Does WebShot have spyware or malware?

No. That would only cheapen the software I've developed. I try to take pride in my work.

Does WebShot work on Windows 95, 98, ME?

No.

When I try to run it on Windows 2000 it says gdiplus.dll is missing.

Download the GDI+ Platform SDK Redistributable and copy the gdiplus.dll file to your WebShot installation directory.

Do you have a demo of the server dll?

No, but the dll interface is available here. You can also use the freeware version of the command line executable to test basic sites with.

What browser does WebShot use to take screenshots?

Internet Explorer. WebShot is always tested and development using the latest version of Internet Explorer, which right now is version 7.0. Although it does work with Internet Explorer 6, it is not guaranteed to continue to work with version 6. Therefore it is recommended that you use the latest version always.

What browser settings are used when navigating pages?

WebShot uses same settings as Internet Explorer.

Some times I get script popup windows when navigating to a url?

Make sure that in Internet Explorer options you have "Disable script debugging" turned on and "Display a notification about every script error" turned off.

Why on some pages do css styled comboboxes not render properly?

It is a bug in Internet Explorer 6's web browser control. Upgrading to Internet Explorer 7 fixes the problem.

Will you ever add Firefox support?

Perhaps one day.

How do I enable or disable Javascript from loading on a page?

You can turn Javascript on or off in Internet Explorer and it will affect WebShot. Furthermore you can use the -noscripts command line parameter to disable javascript.

Does WebShot capture Flash pages?

Yes it does. In order to capture flash pages successfully you need to use the /waitdoc parameter and you also need to have Adobe Flash Player installed. Please see the next question for more information on the /waitdoc parameter.

When I take a screenshot the flash does not show correctly?

You must set the /waitdoc parameter. When you visit a website with a flash object it takes time for Internet Explorer to download it and run it. The /waitdoc parameter can be used to set the amount of time you want Internet Explorer to wait for the page document to load which includes the time it takes flash objects to load. There are recommended values for the parameter in the Command Line Usage section. (Ex. /waitdoc 20)

How do I turn off sounds when WebShot is navigating pages?

Internet Explorer 7 has a setting in "Internet Options -> Advanced / Multimedia" called "Play sounds in webpages". Turning this option off should disable sound from playing. You can also turn off all the sounds on a web page by disabling ActiveX controls from running. To do so see the next question.

How do I disable ActiveX controls from running?

You can turn them off in Internet Explorer's security settings, which will also turn them off for WebShot or you can use the -norunactivex command line parameter to disable ActiveX controls from running.

How secure is WebShot?

The security of WebShot depends on the security settings of Internet Explorer. So if you want WebShot to run more securely then just modify the Internet Explorer's security profile.

What things can I do to make it more secure?

The -noscripts and -noactivex command line parameters will disable scripts and activex controls from running giving you further security, although it will in some cases effect the resultant image. Furthermore on the machine that is running WebShot you can take extra precaution by not installing Office or any Internet Explorer toolbars, which malware writers like to frequently exploit.

How are images named in batch mode?

In batch mode, the filenames of images are MD5 hashes of the complete input url.

Does WebShot capture sites with frames?

Yes, WebShot does capture sites with frames. By default WebShot tries to automatically determine the width and height of a page with frames which is very difficult and sometimes inaccurate. For best results with framed pages set the browser width and height in the options to ensure that the viewing area of the framed page is properly captured.

Why are the images produced in grayscale (freeware only)?

That is a limitation of the freeware command line version. In order to get color screenshots through the command line you must purchase WebShot. The money that is used to pay for WebShot is to cover development, hosting, and support costs required to maintain WebShot.

When running the command line version long urls are cut off

The maximum length a url can be is defined an RFC and is 2048 characters. More info here.

What does the debug log mean when it says "File download window blocked"

In order to stop all popups, WebShot cancels all events that fire the file download web browser notification. It cancels all those events wheither or not an actual file download window is shown.

How stable is WebShot?

WebShot is as stable as the stability of the sum of all its parts. WebShot uses its own internal memory and COM tracking to make sure it does not leak any memory or interfaces. Internet Explorer has been known to leak memory. Exiting the process will allow the operating system to reclaim the memory, if Internet Explorer has leaked any.

How long did it take you to make WebShot?

I started the project a few years ago then stopped. I restarted the work in early 2006.

Have you thought about porting WebShot to Linux?

There is no Internet Explorer for Linux so that would not be possible.

Who made the icons that you use in WebShot

All icons are provided by FamFamFam.

What was WebShot written with?

WebShot was written on Windows XP and Vista in C.

Will you release the source code?

Great artists who do great works of art never reveal their sources.