The Tools Options dialog box has settings that control how ArcReader initially starts. On this dialog box, you can specify how to display information messages, decide whether you want the splash screen to appear when you first open ArcReader, and set default tools. Modify these settings to customize the look of ArcReader.
The settings are stored in the ArcReader template file. The template, ArcReader.art, is located in \Documents and Settings\<user>\Application Data\ESRI\ArcReader\Templates. You can remove the template file and ArcReader will start with the default settings. The ArcReader.art file is created or updated each time you exit ArcReader.