Why are all of my windows tiny when I plug in an external monitor?

I have a mirrored display setup with a 17" MacBook Pro and an Apple LED Cinema display. When I plug in the monitor, sometimes the mirroring does not kick in properly and some items are half on-screen.

Opening and closing the lid gives it a kick in the pants and fixes it, but some application windows are collapsed to almost nothing (see screenshot) and I have to resize them all. Kind of a PITA since this happens every morning. Is there a fix?

(I also think this is responsible for my VirtualBox issue)

Screenshot:

Solution 1:

I don't have the correct solution, but I use the Moom app from the App Store configured with some shortcuts to maximize, shrink and or move my windows around.

So in my case it only takes around .5 seconds for me to resize the screen.