Hi, Steve.
This has always been problematic in Windows, it seems. There are two
related problems: The definition of "full screen", and how to make the
selection stick.
First, when we say "full screen", we might mean:
1. What Microsoft calls "full screen", which is what we get with the
<F11> key toggle.
2. Maximized - which is what we get when we click the square icon near
the X in the red corner; if it is already Maximized, this square becomes
"Restore Down".
3. A "normal" window, stretched by using the mouse or keyboard, to cover
the entire visible desktop.
These may look the same - or almost the same - to our eyes, but Windows
knows the differences.
To get full-time Maximized windows, we can right-click on the shortcut that
starts the app, then Properties, and choose "Maximized" in the Run box. In
my experience, this usually works - but not always.
The time-honored method is to choose "Normal window", then stretch it as in
#2 above, and then make sure that the "full" window is the LAST one closed
when we exit the app. All too often, though, after reading a web page, for
example, in the full window, we click the X to exit the browser - only to
find a small window lurking behind the one we were reading. The small
window may have been a pop-under ad so we quickly close it. Gotcha! That
small window is the LAST browser window closed in that session, so Windows
remembers that small size next time we start the browser.
But, like many other users, I've never understood why we can't Maximize a
window, then close it, and have Windows remember that we like that app to be
Maximized. But it will remember the LAST size of a "normal window".
RC
--
R. C. White, CPA
San Marcos, TX
(e-mail address removed)
Microsoft Windows MVP
Windows Live Mail 2009 (14.0.8089.0726) in Win7 Ultimate x64)
