Well as you'll learn, or may all ready know bryce is hardly 'other applications' it's one of the qwerkiest, weirdest pieces of software I've ever seen. But it's great once you get used to it. I was just thinking about it and if maxamizing it and doing a file exit doesn't work you may try creating a short cut to bryce and if you right click the shortcut and go in to it's properties you can tell windows to force bryce maxamized on open. It's the drop down box in the properties called 'Run:' Change it to maxamized and windows should force bryce to open maxamized.