this is a problem that has been driving me insane for quite a while now, and have found no solution to.

my problem is, each new folder window i open, opens to a default size of (suspiciously) 800x600. of course i can resize each individual window, but this is an impossible task considering the amount of folders i have, and the amount of new folders i make.

for me, 800x600 as a default is unacceptably large, even with high res and two monitors. i manage a large amount of files, hence i have to have a whole ton of explorer windows open at once to organize things. (i mean win explorer, not ie). also, i am working in 'open each new folder in its own window' mode, as it's the only practical way to move so many files around.

in windows 2000, i could 'apply to all folders', however in windows xp, it seems window size is no longer considered in this equation. also, in windows 2000, it would rezise dynamically a little (based on the contents of the window)

does anyone know:

- where this 800x600 default is stored. i could live with a smaller fixed size (640x480 maybe?)

- why the functionality of windows 2000 was removed (i see no practical reason)

- ANY alternative which could FORCE explorer windows to open at a smaller fixed size?

thanks..
-res

Isnt it so that lets say you open one folder, resize it to what ever size you want, close the folder, then all folders you open will have the same size.

Its like that for me.

Oh and that apply to all folders isnt regarding the size of the window, only the way the folders content will appear, in that view that is.

that's the behavior i'd expect, but for some reason that isn't happening for me..

is this a bug or something?

In Folder Options -> View tab, make sure 'remember each folder's settings' is selected and 'restore previous folder windows at logon' is deselected. Also, you could try the 'reset all folders' button at the top.

thanks for trying, but i have done all that a hundred times hoping it would work like it should. what you have told me to do is what i tried first (having used windows for so long, i know that's supposed to work)

it has no effect, all new windows are still 800x600 in size regardless of what i try to set the default to

i have gone through every search engine, played with hundreds of reg keys, and asked everyone i know for months now, where the default window size is stored (it has to be stored somewhere, right?) but nobody has given me an answer. i would really appreciate it if someone could figure it out, because it's slowing down my work and costing me money ;)

What resolution are you using? I've noticed that Explorer in Windows XP defaults to maximised if you're using a resolution of 800*600 or less.

The data (each Explorer window's size, position, view settings, arrange settings, etc) is stored in the following registry keys:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Streams
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\StreamMRU

You cannot edit this data, however! Delete both keys to reset it (make sure no Explorer windows are open first, though).

The above 2 keys are used in all versions of Windows (since 95/NT); Windows XP also uses the following keys, so you might want to delete these too:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\BagMRU
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam\Bags
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam\BagMRU

Also, data on which groups are expanded in the 'task pane' (the pane on the left with groups like file/folder tasks, other places, details, etc) is stored in the following key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam\DUIBags

Delete that to reset this data too.

Windows will only store so many of these entries before deleting old entries to make room for new ones. You can increase this value (I've no idea what the default is offhand, but it's stupidly low) using a program such as Cacheman - http://www.outertech.com/

Also, you might like to try a program that I wrote called CleanUp, which deletes the above registry keys and various other crap that clutters up the system (IE's cache, cookies, history, etc) - http://www.djtsoft.com/

i'm using a resolution of 1600x1200. but i've always found it strange that it picked 800x600 to get stuck at.. hmm

anyway, i've tried deleting those keys you mention, unfortunately that just resets all my windows that i have manually resized to 800x600 again

it's not the remembering of window sizes i have a problem with (it does that fine), it is the fact that i have to resize each of my folder windows because the default is unacceptably large

what i need to know is, where is the default? where is it getting this 800x600 from?

I think it's hard-coded into Windows; I don't think it's a setting you can actually edit! Have you tried it at lower resolutions, such as 1024*768 or 1280*1024? Or even reinstalling Windows? (It's a pain in the arse, I know)

since the default window size could be changed in previous versions of windows, why would they just hard-code the size now?

i find it really odd, even for microsoft, to suddenly say 'alright, lets stick everyone with 800x600 explorer windows, and if they don't like it, they have to resize them one by one'

and yeah, i've reinstalled a few times already..

i wonder if win2k3 server does this as well

By default, Windows XP remembers the last 400 folder settings. After 400, it's supposed to discard the oldest settings, so that it always remembers the most recent 400. In some cases, however, it just stops remembering new settings when the number of settings hits 400. Note that the steps that follow will clear all your old folder settings so Windows XP can remember more, and this method also raises the limit higher than 400.

1. Launch REGEDIT from the Start menu's Run dialog.
2. Navigate to the Registry key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell. If this key is not present, skip to step 8.
3. If a subkey named BagMRU is present, delete the entire subkey.
4. If a subkey named Bags is present, delete the entire subkey.
5. Look for a value named BagMRU Size (with a space between BagMRU and Size).
6. If this value is not present, select New | DWORD Value from the Edit menu and name the new value BagMRU Size.
7. Double-click on the BagMRU Size value, choose Decimal, and enter the desired number of folder settings for Win XP to remember (for example, 1,000).
8. Navigate to the Registry key HKEY_ CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\ Windows\ShellNoRoam. If present, repeat steps 3 through 7.
That should cure Windows XP's faulty memory. The OS will "forget" all existing folder settings, but from this point onward, it should remember them correctly.

if you read my problem more carefully you'll see that i have no issue with windows remembering individual window sizes after i resize them all by hand, one by one

my issue is the default size for all new windows which explorer has not seen before. resizing them individually when you have as much data as i do makes things seriously inconvienient for me, i simply want a reasonable (much smaller) default size than i'm getting

thanks for trying though

PROBLEM FINALLY SOLVED!!!

I've allso been looking for a way to make new (and old) windows to have a smaller size than the default window size. So today I started google:ing to find a way, and I found this forum amongst others.

In one of these forums someone mentioned a software that might work. So I downloaded it and gave it a shot. To my suprize it did everything I wanted it to do. Set specific window-sizes (with both old and new windows), specify windows positions and so on.

My search is now over and I'm a very happy camper now that this anoying issue is finally solved. So do as I did and give it a shot.

Note that the program isn't freeware and you have to pay for it. If you're a poor fellow and can't afford to buy it there is another way of getting the full version. You'll probably figure out how by yourselves.

Get the free trial version here:
http://www.actualtools.com/windowguard/

Hope this will end your endless search as it did for me.