Want to save an image of what's on your computer screen? That's called a screenshot, and savvy users know that one tap of the Prt Scr key will copy the entire screen to the clipboard, where you can then paste it into the image editor of choice. (Even savvier users press Alt-Prt Scr to capture just the active window.)

That gets the job done, but I think there's a better way: the Snipping Tool. Built into Windows 7 (and some versions of Vista), it lets you capture a custom chunk of the screen, then mark up, save, and share that image. It's fast, simple, and free. How can you go wrong?

To get started, click the Start button, type snip, and then click Snipping Tool.

The program will start "activated," meaning it's immediately ready for you to start snipping. (This dims your screen somewhat, which is normal, so don't freak out.) If you're not quite ready to "snip" yet, just click Cancel until you are.