IE won't open maximized

[Scott Macpherson]

When I open Internet Explorer via a link (Start | Favourites, or Open In New
Window etc) it opens as a stupid wee window that I have to maximize.
Why won't it stay maximized though? Everytime I do this it opens in the same
stupid wee size and position. It's fine if I open it through Start |
Internet Explorer because I can set it to open maxmized from a shortcut, but
that doesn't help!
Any ideas?
Scott.

[Geoff P]

Open it from the Start menu, then drag the corners to get it to a reasonable
size. Hold down the Shift key and click on X in the top right corner to
close. This should force it to remember those window settings from now on.

Scott Macpherson <s...@clara.co.uk> wrote in message
news:b6ff6.42381$W94.3...@nnrp4.clara.net...

[Scott Macpherson]

That's helped, but not perfect. Now if I open it by running IExplore.exe it
opens as I left it, but if I use a link from Start | Favourites, or 'Open In
A New Window' it still opens a small central window . Is this perhaps a
default setting?
Scott

"Geoff P" <geo...@nospam.ntl.com> wrote in message
news:Yeff6.9656$Vd5....@news11-gui.server.ntli.net...

[Geoff P]

Hmmm - I think we need William Allen for this one. Sounds like a Registry
hack.
Are you there, William?

Scott Macpherson <s...@clara.co.uk> wrote in message

news:3tff6.42395$W94.3...@nnrp4.clara.net...

[William Allen]

Geoff P wrote in message
...snip
> Are you there, William?

Yes.

Although I sometimes feel in a minority, I find IE (currently using
version 5) an excellent, feature-packed, flexible, highly
configurable, very secure, and wholly trouble-free browser, vastly
superior to Netscape (including v6 though this does at least make a
stab at the W3C DOM). Since browser-use statistics now seem to
suggest that IE4+ use is over 86% and rising with quite small take
up of N6, I suppose my partner and I are not in such a minority here.

But then we also find Windows 9x a very stable, trouble-free OS.

The main problem with fixing IE faults is that I have to try to
simulate them because we just don't seem to get them. You need to
realise that IE4 and higher versions represent a major system upgrade.

OK, on this problem. This sets out what I know:

When IE is opened indirectly (by another application or as a result
of opening an internet shortcut (*.URL file), it opens in restored
(=not maximised, not minimised, size) mode. The restored window size
is remembered from the size set when you open IE from the Desktop
shortcut. The information is stored in the registry (as detailed below)

If at any stage you fix the problem, DO NOT go on to further stages.

STAGE ONE:

1) In IE Tools, Internet Options, General, Temporary Internet Files
panel, click Delete to clear the browser cache. In History panel,
click Clear history. This removes any cached pages that may be
resizing or corrupting the browser window.
2) Reboot the system. This sets a clean starting point.
3) Open IE from the _DESKTOP_ICON_ now; work offline.
4) If you last used it maximised from this route, it opens
maximised. If so, click the interlinked pair of boxes (next to the X
in the top right corner of its window) to shift to restored size
(where a single box shows next to the X).
5) Now hover the mouse cursor over the window edges (until it forms
the double arrow cursor) and drag the window to the size you want -
filling the screen if you wish.
6) When you're happy, close the window by clicking on the X. IE
should now remember this restored state, and open that way when used
indirectly in future.

Try out the actions that previously opened an unsatisfactory window
size, and see if it's fixed.

If it's not fixed:

STAGE TWO

1) Reboot the machine. This gives a clean starting state.
2) Perform the action that opens the unsatisfactory IE window.
3) Don't maximise the unsatisfactory window
4) Instead, by hovering the cursor over the window edges, drag the
edges to the width/height and position you want.
5) Close the Window by clicking on the X in the corner.
6) Now try the action that opens the unsatisfactory window again,
and see if it has changed.

If this doesn't fix it:

STAGE THREE

The registry key that controls IE window placement is:
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main]
"Window_Placement"

In regedit, locate this key, and delete it.
Repeat STAGE ONE, and only if that doesn't fix it, then STAGE TWO

If this still doesn't fix it:

STAGE FOUR

Open Windows Explorer, Click View, (folder) Options, File Types tab,
then locate the File association for Internet Shortcut. Click Edit
button, in the Actions, click Open, click the Edit button below, now
make sure that Use DDE is NOT checked. Click OK all the way out of
Explorer. If you changed the check box, reboot and, see if that
fixed it.

STAGE FIVE

1) Read my Regedit primer for safe registry editing:
From: "William Allen"
Newsgroups: uk.comp.os.win95
Subject: Easy Regedit Primer (was Re: Windows don't stay the same
size when re-opened)
Date: Thu, 16 Nov 2000 18:58
Message-ID: <8v1asd$3aice$1...@ID-55970.news.dfncis.de>

Take a deep breath and locate key:
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Streams]

This contains the window position and sizes for all recently used
windows. It will have many numbered subkeys.
1) If you have and can use a registry tracker utility, you can quickly
locate which numbered subkey holds additional state information
on the IE window. Delete the appropriate numbered key
2) Otherwise delete the whole Streams key (use the Regedit
primer safe undo-mode deletion method).
3) Also delete any newly appeared IE window_placement key as before.
4) Reboot.
This action will have lost all recently-used stored window
locations for all applications.

Repeat the STAGE ONE and, if necessary STAGE TWO instructions.

If this doesn't fix it, your next clean re-install of Windows
will most certainly do so.<G>

--
William Allen

[Adamski]

William,

Thank you. I was suffering this one too! It was driving me potty!!!
The "simple" method worked for me - much appreciated.

Adam.