making each window come up maximized

You can't. The windows you talk about are all Explorer windows. Explorer honours a user request to start max/normal/min. But the way to tell windows of this preference is through a shortcut's properties. Another thing you can try is this

#define SW_HIDE 0
#define SW_SHOWNORMAL 1
#define SW_NORMAL 1
#define SW_SHOWMINIMIZED 2
#define SW_SHOWMAXIMIZED 3
#define SW_MAXIMIZE 3
#define SW_SHOWNOACTIVATE 4
#define SW_SHOW 5
#define SW_MINIMIZE 6
#define SW_SHOWMINNOACTIVE 7
#define SW_SHOWNA 8
#define SW_RESTORE 9
#define SW_SHOWDEFAULT 10
#define SW_FORCEMINIMIZE 11
#define SW_MAX 11

Explorer.
If you go to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\open\ddeexec you'll find a DDE string with %S in it. By changing that to a number above you'll force that behaviour. %S is the show state of the current window being passed to the new window. Replacing with a number forces that number's behaviour on new windows..

It doesn't work with IE. And it won't work when you first open a window or indeed most of the time as other things override it.

Like the saved folder settings. You can alter it here as but windows will keep changing it back. You can spend 5 minutes editing the registry, to have the window open minimised once. Hardly worth it. Look at HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell NoRoam\Bags and change showcmd to a number above. Of course the trick is which of the hundreds to change is the right one. But that takes an essay.

So shortcuts is your only options.

In a general sense this is how a window is made.

Windows XP starts the program and tells the program what the user preference is (which only programs can set or a shortcut's properties or a command like start). Some programs pay attention and some don't. The program creates a window telling windows the size/state it want, some programs save this in the registry and restore their last state, others tell window they just want a default sized window at a default location. There are no general rules or preference settings. Each program decides for itself what it does.

For historical reasons most programs will refuse to restore themselves to a maximised state (rude to other programs - but more and more are doing it) and most will refuse to restore a minimised state (in case it confuses the user).
"Abe Oren" <abeoren@arizona.usa.com> wrote in message news:106101c36671$4f1faf40$a501280a@phx.gbl...

> Hi there...
> I just need the oposite.
> I want all windows screens (control panel, drives etc...)
> NOT applications, to come minimize as default, bu it
> ALWAYS comes maximize.
> How/where do I set it to come minimize FOR ALL windows
> screens...?
> Thanks,
> abeoren@arizona.usa.com
>

> >-----Original Message-----
> >You don't. It's entirely up to the program how it starts.

> Windows advises programs what the user prefers but it's up
> to the program if it pays any attention. You can set the
> advisory in a shortcut's properties on the shortcut tab in
> the box that says Run.

> >"helen mccollum" <helenmccollum@comcast.net> wrote in

> message news:00fe01c36607$2ea0a4f0$a001280a@phx.gbl...

> >> how do you make windows come up full size,all the time

> >
> >.
> >