Invoking MS-Office products from within a DOS database

[Godfrey Farrugia]

There is something I used to do successfully while still
using Windows 98 but is now giving me problems when using
the same function in Windows XP. My problem is this:

I have a DOS database which occasionally needs to invoke
an MS-Office product (such as Word or Excel) and then
returns back to the database. Upon returning back to the
DOS session, however, I find that the DOS window (until
then full-screen) has been reduced to half-height. How can
I overcome this problem?

I have tried various modifications to the calling icon/PIF
with no success, also because it seems that the
modifications are being lost. I would appreciate any help
available on this subject.

Thanks and regards