This is an interesting thread. Windows XP Tablet PC came out & XP Proffessional SP2 & subsequent service packs for it had release notes saying XP Pro was to have all the functionality of XP Tablet version. The idea was that pretty much anything you could do on a Tablet you were supposed to be able to do in full blown XP Proffessional. That assumed you had the same peripherals delivering equivalent capability on an XP Pro PC.
Bottom line for me & the person who started this thread was that we wanted the Win XP Tablet / Vista Snipping Tool in XP Pro. There are work around here but they won't produce the same efficient result of the MS Snipping Tool. And the work around is certainly slow. It's clear to me and perhaps people trying to "Take Notes", use Onenote or capture sreen content to bitmaps for documenting, that XP Pro looses to Tablet PC Edition and Onenote misses it's target audience.
Furthermore I reiterate
* Printscreen & Paintbrush are slow & produce different effects than the Snipping or Onenote clip tool.
* Onenote has a snipping tool, but it wont snip itself!!! (that's what got me on the snipping tool hunt)
* Onenote has limitations in pasting the clip board..
As no "Paste Special" functionality exists it lacks an abilty to migrate between Text & bitmap form
* Vista has Pen tablet driver problems, and is cumbersone & inconsistent with normal Mouse or Digitizer inking.
Try dragging a VIsta pen (in mouse mode) across the edge of a window & you'll see mouse movement with
a Pen lacks context sensitivity (this is confirmed with both HP & Panasonic Vista Tablets.)
The above led me to stray away from exploring note taking & inking in Windows with Onenote on Tablets & PC's, Though I do try again from time to time.
I found the Tablet / Vista Snipping tool searching for a work around to Onenotes weak clip & bitmap conversion limitations, But sadly I see XP Pro does not really have 'Ubiqitous Tablet Edition capability' in a tool as simple as a subscreen capture snip tool.
Microsofts goal is Happy customers.. If they want customers to work with and embrace up & coming technology concepts like Onenote or digital ink, customers should be able to use a single sourced screen snipping tool that works in XP Tablet, XP Pro & Vista and is quicker than a tool that stems from 1988.
In summary
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Print Screen Capture hales from the Windows 3 era & is a mainstream tool today. One would think MS would have improved screen copy paste technology for the benefit & efficiency of Windows users. Not so in this case!!
I hope MS will realize the original request of the customer in this thread is very valid. In reading it I too got misled to think the Snipping Tool would work in XP Professional based on prior Microsoft information.
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Cam, A happpy but very frustrated Windows customer & user.
