Alexander: 'Snipping' a still photo from a video

Q: I have a homemade movie on DVD. Is there a way I can pause the video on my PC and save the image to my Windows 7 computer?

Roger Bee, Aubin Grove, Australia

A: You can save a still image from your DVD movie, but the quality may not be great. Single video frames often reveal shortcomings that aren't obvious while the video is playing, such as blurring from motion or low resolution, when compared to a ­photograph.

The easiest way to copy a still image from your DVD movie is to use the "Snipping Tool" program that is included in Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8. In Windows 7, you can find the program by clicking the Windows Start button and searching for "Snipping Tool."

You snip an image by dragging the cursor over it; Snipping Tool can then store the image in the widely used JPEG digital photo format or several others. For details on Snipping Tool, see tinyurl.com/kqz9htf and tinyurl.com/lbghmrq.

You can also find similar programs, such as the free Cobra Snipping Tool, at tinyurl.com/nxd2yo7. During Cobra's installation, you'll be shown the "terms of use and privacy policy." At the bottom, check "custom install" and uncheck everything else.

Q: I recently purchased a 512-gigabyte SSD [solid-state drive, which uses flash memory chips], to replace the hard drive on my five-year-old Windows 7 PC. But when I removed my PC's hard drive, I noticed that it had four more electrical connector pins than the SSD.

Hermes Cervantes, Eden Prairie

A: The SSD will work. Hard drives have extra electrical connecting pins because they get control signals from the PC that SSDs don't need.

One such signal controls the "spin-up" of the hard disk from its motionless state to the thousands of rotations per minute it spins while data is being stored or retrieved. Because an SSD has no spinning disk, it doesn't require that signal. Other signals keep the disk drive synchronized with the PC. SSDs, which operate faster than disk drives, don't need those signals.

Q: After reading your column about software compatibility (see tinyurl.com/mweptam), I expected to have trouble using my old Microsoft Office 2000 program on my 64-bit Windows 7 PC. But it works fine. Will Office 2000 also work if I buy a new Windows 8.1 PC?

Wendell Laposata, King George, Va.