Maximising Every Window

[acbus1]

Hi guys and gals.

Something doing my head in at the mo and I'd be grateful for any advice that works, please.

All I'm trying to do is to set up all windows to instantly be at maximum size every time I open them (by which I mean filling the screen, but not 'full screen' -- 'full screen' chops of some menus, which is annoying). Having to click the 'maximise' button every time I open a window is very annoying.

Done a Google and tried every suggestion. Searched PPRuNe and done the same. No consistent success. Sometimes works, sometimes not, sometimes works for a while, then not. Done all the suggestions - alt key, shift key, file exit, control panel-folder options-view-advanced-remember, open one, open two, maximise, close one, close two, etc etc etc etc etc etc.........

Good old Micro flippin soft.

PS - Using Windows 2000 and XP at the moment.

[Gertrude the Wombat]

Erm ... why do you think this is Microsoft's fault?

An application can start up how it likes. It may or may not choose to take any notice of the user's wishes as to how it is to start up, communicated by any one of numerous different means. If an application developer decides that he's going to ignore the user completely and always start up at the top left hand corner of the screen then that's what' it's going to do - this has been a bug registered against the Java RTE for years and they're not interested in fixing it, hardly Microsoft's fault, it's not their software.

[Tarq57]

Have you tried dragging the (not full size) edges of the window concerned to the size you want it, then pushing ctrl as you close it?

[acbus1]

Yes, tried dragging and ctrl+close. Elsewhere advises trying alt if ctrl doesn't work. Others advise using ctrl+File/Exit instead of Close button. etc etc etc. None of those work. Many other 'solutions' don't work, as per my previous post. I see others on the forums advising these methods report that suggestions don't work (though some posters report that they do work, so it ain't consistent).

All this started after I bought a new hard drive, due to mechanical issues with the previous drive. Same Windows installation discs as before, same computer, same make, type and (even!) size of drive. Windows is displaying reduced default window size on window opening and refuses to play any other game. Previous hard drive displayed full window size (using the method -> opening a window within a window, drag the second window to max and close the first. That method isn't working on this new drive).

[Spurlash2]

Try this

Solution 1.

Start IE, right click any URL and select "Open in a New Window".
Go back to the first IE window you opened and close it.
Return to the second window and manually drag it to fill the screen. DO NOT USE THE MAXIMISE BUTTON.
Close this second window using the close box.
All IE windows should now open maximized.

Solution 2.

Go to the South Bay Software website and download the TOTALLY FREE AutoSizer 1.71:

Automatically Resize Your Programs - AutoSizer

Quote: "AutoSizer automatically resizes programs for you, keeping them at a specific size or keeping them maximized. One popular use is to keep Internet Explorer maximized when you go on the web."

[Spurlash2]

Forgot to mention...

If you start your programmes from a shortcut off the desktop, try right-clicking the shortcut, select Properties and in the shortcut tab there is an option to Run, which is set at Normal Window. Change it to Maximised.

[acbus1]

I've tried your suggestions Spurlash2 (except the link, which I'd already got from another forum and it didn't work). Not sure which of your other procedures had the effect, but on restarting my PC just now I'm getting maximum windows every time (so far anyway, fingers crossed).

Stilll confused, but something's done the trick, just wish I knew what it was.

Wonder if it's one of those Windows thingies that eventually responds to repetition?

Many thanks to Tarq57 and Spurlash2 for the much appreciated input.

[LH2]

Originally Posted by Gertrude the Wombat

Erm ... why do you think this is Microsoft's fault?

Well, window presentation is the window manager's responsibility.

An application can start up how it likes.

Don't know a thing about Windows, but in the Linux (and more specifically, KDE) philosophy, the application may request to start up how it likes, but it's up to the higher layers to decide whether to honour any of the application's requests.

It may or may not choose to take any notice of the user's wishes as to how it is to start up

Again, not in KDE, where the user can choose to override any aspect of window behaviour for a single window, window class, application, or the whole desktop. It is the Advanced -> Special Window Settings and Advanced -> Special Application Settings menus in the window's actions button.

If an application developer decides that he's going to ignore the user completely and always start up at the top left hand corner of the screen then that's what' it's going to do - this has been a bug registered against the Java RTE for years and they're not interested in fixing it

In KDE all it would take is six clicks to dissuade the application from doing that.

I'm not trying to sell you in on KDE (amazing as it is ), just pointing out that it's not quite correct to say that it is

hardly Microsoft's fault, it's not their software.

It's their window manager. It was their design decision not to let the user override the application's behaviour. Therefore, I disagree that it is not "Microsoft's fault", in a way.

Note: this is not meant to be gratuitous MS bashing, just discussing a technical point.

[Gertrude the Wombat]

Don't know a thing about Windows

Clearly.

Windows tells the application what the user has asked for, then the application tells Windows what to do, usually, but not necessarily, by telling the OS to do its default thing. This is a sort-of OO philosophy - you can pass an object a "maximise" message, you can provide a default ("base class") behaviour, but at the end of the day it's up to the object to know how to "maximise" itself.

This means you can, just to pick the first example that came into my head, write kiosk applications even if there's no explicit support for kiosk applications in your window manager. Your application can open full screen and stay full screen and ignore startup parameters and messages telling it to do other things.

[LH2]

Originally Posted by Gertrude the Wombat

Clearly.

I'm glad there is one point we can agree on.

Windows tells the application what the user has asked for, then the application tells Windows what to do, usually, but not necessarily, by telling the OS to do its default thing.

...and then the OS blindly follows the application's orders? If so, that was my understanding, and my point is that Windows could and should provide a mechanism for the user to override this behaviour. I suspect the internals allow this, but where is the UI?

[Gertrude the Wombat]

...and then the OS blindly follows the application's orders?

Um, that's what it's there for?? An operating system provides facilities to applications, thus making it easier for application writers than programming to the bare metal would be. An operating system that thinks it knows best and randomly refuses to do what it's told is a right pain to all concerned (except of course the BOFH who earns his living by sorting out such messes).

Windows could and should provide a mechanism for the user to override this behaviour

Who is "the user"? The writer of the application? No, you clearly don't think it's her. The owner of the kiosk? The application probably does have some configuration that that user can override. The random punter trying to see whether she can crash the kiosk by pressing buttons in a clever order which she knows ought to do things to the window manager? No thanks.

[LH2]

Hi Gertrude,

Originally Posted by Gertrude the Wombat

An operating system provides facilities to applications, thus making it easier for application writers than programming to the bare metal would be. An operating system that thinks it knows best and randomly refuses to do what it's told is a right pain to all concerned

Do you write Window applications by any chance? I guess that would explain an awful lot!

That's quite an interesting philosophy you have... and there I was thinking the computer's job was to help its owner get useful stuff done with a minimum of interference.

Who is "the user"?

The owner of the current session.

The writer of the application? No, you clearly don't think it's her. The owner of the kiosk?

Which kiosk are you talking about??? The only prior mention of kiosk mode I can see is in your previous post, and I'm not quite sure what it's there for. You said

This means you can, just to pick the first example that came into my head...

Apart from not knowing where you're coming from or of what that is an example, how does the ability to override window settings prevent you from having kiosk applications? The answer is: it doesn't (and e.g., KDE is there to prove it). Please understand that in a kiosk scenario, the bloke in front of the screen is not the session owner.

I'm sorry if I misunderstood you, but I get the impression you're trying to make the point that the OS should give the application writer complete control over the user's resources, regardless of that user's wishes. I do not agree with that, and I do not even think that is a Windows design policy either (regardless of deficiencies in the actual product). I'm happy to be corrected on that last (or any other) point, however.

[green granite]

A lot of problems are caused by software writers not obeying the rules of the operating system and taking short cuts which of course work fine at the time, then, say a security loophole is found so MS issue an update to fix it and suddenly the short cut exploited by the writer no longer exists and the soft ware is broken, but, had he followed the rules, it would still be working

[Booglebox]

acbus1, first of all, using Windows 2000 is rather a bad idea because Microsoft have stopped providing support for it as of the 13th of July last year. Microsoft Support Lifecycle This means no patches, which means the possibility of a malware free-for-all if you're connected to the Internet.

I think window manager behaviour has been improved in NT6 (Vista and 7), and there are a ton of other good reasons to upgrade.

[Gertrude the Wombat]

I'm sorry if I misunderstood you, but I get the impression you're trying to make the point that the OS should give the application writer complete control over the user's resources, regardless of that user's wishes.

No, I didn't say that. I do think that the capabilities of an application shouldn't be overly constrained by the policies of a window manager.

BTW isn't it just as possible for an X application to choose to disobey the ICCCCC...CCCCCM as it is for a Windows application to choose to disobey the style guide, so actually there's no practical difference between the systems?

(It's a long loooong time since I read that document, I've forgotten how many Cs it has it in, other than it's always one more than you expect.)

[LH2]

Originally Posted by Gertrude the Wombat

No, I didn't say that. I do think that the capabilities of an application shouldn't be overly constrained by the policies of a window manager.

And how about being constrained by the user's policies, which is what we're talking about here?

Btw, I suspect you're playing dumb, so never mind.

[Gertrude the Wombat]

And how about being constrained by the user's policies, which is what we're talking about here?

The user gets to choose what applications to run in order to meet their needs, surely. If the user needs "X" and the application does "not X" then "buy something else" would seem appropriate advice.

[LH2]

Originally Posted by Gertrude the Wombat

The user gets to choose what applications to run in order to meet their needs, surely. If the user needs "X" and the application does "not X" then "buy something else" would seem appropriate advice.

That is a most curious philosophy, I must say.

[OX-27]

Try this link: How to open all windows maximized all the time on every applications and folders? - Webmaster Forum - post 13, it works with Vista.