PC help: Screenshot advice

How to take screenshots of video

I am trying to take screenshots of a home movie playing in Windows Media Player. Regardless of whether I take a screenshot of the full screen or the active window (by pressing Alt and PrtScn) there is a black square where the video should be.
Jessica le Bon

Taking screenshots of video can be difficult because the video is sent directly to the graphics card.
Luckily it is possible to turn this off without harming performance too much. Start Windows Media Player and press the Alt button to open the main menu. Click on Tools and then Options. Select the Performance tab and then click on the Advanced button in the video acceleration section.

Uncheck the option Use Overlays. Click on OK twice to save changes. Capturing screenshots can be made easier by installing specific software for the job. A good example is Gadwin Print Screen, which can be downloaded.