Whenever I try to use Windows System Restore it does not respond even after trying various different restore points. An unrelated problem is that the Print Screen facility within Windows does not work. Can you assist with these two problems? The computer is running Windows XP.

Without specific information on exactly what happens when you attempt to use System Restore or the Print Screen function I can only provide general advice on the problems you are experiencing. Dealing with the System Restore problem I assume that you attempt to roll-back the computer to a previous restore point but this does not occur. To start, make sure that Windows XP is up-to-date with the latest updates from Windows Update (windowsupdate.microsoft.com). This will eliminate a known bug in Windows as the cause of the problem. If the problem continues after updating Windows our next course of action is to clear all the existing restore points and start fresh, in case these restore points have become corrupt preventing Windows from completing a roll-back. Before commencing this procedure, please be aware that this will delete all existing restore points. I don’t foresee this as a major problem, since you currently cannot roll-back to any of those restore points and therefore they are pretty much useless. Assuming you would like to proceed, we can delete the existing restore points by disabling System Restore, restarting the computer, and then re-enabling System Restore. Go to the “Start” menu > “Control Panel” and open the “System” control panel (you may need to first click the “Performance and Maintenance” category). In the System Properties window click the “System Restore” tab. Tick the box “Turn off System Restore” and click “Apply”. A window will appear confirming that this operation will delete all your existing restore points. Click “Yes” to confirm. Click OK to close the System Properties window and then restart the computer. Once the computer has restarted go back into the System Properties > “System Restore” tab and untick the box “Turn off System Restore”. Click “Apply” and then OK.

Next, we will go into System Restore and have Windows create a restore point. Once this has been created we will then try and roll-back the system to check whether System Restore is functioning correctly. Go to the “Start” menu > “All Programs” > “Accessories” > “System Tools” > “System Restore”. On the main System Restore page, select “Create a restore point” and click “Next”. For the restore point description write something like “Test restore point” and click “Create”. Once the restore point has been created close System Restore and then restart the computer. Wait around 10 minutes so a bit of time goes past (and do not make any changes to your system during this time, since they will be reverted when we trigger the test system restore). After around 10 minutes open System Restore then select “Restore my computer to an earlier time”. In the next window select the current date and the “Test restore point” restore point then click “Next”. Confirm the settings and heed the warnings given, then click “Next” if you are happy to proceed. If all works, Windows should shutdown and then restart with the restored settings.

Should System Restore still not work you should next try using the System File Checker (SFC). This will scan Windows for any missing or corrupt files and replace these with known good copies, which will help us eliminate corrupt or missing files are the cause of the problem. Go to the “Start” menu > “Run” and type “sfc /scannow” (without the quotes) and click OK. The System File Checker will immediately commence operation and start scanning files. If any corrupt or missing files are found, it will replace these with known good copies. Be aware that you may be prompted for your Windows XP CD during this process to extract new copies of files, so make sure you have the CD handy. Once SFC has finished operation it will exit silently with no user feedback. At this point, restart the computer and check whether the problem persists.

Should the problem continue after running the System File Checker you might wish to try running a repair installation on Windows XP. This is a much more forceful version of the System File Checker whereby Windows XP is installed over the top of itself, replacing all Windows system files with good copies from the original Windows XP install media (rather than only replacing files which are identified as missing or corrupt). A repair installation should be safe for your data as only Windows system files are replaced and your data and settings should remain intact. However, stranger things have happened so it is certainly possible that things may be awry and your data may be lost. As such, I strongly recommend that before commencing this procedure you have a full backup of any important data on your computer which you wish to keep, just in case things do not go to plan. Once you have the backup of your data and wish to commence with the repair installation follow the excellent instructions provided at: www.michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm . I recommend that you print these instructions so they can be followed when you are going through the steps of the Windows setup and will not have access to the internet to reference the instructions.

Moving onto your question about the Print Screen function on the computer not working, I assume that when you press the Print Screen button nothing happens. Before going any further, I will run through how the Print Screen function works. When you press the Print Screen key (PrtScn) on the keyboard this captures the entire screen onto the Windows Clipboard. You then need to paste the screen shot (stored in the clipboard) into another program, such as an image editing application or a word processor. To double-check that it is not working, open Microsoft Word. Minimise the Word window to reveal the Windows desktop. Press the Print Screen key to capture the desktop. Then, go back into Microsoft Word and press CTRL-V.

Should this not work, you need to first check whether there is an F Lock function on your keyboard. Many of the new Microsoft keyboards have specific shortcuts assigned to the top row of keys. For example, on my keyboard the F10 key has been assigned the Spell Check function. In order to lock the keys to their shortcut function or their F key there is an F Lock function. On my keyboard the PrtScn function is a shortcut function, so I need F Lock disabled to use the Print Screen (if I press the PrtScn function with F Lock enabled nothing happens). If your keyboard has the F Lock function it will be fairly obvious as there will be a key on the keyboard allowing you to trigger the F Lock on and off.

Another possibility is on certain computers the PrtScn key may have multiple functions. For example, on some HP computers the PrtScn key is a special function key (in blue text on the keyboard) and requires the Fn (function) key to be pressed with PrtScn to trigger the function. If the PrtScn key looks different than other normal keys you may also need to complete a similar process to trigger the function.

Should you be unable to resolve the problem, you may wish to consider using a third-party screen capture utility. Lightscreen (lightscreen.sourceforge.net) is a free screen capture utility which was mentioned in the Tip of the Week a few weeks ago. This is an excellent utility which is much more feature rich and versatile than the Windows XP screen capture function.