Anyone know why IE 5 seems to randomly assign default window sizes when a new one is opened? The problem is this (also had by several others I’ve talked with), you’re browsing and click a link whic opens a new window, or you right click and select to open a new window. In either case the window is opened at some size, determined by what I have no idea. In my case it opens as a 400x400 square similar to a size I’d used in the past. For some reason that size was set as a default. Since then I’ve used many different sizes and it still uses that exceedingly annoying size. A co-worker has the same problem, but his new windows always open as a 200 width vertically minimized window. Now, I’m hoping this isn’t a rare problem, but what can I do to fix it? And what in the hell determines how IE opens a new window?
I just live with it. no big deal
I was about to refer you to the Microsoft IE5 tech support page but then realized that if they knew how it worked it wouldn’t be bugware. You might try checking some newsgroups.
I’ve never had a problem with it. Each time a link opens a new window, it’s always the same size (give or take a pixel).
Doesn’t sound like a data-threatening problem, though.
The size seems to “stick” if you resize by stretching (not Maxing) and then shrink it out of sight and close it.
One thing that will cause this problems especially is if you
“tile windows vertically/horizontally” and then close one before you “untile”.
Another problem is if you crash, any setting changes made since the last boot are lost.
It’s second nature to me to do this routine now, but I grumble every time. Some things aren’t worthy of “getting used to”.
Soupy, thanks, that licked it. The tiling thing is what got me in trouble I think. You have any ideas how to make it open maximized? I stretched it, minimized and closed and it reopened at the newly streteched size. Unfortunately you can’t maximize it and make it work. Any thoughts?
I’ve had Netscape do this to me too, and a few other programs. I’ve had windows open in little tiny squares about a hundred pixels on a side, and I know that I’ve never explicitly resized a Netscape window that small. It seems to be something handled by the window manager (part of Windows), rather than the individual application.
It appears I spoke too soon. Soupy’s advice worked for that session, but once I closed the application and reopened it the headaches continued. Keep on sending those answers folks. Maybe BurnMeUp can rattle some cages for me…do you think?
I’m not giving up on this thread that easily, too damn many people use IE for me to only get 5 unique replies.
Come on guys, can someone at least corroborate so I don’t look insane…well less insane anyways.
I use IE5 and I have the same problem. First, I drag the upper left corner of the new window up to the left top of the screen. Next, I drag the lower right of the new window (with the little line things) down to the lower right of the screen. After that, it stays that way, at least for the most part, even after re-booting. If it doesn’t, I just re-do the above steps. I have never been able to find a way to make a new window open maximized automatically. Just one of those annoying little quirks of Windows.
I agree, it is very annoying. Who is the world wants to look at a web page in a window the size of a 2X3 picture?
I’ve noticed this with both IE and Netscape. What puzzles me is the seemingly random variety of the new browser windows. I am fully in agreement with the sentiment – why not just have it open maximized every time?
I hate those tiny little windows–only reason to have less than max is if you’re dragging stuff from one into another.
While taking a Java Script class I learned that when a new window opening is triggered, you can code its size at any number of pixels you choose. At first I thought somebody was hardcoding the windows to open at specific sizes. But they look so random, I really have to wonder what’s going on.
And it ain’t just Web browsers. Microsoft Word and lots of other Microsoft programs frequently open with small windows, unexpectedly. I wish I knew what causes that. I 'specks it’s often as not something in Windows, not the browsers.
Isn’t variety the spice of life?
I’m thinking it is probably a Windows setting or cookie-type function that sets a defualt window size for each application based on some past size adjustment. Each application (IE, Netscape, Word, Textpad) opens at a different setting depending on how you last used it. Now, if it defaulted to the last sizing used for each it’d be great, but I can find no rhyme or reason for it. Shit, who knows. Keep any and all suggestions coming.
It looks like IE always has a current notion of where the next window is going to go, stored in the registry in the key: “HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\Window_Placement”
It’s a binary key, and I’m not sure what the beginning parts are, but the last 4 32-bit values (<pedant>on x86, at least</pedant>) are left,top,right,bottom of the next window, so you can fiddle that if you want. Also, the “maximized” flag is somewhere in that beginning part, but I’m not sure which bit.
At any rate, I tried deleting that registry entry, and IE happily decides on some nice default for its next window (unless you do “New Window” from an already existing window, in which case it uses that window’s size).
And of course, this is all undocumented as far as I know, void where prohibited, your mileage may vary, etc.
How’s that?
Also, any page with a link can spawn a new IE5 window with any size and characteristics. It can even get rid of all menu controls, allowing you to only use the links within it.
galt thanks, but unfortunately I have no idea how to play with my registry.
I have had this same problem with the windows opening to unexpected sizes. I found that, instead of closing any windows the with X if I went and closed them the normal way (file–>close or whatever) they tended to remember my window sizes better.
Works for me.
Handy hint: if you ever get one of those pop-up windows without menus or controls, or if you get the really nasty full-screen ones without even a “minimise” button, just hit CTRL-W to close it.
Shameless Bump!
Still hoping.
Ok, sorry. If you don’t know how to edit your registry, you probably don’t want to jump right into mucking with it, but here’s a script which will delete the key for you (assuming you’ve got the windows scripting host, which I think all current versions of windows and NT do).
-----cut here-----
var shell = WScript.CreateObject(“WScript.shell”);
shell.RegDelete(“HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\Window_Placement”);
-----cut here-----
That’s two lines, the second beginning with “shell.RegDelete” and ending with “;”, in case the browser wraps it.
If you save this in a file called “DeathToIEWindowsPlacementSettings.js” and double-click on it, it should delete the registry key and exit (you probably won’t even notice anything happening; it will happen very quickly). You could stick it on your desktop and click it when you get into one of those annoying situations.
Note that it’s generally not a good idea to take scripts from strangers and execute them on your machine, but this one is so dirt simple that it’s fairly obvious what it’s doing. Line by line:
line 1 creates a “WScript.shell” object, which is an object which allows scripts to access some basic functionality that scripts often need to do, such as popping up question dialogs and reading and writing to the registry. This is how you do things in the windows world of COM: you find an object type that does what you want it to do, you create one of those objects, and then you tell the object to do its thing.
line 2 calls the object’s “RegDelete” function (i.e. tells it to “do its thing”), which deletes a value from the registry. The value it’s deleting is the one that holds IE’s window placement setting.
Also note that I’m too lazy to figure out how to suppress the error you will get if you run it when that registry key doesn’t exist (i.e. if you run it twice in a row), but it’s harmless.