save buffer contents without moving mark/point?

[Thomas L Roche]

Apologies if this is a FAQ, but I didn't see it when searching C-h F.
I'm currently using GNU Emacs 21.2.1 (i686-pc-cygwin, X toolkit) of
2004-03-22 on cm-test. (Hmm, I guess I need to upgrade my cygwin.)

I'm looking for a {function, key binding} with semantics like windows
C-a, i.e. that will select the current contents of the buffer
(preferably respecting narrowing) and save it to the kill ring without
killing (like copy-region-as-kill). 

What to use? If possible please reply directly to me as well as to the
list, and TIA.