MS-DOS Printing: Need to copy text from DOS window to paste and print in WinXP

To be honest it is for a client who says "they must upgrade" but haven't got round to it yet. I'll have a look at that suggestion,

Stuart.

In XP, if you're in a normal command window you can do much better using than print screen using the built-in functions for copy and pasting.  

Frist give yourself a bigger buffer to work in:
right-click the title bar of the DOS window, click properties, go to the layout tab, change the buffer size hight to 2000 lines or more if you need to.  If you play with the buffer width, some lines might not lineup right in some programs.  On the other hand, some programs with two or three lines per record on the output will line up better with a one line if the width is doubled ot trippled - makes it harder to scroll and see it all, but for copying, printing landscape, converting to spreadsheets,  etc, it could be better.  
I reccommend just add height to start with and leave the width at 80.

Now, click on the Options tab of the same Properties window and check "QuickEdit Mode".  (You can copy from DOS with or without quickedit on, but it's easier with it on.)

Click "OK" and notice the seconf line of the "Apply Properties" question that pops up includes the phrase "with same title"  -  this means you can set a different buffer size that XP will remember for each different DOS program you use, by saving the setting when the title for that program is showing. (It's also remembering colors, screen size, font, even a color palet for each DOS window, but it all takes very little space in the registry to remember)
Ususally, I just start a blank cmd.exe window and set the default for all DOS windows to 2000 and click to remember it.  all windows not otherwize set will defualt to this.

Now run your output and let it scroll off the screen, turn off screen pauses if you can, so you won't later need to take those pause lines out.

Select your text:
Click once at the start of the last line you want to copy (You could start at the top and work down or drag-select the text, but it is easier to start where you are and then go find the top.)
Use the scroll bar to locate the top line where you started.
HOLD the shift key while you click the middle or end of the top line, and notice at you move the mouse what is being highlinghted until you like it, then let go of the mouse and the shift.

Right-click ONE TIME  anywhere inside the highlighted area

Now you have that text in your clipboard - go use notepad, wordpad, trellis, or whatever you want to setup a document however you like and past it in.  
Mod the formatting to fit your needs and print what ya like.


gl (\o/)

sry,  didn't see the gwbasic  
it's in an older style command.com window

try Ctrl+P before the printout starts, and Ctrl+P when done, that used to work,  i may look at a few things . . .

sry, no luck here, looks even the command.com and compatability settings in XP is nothing more than variations on the settings for cmd.exe to appear more similar to the original DOS invironments, not a separate "real mode" program.

Looks like dragon's got ya covered best you can do.

Stuart / dbcomp,

Did any of that help?

Steve