# Image capture from a DOS box **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 26, 2008, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/image-capture-from-a-dos-box/442792 "2008-03-26T14:26:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bert\_Nobbins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@Bert\_Nobbins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bert_Nobbins)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2008, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/image-capture-from-a-dos-box/442792/1 "2008-03-26T14:26:24Z")
I have an old but much-loved SPICE simulator that runs under DOS. It works fine in a DOS box, except that I have no way to preserve the output graphs. Normally I use Paintshop 5 to capture images, and it does a good job. However, it won’t work in a DOS box. Does anyone know of some software that will do this? A free download would be nice… 🙂 Thanks in advance. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2008, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/image-capture-from-a-dos-box/442792/2 "2008-03-26T14:27:30Z")
Will Print Screen not capture the contents of a command prompt window? ---
**Author:** ![butler1850](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@butler1850](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butler1850)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2008, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/image-capture-from-a-dos-box/442792/3 "2008-03-26T15:07:52Z")
Get SnagIT. [http://www.techsmith.com/](http://www.techsmith.com/) If you can see it, you can capture it. ---
**Author:** ![MrSquishy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9e5f3/32.png) [@MrSquishy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrSquishy)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2008, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/image-capture-from-a-dos-box/442792/4 "2008-03-26T17:55:26Z")
[QUOTE=Mangetout] Will Print Screen not capture the contents of a command prompt window? [/QUOTE] Works for me. ---
**Author:** ![Bert\_Nobbins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@Bert\_Nobbins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bert_Nobbins)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2008, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/image-capture-from-a-dos-box/442792/5 "2008-03-26T20:09:11Z")
[QUOTE=Mangetout] Will Print Screen not capture the contents of a command prompt window? [/QUOTE] Usually yes, but not in this case. When the simulator runs, the DOS box expands to fill the whole screen (in VGA mode, I think) and PrintScreen does not seem to be able to pick that up. Paste the clipboard into Paintshop and it’s empty. ---
**Author:** ![Bert\_Nobbins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@Bert\_Nobbins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bert_Nobbins)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2008, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/image-capture-from-a-dos-box/442792/6 "2008-03-26T20:10:55Z")
[QUOTE=butler1850] Get SnagIT. [http://www.techsmith.com/](http://www.techsmith.com/) If you can see it, you can capture it. [/QUOTE] That’s what I used to say until I hit this problem! Will try the SnagIT trial version. Thanks for the input. ---
**Author:** ![Bert\_Nobbins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@Bert\_Nobbins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bert_Nobbins)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2008, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/image-capture-from-a-dos-box/442792/7 "2008-03-26T20:49:15Z")
[QUOTE=butler1850] Get SnagIT. [http://www.techsmith.com/](http://www.techsmith.com/) If you can see it, you can capture it. [/QUOTE] I tried SnagIT (set to full-screen DOS mode, under Advanced) but it just brings back a blank white image. Am I attempting the impossible? If it helps, the prgram I’m trying to capture is an evaluation version of PSPICE, dated 1992. OK, it’s old. but it has features that are uniquely useful for what I’m trying to do. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2008, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/image-capture-from-a-dos-box/442792/8 "2008-03-26T21:18:52Z")
What happens if you hit Alt-Enter while the app is active in full screen mode? ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2008, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/image-capture-from-a-dos-box/442792/9 "2008-03-26T22:18:13Z")
In DOS there was a TSR file [graphics.com](http://graphics.com) that you executed before capturing the graphics memory with the \ button. Otherwise DOS captured the text area of the video card. DOSBox doesn’t have that TSR program available. The nstructions for DOSBox indicate using the CTRL+F5 key combination to capture the DOSBox screen. [DOSBox Keys and Functions](http://ipggi.wordpress.com/2008/02/26/dosbox-keys-and-functions/) Paragraph from the above web page. > [@](#): > > Screenshot Capture \* > > You can save a screenshot of DOSBox’s content at anytime by using the CTRL-F5 combination. All captures will be stored in the default DOSBox captures directory. This can be found through a shortcut listed as Capture folder within the DOSBox Windows start menu folder. [Special Keys](http://www.dosbox.com/wiki/Special_Keys) ---
**Author:** ![Bert\_Nobbins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@Bert\_Nobbins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bert_Nobbins)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2008, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/image-capture-from-a-dos-box/442792/10 "2008-03-27T19:30:01Z")
[QUOTE=Projammer] What happens if you hit Alt-Enter while the app is active in full screen mode? [/QUOTE] The screen is minimised. There seems to be no way to get it into a DOS box that only takes up part of the Windows screen. If that could be done I imagine PrintScreen could capture it. ---
**Author:** ![Bert\_Nobbins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@Bert\_Nobbins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bert_Nobbins)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2008, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/image-capture-from-a-dos-box/442792/11 "2008-03-27T19:48:27Z")
[QUOTE=Harmonious Discord] In DOS there was a TSR file [graphics.com](http://graphics.com) that you executed before capturing the graphics memory with the \ button. Otherwise DOS captured the text area of the video card. DOSBox doesn’t have that TSR program available. The nstructions for DOSBox indicate using the CTRL+F5 key combination to capture the DOSBox screen. [DOSBox Keys and Functions](http://ipggi.wordpress.com/2008/02/26/dosbox-keys-and-functions/) Paragraph from the above web page. [Special Keys](http://www.dosbox.com/wiki/Special_Keys) [/QUOTE] Sorry, I should have said that I am running XP. (with SP2) I think the page you linked to is Vista-specific. I can find no folder called DOSbox or Capture. XP has a folder under My Pictures called Snapshots, but if I ctrl-F5 it stays empty. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2008, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/image-capture-from-a-dos-box/442792/12 "2008-03-27T21:11:42Z")
You will do better to post this in the DOSBox site and ask the people that are working on it and using it regularly.