application can get it to run in newer Windows versions than the one it was designed for, but given that the game is so old, it's unlikely to work. Given its low time/effort investment, its still worth a shot, though.

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Which MechWarrior games will still run on Windows 7?

Question

I'm thinking about going to Windows 7 from XP. Has anyone run any of the MechWarrior titles on 7?

Answer

At the very least I know I have run mechwarrior 4 on windows 7...and it is now free!

http://mtxgear.mektek.net/MW4/

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Diablo 2 LAN game

Question

When I host the game my friend can't connect to me.

Our Ip 192.168.1.100, 192.168.1.101.

But when I run second instance of Game.exe I can connect myself

Both computers has Windows 7.

I try to find some information in Google to configure Windows. There was advice to remove Ipv6 protocol, but it doesn't help

Answer

Since the two computers are on the same local network, as you confirmed, it might be an issue of either network configuration in general or firewall configuration on at least one of the machines.

There is a support article on Battle Net about neccessary tcp and udp ports for Diablo2. I suggest to look it through, but the core info is:

Diablo II/Lord of Destruction: TCP Port 6112 and Port 4000.

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Playing Diablo 1 on Windows 7

Question

I just found an old copy of Diablo (the first game) in a box and whacked it into my laptop I purchased just yesterday.

After the quick install I hit play and found that the screen remained black (nothing was rendering). There was however sound.

I downloaded the patch but still nothing.

With it being a new laptop, I figure I might be missing some required software like Direct X maybe? I'm not really sure.

If anyone has any suggestions or knows how to fix this issue, that would be really helpful.

Answer

Notorious problem I'm afraid. Not so much missing software but you'll have a version of DirectX so advanced it's incompatible with early games. Some users have had luck running Diablo using Compatability Modes for Windows XP or earlier, or even Virtual Machines/DosBOX or equivalent, so you could try those first?

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Battlefield 3 - Upscaling windowed mode

Question

I have a problem with the windowed mode. It will scale to the actual resolution, thus giving me a 20fps or so. I want to have the resolution set in the game (like 1280x800), but upscaled into the window size.

So ... it would give a (more) blurry picture, than the native resolution (obviously), but I would get a faster gameplay, and windowed gameplay functionality. I could change songs in my music player with ease, respond to my friends on Skype/MSN/Steam/XMPP/whatsoever.

Answer

I think I understand where you're coming from here - you want the game to run in windowed mode, but cover the entire screen, at a resolution lower than what you normally run Windows at.

If this were possible, it would have to be a feature of the game or your graphics driver. I've checked all of my graphics drivers on various systems and not really seen this as an option. I don't own BF3 on PC (however, I played the beta), but I've not seen this as a game option anywhere previously either. The closest I've seen is using -window -noborder on Source engine games, which isn't exactly the same.

There is a similar option in Modern Warfare 3:

If you are choosing the "Extra" option, Modern Warfare 3 scales up a low resolution (maybe 1024x600 pixels, because that is the rendering resolution used in Modern Warfare 3 for consoles) instead that the game uses the given resolution in the video options like 1920x1080 pixels - typical for console gaming.

That said, you might be able to approximate this by changing your Windows desktop resolution before you load the game. Then play the game in windowed mode at the lower desktop resolution.

Alternatively, since the problem with running in your native resolution is that the frame rate is too low, you might consider messing with the settings to see if you can't boost your frame rate by compromising graphical quality.

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Installing Starfleet Armada 2 on Windows 7?

Question

I'm trying to install Startrek Armada 2 on Windows 7 x64. When I try to install, the popup launches and I can attempt to click install.

This briefly launches a small message box, after which nothing happens.

There are no errors in any of the application logs from this time period, and running as administrator has no effect. How can I install on Windows 7, or are they completely incompatible?

Answer

Wow! Haven't heard of this game in a while. If you're going to play it though, grab Fleet Operations as it brings the game up to modern standards (in graphics and gameplay). It will require your disk but it has a custom installer that works (last i checked anyway) on windows 7.

If you're sure that you want to play the game stock, open the CD manually in explorer, then go to the Setup folder and launch Setup.exe with administrator rights (i suspect you may have been launching the autorun program as administrator instead).

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Does Mirror's Edge run on Windows 7 Home Professional 64-Bit?

Question

I was considering buying Mirror's Edge from Direct2Drive when it was on sale, but then noticed this at the bottom of the page:

Known Issues Windows 7 is not supported

Has anyone had any trouble running Mirror's Edge on Windows 7 Home Professional 64-bit? If so, what steps did you take to resolve the issue? I don't want to buy the game if it won't run on my machine.

Answer

As i remember i played it on Windows 7 64 bits without any problem. Strange notice. However google and some boards are saying it's physX related and ATI for the ones having issues running it.

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What files does Steam install?

Question

I was wondering what files Steam (the digital distribution platform) installs and where on a Windows (7) PC. Does it add anything that runs at start-up or add any files to important system folders?

Answer

The Default Steam installation direction is Program Files / Steam. (Steam is not 64-bit, so it will install in Program Files (x86) if you have a 64-bit OS) By itself, it doesn't add anything to other directories, but games you install through it might.

Again, the default is to run Steam at start-up, but this is easily changed in the options, or at install time.

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Unable to install Final Fantasy 8 on Windows 7

Question

I am trying to install FF8 on Win7 but I am having no luck.

The install disc opens a menu with an option to start the installation. I click on this and nothing happens. If I look in Task Manager I can see the SETUP.EXE running.

I have tried exploring the disc and running the SETUP.EXE directly, both normally and as administrator.

I am using .iso's and running on Win7 32-bit.

Answer

So I found a solution to the problem.

I created a directory on my hard drive and copied the .ISO files from my external drive to the directory I created.

I mounted the Install.iso and copied the files from there to the directory I created initially. I then ran the setup.exe in compatibility mode with the setting on Windows XP SP 2.

This worked fine and the game installed without any problems. I then followed the instructions given here.

The game is running fine and I am yet to experience any problems.

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Windows 7 & Age of Empires II: works but not quite?

Question

I'm trying to install Age of Empires II on Windows 7.

The graphics are so so, but when I enter a tutorial, the map keeps panning continuously, to the upper left of the screen especially. It doesn't seem to be the mouse, I have lifted it off of the pad, and it still pans automatically...

What can I do to fix this?

Answer

I don't think its Windows 7 actually. The scrolling glitch is something that happened back in the XP days as well.

Do you have a Zune? A lot of people who have experienced the scrolling glitch have had Zunes, and after uninstalling the Zune drivers and software the problem has been fixed.

Another fix that used to work for people was powering off the computer, unplugging all peripherals, then once you get to the desktop/login screen, plug them all back in. You might try that as well.

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Can NASCAR SimRacing run on Windows 7?

Question

I'm trying to run this game on my Windows 7 Home Premium, but the game does nothing. So far I've tried native and Windows XP Compatibility Mode. The game is updated to Beta 1.0.29. Any thoughts?

Answer

According to the publisher and Microsoft: Nope.

However, it looks like if you own NASCAR Thunder (or install the demo) you can steal one of its files, and the mutant game will work. Paraphrased from this forum post and another:

Open the folder where you installed NASCAR Thunder, copy 3Dconfig.exe, paste it in the folder where you installed NASCAR Simracing, and rename it 3Dsetup.exe. Then run the 3Dsetup program. Make sure you've downloaded all the upgrades.

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Can you run an application with a Nostromo n52?

Question

I know this is an old piece of hardware, but is it possible to execute a file, such as an exe or bat file, with the Belkin nostromo n52? For example, pressing button 1 would bring up notepad, and pressing button 6 would run a batch script to compile a java project. I can do this with my Microsoft Sidewinder x6 keyboard, but I didn't know if it's possible with this older hardware. If not, is there some special software that would emulate this?

Answer

If it's just a USB HID device with a bunch of buttons, this seems doable. You'd probably want to start with AutoHotKey, and perhaps add JoyToKey if AutoHotKey didn't support the buttons on it natively.

AutoHotKey supports joystick input from a variety of devices, so it's likely to just work. You may have to do some configuration in the drivers to map the buttons to either "joystick" buttons or some other key combination that is generally unused.

Once you get AutoHotKey to recognize the buttons on the Nostromo, you can write arbitrary scripts to launch or macro whatever it is you want the buttons to do. If you're experienced enough as a coder to need a hotkey to compile a Java app, I'm sure you can do serious damage with the AHK scripting engine.

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Can I use my PS3 controller on a PC?

Question

Are there some good drivers available to make the PS 3 controller work with Windows 7?

Also, can I use it wirelessly?

Answer

I have successfully used an app called DS3 Tool to use a PS3 controller on Windows 7 64 bit. I did do it by cable though, it does also apparently work with bluetooth.

It was a bit of a hassle to get setup, but once it worked allowed a lot of customization and worked very well. Just follow the setup instructions closely.

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How do I take screenshots of fullscreen games?

Question

I want to take screen shots during game play. This is on a PC with Windows 7. I don't want to use fraps because my pc sucks and can barely run the game.

What are my options? I would prefer something like the OSX screen capture with Command-Shift-3

Answer

I agree with Oak that Steam is a very viable option for taking screenshots in-game as well as the stock print screen mechanic.

I would like to pose a third option, though. You could always check out a utility like Greenshot. Which takes the print screen mechanic a step further by automatically saving the the image to the desktop, or other desired location, instead of simply leaving it in clip board (as seen here). It's free, safe and open source, and is readily available to download through the homepage I linked above or on Sourceforge. It's a 544 KB download. Unlike an application like CloudApp or Steam's screenshot utility, you will have to upload your image to a host of your choosing.

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How do I tell if my graphics card is defective?

Question

I have an nVidia 470 on an Asus X58 motherboard, and it runs fine for everything except games. When I try to play Steam games like The Force Unleashed and Portal, the video portions of the game play fine, but as soon as it switches to gameplay, the screen freezes, flickers black, and/or crashes in a very dirty way, usually freezing my whole system and often (but not always) necessitating a hard reboot.

I've been agonizing over this for almost a year now, and I've reinstalled my DirectX software and drivers. I ran BurnInTest and got the all-OK for my 3d graphics setup. After going through all of the excellent advice provided by the others on this Exchange, I still can't get it to work. I even set up a dedicated Windows install just for gaming that runs off of a platter hard drive instead of my everyday install that boots from an SSD, just in case that was the problem. Nada.

Thinking I should bite the bullet and buy another card, but I want to know if there is some way of making sure that the issue really is the card before I plunk down money for a replacement. Has anybody had this problem, or know of a good way to diagnose my problem? Thanks!

Edit:

Hardware specs (as reported by Speccy):

• Motherboard: ASUSTeK Computer INC. SABERTOOTH X58 (LGA1366)

• Graphics: 1280MB GeForce GTX 470 (nVidia)

• CPU: Intel Core i7 950 @ 3.07GHz

• Hard drives:
  117GB INTEL SSDSA2M120G2GC ATA Device (SATA-SSD)
  977GB Western Digital WDC WD10EALS-00Z8A0 ATA Device (SATA)
  1465GB Western Digital WDC WD15EARS-00MVWB0 ATA Device (SATA)

• Power supply: Seasonic/Owltech 660W X-Series

Answer

There is no diagnosis software for graphic cards available. The best way is to borrow or buy a other graphics card you're sure it have no defects.

But even if the other graphics card works flawless does not mean that the other is defective. Sometimes the power supply is the source of the problem. High end graphic cards requires (if in use) a high and continous wattage. Your power supply should have enough power but keep in mind that slightly variations in the wattage output can create problems for your graphics card.

On the other hand my best bet is that you memory has a defect because (as you told) Furmark is running without problems and really stresses the graphics card. The difference between Furmark or other desktop applications and games is the memory usage. Memory usage is much higher in games and the probabiliy a defective area get used is much higher. So i suggest to run memtest.

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