How to Make a Fake Window - PC Prank

This is a simple but effective prank that you can do on any PC in less than 5 minutes. It creates a fake window that does not respond and looks 100% real. People think their computer is going crazy and they try to fix it by messing with the task manager, restarting, and many other crazy things.

Step 1 Print Screen

DO NOT ACTUALLY PRINT YOUR SCREEN! There is a button on most keyboard that says Prt Scr (or print screen). On my keyboard it shares a key with SysReq, but it still works.

First, close (not minimize, close) all of the windows you currently have open. Press the print screen button. If you don't know where it is, look at the picture. It should be around the area to the upper left of the keypad.

Comments

[jamesbond207]

dont not work for a lap-top fustrating

[E_MAN]

I made a screen shot like you, but without the window. Then I wrote a small vb app that would not close, but you could move it around, I also block control + alt + delete. Then a stopped explorer. Really freaked my brother out.

[XOIIO]

Can you post the code for the VB app?

[E_MAN]

Actually I will post an In sometime soon..... follow if you want it!

[patriots8888]

Any way to do it for mac?

[dark sponge]

Probably, I don't use macs.

[yoyology]

You can save some time in Step 3 by using Alt+PrintScreen. That will grab an image of just the active window.

Great, simple prank. I love people finding good uses for MSPaint! :-)

[dark sponge]

Thanks for adding this! I didn't know that at the time I made the Instructable and never updated it.

[vyncynt]

end tasking the explorer.exe would make the taskbar disappear

[dark sponge]

Cool! I don't want to try because I don't want to mess up my computer, it's pretty new.

[vyncynt]

your right, better mess a machine that's old enough for re-format or even junk, but i have tried it many times already, and it only disorders the arrangement of your open apps in the taskbar.

[camram]

It wont mess up your computer. If you stop explorer.exe, you can just restart it by opening task manager and starting explorer.exe again!

[miseleigh]

It can be more fun (if you don't mind being a little mean to your roommate) to then remove all the icons from the desktop. The images will still be there from the screen capture, but suddenly none of them work...

[camram]

or you could just right click on the desktop -> view -> show desktop icons instead of deleting them

[stargazer418]

Yeah I do that to my mom all the time!

[dark sponge]

Cool idea! Thanks! Once I did this with the microsoft office assistant instead of a window. I took a screenshot of it, cut out clippy, pasted him on the desktop, and set that as the background. They thoght MS Word didn't close down properly, and spent forever trying to fix it! Don't forget to rate and vote!

[m4573rk3yb04rd]

at my school, i made an empty folder and named it principle's porn pix and print screened it so the porn was always there and nobody could delete it or click it......i never got caught

[dark sponge]

That's hilarious! Did you print sceen the image of the folder being open and put it on the background?

[m4573rk3yb04rd]

no, the lady who monitors the computers came around right when i deleted the file, and told me to stop using up computer time(others were waiting to be on the computer)

[jay019]

Sweet, I know what im doing next time i walk through the department stores.

[stargazer418]

Lol! that would be great!

[dark sponge]

Ha! Genius! You would see all of the employees running around like ants trying to figure out what is wrong. First they would mess with the task manager (no luck there). Then they would restart them all (that didn't help either). Finally, they would just give up and just call a computer repair guy. Don't forget to rate and vote!