Window size & Position (SP2)

Topic

New Reply

I want to open and size 2 windows so that when I close them and open them again they remember their size and position. However, they don’t retain their settings. I have tried holding shift key when closing but it doesn’t save their position and size. Specifically they are 2 Outlook windows, one showing Calender and one showing emails. I also have an extra toolbar (from the task bar across the top of the screen. Is Windows supposed to remember the settings or not ? I have seen some 3rd part tools they purport to offer this facility but I don’t want to buy this if Windows is supposed to do it. Can anyone help on this please.

Reply | Quote

Replies

Yes, this “remember settings” problem has been around since XP was released. Take a look at this StarPost for some work you can do to correct it: post 252,256.

I don’t know if you’re familiar with registry editing, so it would be a good safety measure if you have a recent BACKUP and/or a restore point set, just in case!

Reply | Quote

Al,

I think that Windows only takes responsibility for windows that it creates, such as the ones from File Explorer. Other applications (including Outlook) are responsible for remembering and restoring configuration of for their own windows – if they choose to support this.

StuartR

Reply | Quote

Thanks for that clarification, Stuart. Although I don’t use Outlook, I suppose I “simplistically” thought that Windows does the creation of all windows, even for applications. So be it…

Reply | Quote

Windows does “create” the windows, but it does so at the size and position that the application requests. Some applications may not want to have window sizes remembered, so they get to do this for themselves.

StuartR

Reply | Quote

I agree with Stuart that other programs uses their own settings to remember their “sub-windows”, such as for example my e-mail program Pegasus etc.

The starpost is a bit old in one aspect; Microsoft changed the values BagMRU Size in
HKEY_CURRENT_USER Software Microsoft Windows Shell
HKEY_CURRENT_USER Software Microsoft Windows ShellNoRoam

from 400 to 5000 in Windows XP SP2. Therefore, everyone with service pack 2 will find 5000 in the value.

KB813711

Reply | Quote

I am running Office 2003 SP2 and I just tried the folllowing.

Open an email window
Open a calendar window
Change the sizes of both windows
Exit from Outlook
Start Outlook again

Both windows were restored to the sizes they had when I closed them. To check this I then resized one of the windows, exited outlook and restarted it again. Both windows were again restored to the sizes they had when I exited.

StuartR

Reply | Quote

In light of the two responses from Argus and Stuart, I’m going to move this thread to the Outlook Forum, just in case someone there can shed some more light on your problem. Of course, you can still try the XP thread on deleting the “bags” keys to see if it helps. As long as you’re careful, there shouldn’t be a risk involved in doing so.

Reply | Quote