Member Avatar for Slappey

I don't know what happened, but a couple of days ago everytime I try to open a new floder in IE or Outlook Express the folder only opens in the top half of the screen. I have no clue what is happening. Any help will be appreciated.

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A quick manual resize (the approach suggested by ) fixed the symptom for , which is the typical short-term remedy. When folder or program windows repeatedly open only in the top half of the screen, the cause is usually Windows remembering a bad window placement rather than a hardware fault.

Why it happens: Explorer, Internet Explorer and Outlook Express rely on Windows to store window size and position. On Windows XP those per-folder/window settings are kept in the registry (the Shell "Bags" and "BagMRU" data). A display change, a crash, a multi-monitor reconfiguration or a third-party window/tile utility can leave those saved placements incorrect, so new windows come up truncated or off-screen.

Longer-term options (non-destructive first, then advanced):

  • Use the window controls (maximize, Alt+Space Restore/Maximize, or the taskbar button) as a quick fix when it happens. That confirms the problem is a saved placement.
  • To reset Explorer’s saved folder windows permanently, back up the registry and create a restore point, then remove the saved folder-view keys so Windows rebuilds them. The relevant keys on XP are under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell (look for Bags and BagMRU) and, if present, the ShellNoRoam branch. Log off/log on afterward so Explorer recreates defaults.
  • If editing the registry is not desirable, use Microsoft’s TweakUI for XP (it exposes a safe "reset folder views" option) or disable any third-party window management utilities that run at startup.

Caution: always export any registry keys before deleting them and create a system restore point. Manual resizing is a useful immediate fix (as shown in this thread), while resetting the Shell/Bags data addresses recurring cases.

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Member Avatar for bobbyraw

AT THE BOTTOM RIGHT CORNER put you mouse until it turns into a 2 headed arrow. Then hold and drag the box to fill the screen. you can do the same for the top left corner also. when you have it to the size you want, click on file then hold the shift key and click on close. now open IT and it will be at the same size you set.

Member Avatar for Slappey

Thanks for your promp response. This worked for me. Thanks again

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