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Step 1
Decide whether you want to capture a screenshot of what is in a particular window (such as a program or browser window) or whether you wish to capture an image of your entire desktop (including the Start button, Taskbar and all visible icons.)
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Step 2
Locate the "Prt Scrn" or "Print Screen" button on your keyboard; it should be to the right of the F-keys, most likely next to the Scroll Lock key. Many keyboards have the "Print Screen" key assigned to the same key as the "Sys Rq" function as well, though not all keyboards will have it listed as such.
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Step 3
Press the "Print Screen" key by itself if you wish to take a screenshot of your entire desktop. Should you only want the contents of the window that is currently in focus to be captured, hold down the "Alt" key as you press "Print Screen." Regardless of whether you press "Print Screen" alone or with the "Alt" key, the contents of the screenshot will be stored on the Windows XP Clipboard.
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Step 4
Open MS Paint or the image editing software of your choice. Hold down the "Ctrl" key and press "V" to paste the contents of the clipboard onto the current image. You may receive a prompt asking you whether you wish to adjust the size of the canvas to fit the image that's being pasted onto it; select "OK" or "Yes" so the canvas will fit the entire image onto it.
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Step 5
Save your screen capture with the file name of your choice. If you are using editing software that allows the use of layers, make sure you flatten the image before saving to avoid having the image saved as a layer over a blank background.
