Windows XP Annoyance (vanity)

Today | Me

[RoughDobermann]

Thanks for any advice and sorry for the vanity, but it's driving me nuts...

[smith288]

Yea, maximize it, close it and restart it. I think that works for me

[RoughDobermann]

Yea, maximize it, close it and restart it. I think that works for me

Nope, tried that.

[Hodar]

Occassionally happens ... did you recently reload your video drivers? Or did you change your screen resolution? That will do it.... Just maximize, then exit the program. It should re-maximize when you re-open the program.

[Always Right]

In the old Windows 98/ME, you could open the properties of the icon and tell it to maximize windows. Haven't played with XP too much..

[Drango]

Have you tried logging on?

[Tank-FL]

If you start from a short cut .. check it's properties

when you close the program, close or exit the program, do not click the X to close the program

[RoughDobermann]

No, I haven't reloaded drivers or changed screen res. Let me clarify: this is an intermittent thing, sometimes the programs open maximized and sometimes they don't. I found some really goofy instructions on annoyances.org (grab bottom left corner of screen, stretch to desired size, close window while holding ALT-SHIFT, etc.) but none of them have worked for me.

[RoughDobermann]

In the old Windows 98/ME, you could open the properties of the icon and tell it to maximize windows. Haven't played with XP too much..

OMG, that was it! Right clicked IE and Outlook Express, Properties. Under the Shortcut tab is a Run option. Looks like it defaults to "Normal Window." Changed it to "Maximized" and it works!! Thanks so much!! I knew I'd find an answer here!!

[Duke of Milan]

This is a "problem" with xp and it really annoys me! The solution is you MUST use the resizing arrows to manually "maximize" the window; close it; now whenever you open an IE window they will be whatever size you closed the "maximum" window. WARNING: if you, for whatever reason, close an IE window at a reduced/different size THAT size will then be the new default for any IE windows afterwards.

[RoughDobermann]

Try #9. Worked for me!

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Buy the XP Professional Upgrade. The Home edition is crap.

[kylaka]

I can tell you what Microsoft tells anyone who has a problem Microsoft can't solve ... Reload the OS. My suggestion for now, Mozilla. I'll solve all my Microsoft problems once and for all when I completely migrate to Linux. I'm about 70% there now.

[mbynack]

Size the window by dragging on the frame until it's as large as you can make it and then close the window. The next time you open it the browser will be the size that it was when it was closed.

[sine_nomine]

May I add my problem? I have an HP computer with a flat screen monitor. Every so often the image freezes in a total crash or the monitor simply goes nuts. It is very inconsistent, but happening a lot lately.

I thought my old mouse was the problem but it happens with the new one.

I hated the HP stuff loaded on the hard drive so I reformatted and put on XP Pro.

[Capt_Hank]

What is the speed of your laptop? I had the same problem with a Dell Inspiron 5000e. I had to reformat and load Windows 98 SE, did the trick. Was told that my speed of 650 was on the bottom end of Windows XP.

[discostu]

XP's window handling really went in the crapper. It's decided how to open the app and that's about all there is to it. There's probably a registry entry you could delete, but that's a dangerous game. Wanna have real fun and see how badly they F'd up window controls: open multiple IE's (or anything else that will run multiple instances), get the situated so you can see their blocks on the task bar, click one of the blocks, click another, keep clicking around and pay attention to which one you click and which one actually gets the focus, about 1/4 of the time it'll go to some other seemingly random window. I play with that whenever I do multiple downloads.

[discostu]

I had a similar problem on an old machine, I think it was the BIOS, it lessened when I replaced the video card but never truly went away.

[Steely Glint]

Easy answer.

1. For each program you want to start maximized in XP, right click on its icon on your screen.

2. Select "Properties" from the menu this generates.

3. Select the "Shorcut" tab within the "Properties" window.

4. Within the "Shorcut" tab, find the "Run" window, and use the arrow on its right side to pull down the drop-down run menu and select "Maximized."

5. Click the "Apply" button.

6. Click the "Okay" button

The problem is now solved for that program. Repeat this for all programs that you want to run maximized.

[RoughDobermann]

Yep, that worked for desktop icons(see earlier). But, how about when one has Outlook Express open and you double click on a mail message, which opens another window? The new window is not maximized... Argh!