Disable the Fn+PRTSC Key

Users sometimes accidentally press the Fn+0 [PRTSC] key. The Palmtop appears to lock up and the tendency is to reach for the CTRL+ALT+DEL keys to reset it. Actually the machine is not "locked up". It's just waiting for you to connect a printer so that it can print the contents of the screen. If you wait about 20 seconds, the computer will return to normal operation on its own.

However, if your fingers find the Fn+0 keys too often and it's becoming a nuisance then here is a way to disable the key altogether.

Type the following code into MEMO and save the file as C:\NOPSCR.SCR. Preserve a blank line between the code "int 20" and "rcx" and at least one blank line after the final "q"

n nopscr.com

a 100

pop ds

or by [500],1

int 20

rcx

8

w

q

Use the More, MENU, Applications, Terminate All, OK, commands to get to the DOS prompt. Type the command DEBUG < NOPSCR.SCR and press ENTER. If any error messages appear check your typing and try assembling the code with the DEBUG command again.

The result of a successful "assemble" will be an 8 byte file called NOPSCR.COM. When you run this program at the DOS prompt, it will disable the PRTSC key altogether. Now you can press the Fn+0 key and the cursor will continue to blink normally and you won't have to wait for the Palmtop to come back to life. The good thing about the program is that it is not a TSR. It merely sets BIOS interrupt 5 to 1 which disables the function. The bad thing about the program is that you'll have to reboot the Palmtop if you ever do want to use the Fn+0 [PRTSC] key.

The source code and the assembled version of the NOPRSC.COM file are available on this issue's The HP Palmtop Paper ON DISK and on the www.PalmtopPaper.com Web site.