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SYSINI.TXT
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1990-05-01
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SYSINI.TXT
----------
NOTE: This is the first of three files that contain
information about SYSTEM.INI. The other files,
SYSINI2.TXT and SYSINI3.TXT, are continuations of
the information presented here.
INTRODUCTION
------------
SYSTEM.INI is one of two Windows initialization files that
are included with Windows. Windows initialization files
contain information that defines your Windows environment.
Windows and applications can use the information stored in
these files to meet your needs and preferences.
There are two standard Windows initialization files:
* SYSTEM.INI, which primarily contains settings that allow
you to customize Windows to meet your system's hardware
needs.
* WIN.INI, which primarily contains settings that allow
you to alter your Windows environment according to your
preferences.
This document describes the contents of the SYSTEM.INI file
and how to change settings in the file.
For information on the WIN.INI file, see the WININI.TXT
file.
WARNING: If you change a setting incorrectly in
SYSTEM.INI, you might disable your system. Before
changing any setting, read "Changing Settings"
later in this document.
FORMAT
------
Windows initialization files have the following format:
[section name]
keyname=value
In this example, [section name] is the name of a section.
Sections are used to break settings into logical groups. The
enclosing brackets ([]) are required, and the left bracket
must be in the leftmost column on the screen.
The keyname=value statement defines the value of each
setting. A keyname is the name of a setting. It can consist
of any combination of letters and digits, and must be
followed immediately by an equal sign (=). The value of the
setting can be an integer, a Boolean value, a string, or a
quoted string, depending on the setting. There are multiple
settings in most sections.
You can include comments in initialization files. You must
begin each line of comments with a semicolon (;).
HOW TO READ LISTINGS IN THIS DOCUMENT
-------------------------------------
In this document, settings in SYSTEM.INI are listed
alphabetically within the sections that contain them. These
sections appear in this document in the following order:
[boot]
[boot.description]
[keyboard]
[NonWindowsApp]
[standard]
[386Enh]
The settings will not appear alphabetically in the
SYSTEM.INI file. If you want to change a setting, you will
have to search for the setting in the appropriate section.
Many of the settings explained in this file are rarely
needed and will not appear in your SYSTEM.INI file unless
you add them yourself.
The syntax, purpose, and recommended method for changing
each setting appear in the following format:
------------------------------------------------------------
SettingName=<value-type>
Default: This is Windows' built-in value for this setting.
Purpose: This paragraph briefly describes the function of
the setting.
To change: This sentence states the recommended method
for changing the value of this setting.
------------------------------------------------------------
The <value-type> indicates whether the value should be a
number, a letter, a range of numbers, a Boolean value, or
something else. If you want to enable a Boolean setting,
you can enter: true, yes, on, or 1. If you want the Boolean
setting to be disabled, you can enter: false, no, off, or 0.
Many settings listed in this document do not normally appear
in your SYSTEM.INI file. Most of these settings have a
built-in default value that is present whether or not the
setting appears in SYSTEM.INI.
Setup assigns a value to each setting in the [boot] and
[keyboard] sections, and to the Device setting and its
synonyms in the [386Enh] section. These settings have no
built-in default values. These settings must appear in
SYSTEM.INI in order for Windows to function properly, so be
careful not to delete them.
CHANGING SETTINGS
-----------------
Windows created the SYSTEM.INI file when you installed
Windows. Many of the settings contained in this file have
default values.
It may be necessary to change one or more of these values in
order to improve the performance of Windows or an
application with your system.
Most of the values in SYSTEM.INI can be changed only by
opening SYSTEM.INI and editing it using a text editor, such
as Notepad. (Don't use a formatting editor; it can corruprt
your SYSTEM.INI file.) For more information on how to use
Notepad, see Chapter 10, "Additional Accessories," in the
User's Guide.
CAUTION: You should use extreme care when making changes
to your SYSTEM.INI file using a text editor. You
can disable your system if you edit these files
incorrectly. The listings in this document
indicate which settings can be changed without
opening SYSTEM.INI. Use the recommended method
whenever possible.
Always back up your SYSTEM.INI file before you
open it.
WHAT IS IN SYSTEM.INI?
----------------------
The SYSTEM.INI file contains global system information that
Windows uses when it starts. Generally, you cannot change
these settings through Control Panel. Any changes to the
file do not affect Windows until you restart Windows.
The following sections can appear in SYSTEM.INI:
Section Purpose
------- -------
[boot] Lists drivers and Windows modules.
[boot.description] Lists the names of devices you can
change using Windows Setup.
[keyboard] Contains information about the keyboard.
[NonWindowsApp] Contains information used by
non-Windows applications.
[standard] Contains information used by Windows
in standard mode.
[386Enh] Contains information used by Windows in
386 enhanced mode. (The listings for
this section are in the SYSINI2.TXT
and SYSINI3.TXT files.)
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
[BOOT] SECTION
The [boot] section contains a list of the drivers and
Windows modules that Windows uses to configure itself each
time you start it.
CAUTION: All settings in this section are required. If you
modify or delete one of these settings, Windows
might not operate properly. There are no built-in
default values for these settings; Setup assigns
values based on your system configuration.
The [boot] section can contain the following settings:
------------------------------------------------------------
286grabber=<filename>
Default: none
Purpose: Specifies the filename of the device driver
(called a grabber) that makes a non-Windows
application visible when you use Windows in real
mode or standard mode.
To change: Choose the Windows Setup icon from the Main
Group window. This setting changes when you
change the Display setting in Setup. If you are
installing a device driver that is not included
with Windows, run Setup from MS-DOS.
------------------------------------------------------------
386grabber=<filename>
Default: none
Purpose: Specifies the filename of the device driver
(called a grabber) that makes a non-Windows
application visible when you use Windows in 386
enhanced mode.
To change: Choose the Windows Setup icon from the Main
Group window. This setting changes when you
change the display setting in Setup. If you are
installing a device driver that is not included
with Windows, run Setup from MS-DOS.
------------------------------------------------------------
comm.drv=<filename>
Default: none
Purpose: Specifies the filename of the serial
communications driver you are using.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file.
------------------------------------------------------------
display.drv=<filename>
Default: none
Purpose: Specifies the filename of the display driver you
are using.
To change: Choose the Windows Setup icon from the Main
Group window. If you are installing a device
driver that is not included with Windows, run
Setup from MS-DOS.
------------------------------------------------------------
fixedfon.fon=<filename>
Default: none
Purpose: Specifies the filename of the fixed system font
used by Windows version 2.x. This font will still
be used by version 2.x applications.
To change: Choose the Windows Setup icon from the Main
Group window. This setting changes when you
change the display setting. If you are installing
a device driver that is not included with
Windows, run Setup from MS-DOS.
------------------------------------------------------------
fonts.fon=<filename>
Default: none
Purpose: Specifies the filename of the proportionately
spaced system font used by Windows 3.0.
To change: Choose the Windows Setup icon from the Main
Group window. This setting changes when you
change the display setting in Setup. If you are
installing a device driver that is not included
with Windows, run Setup from MS-DOS.
------------------------------------------------------------
keyboard.drv=<filename>
Default: none
Purpose: Specifies the filename of the keyboard driver you
are using.
To change: Choose the Windows Setup icon from the
Main Group window. If you are installing a device
driver that is not included with Windows, run
Setup from MS-DOS.
------------------------------------------------------------
language.dll=<library-name>
Default: none
Purpose: Specifies the name of the dynamic-link library
that supplies language-specific functions. If no
language library is specified, Windows uses the
built-in U.S. English library.
To change: Choose the International icon from the Control
Panel window.
------------------------------------------------------------
mouse.drv=<filename>
Default: none
Purpose: Specifies the filename of the mouse driver you
are using.
To change: Choose the Windows Setup icon from the Main
Group window. If you are installing a device
driver that is not included with Windows, run
Setup from MS-DOS.
------------------------------------------------------------
network.drv=<filename>
Default: none
Purpose: Specifies the filename of the network driver you
are using.
To change: Choose the Windows Setup icon from the Main
Group window. If you are installing a device
driver that is not included with Windows, run
Setup from MS-DOS.
------------------------------------------------------------
oemfonts.fon=<filename>
Default: none
Purpose: Supplies the name of the font file for the OEM
character set. This setting is associated with
the display setting.
To change: Run Setup from MS-DOS. This setting changes
when you change the Languages setting in Setup.
------------------------------------------------------------
shell=<filename>
Default: none (Setup initializes this value as
PROGMAN.EXE)
Purpose: Specifies the Windows program that runs when you
start Windows. Unless you change this setting,
Program Manager will run when you start Windows.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file.
------------------------------------------------------------
sound.drv=<filename>
Default: none
Purpose: Specifies the filename of the sound driver you
are using.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file.
------------------------------------------------------------
system.drv=<filename>
Default: none
Purpose: Specifies the filename of the system hardware
driver you are using.
To change: Exit Windows and run Setup from MS-DOS.
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
[BOOT.DESCRIPTION] SECTION
The [boot.description] section is simply a list of strings
that are used to describe the devices you can change when
you run Setup. There is no reason to change these settings.
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
[KEYBOARD] SECTION
The [keyboard] section provides information about the
keyboard.
CAUTION: All settings in this section are required. If you
modify or delete one of these settings, Windows
will not operate properly. There are no built-in
default values for these settings; Setup assigns
values based on your system configuration.
The [keyboard] section can contain the following settings:
------------------------------------------------------------
keyboard.dll=<filename>
Purpose: Specifies the name of a dynamic-link library that
defines the layout for non-U.S. keyboards and
keyboards not compatible with IBM-compatible
systems. This setting is required for all
keyboards except the following U.S. keyboards:
IBM XT, PC/AT (R), or enhanced; AT&T type 301 or
302, Olivetti 83-key.
To change: Choose the Windows Setup icon from the Main
Group window or the International icon from the
Control Panel window.
------------------------------------------------------------
oemansi.bin=<filename>
Purpose: Specifies the name of a file that defines
OEM/ANSI code-page translation tables for systems
not using the U.S. OEM character set (code page
437).
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file.
------------------------------------------------------------
subtype=<number>
Purpose: Distinguishes, for some drivers, special features
for keyboards that otherwise have identical
layouts. The following values are defined:
Type Subtype
Value Value Meaning
----- ------- -------
1 2 Olivetti M24 83-key or
AT&T 6300 type 301 83-key
1 4 AT&T type 302 sometimes used
on the 6300 Plus.
2 1 Olivetti 102-key ICO used on
M24 systems.
This setting can also be used by other drivers.
See the following setting (type=) for information
about its values.
To change: Choose the Windows Setup icon from the Main
Group window.
------------------------------------------------------------
type=<number>
Purpose: Specifies the keyboard type. It can be any one of
the following values:
Value Meaning
----- ------------------------------------
1 IBM PC or XT compatible (83 keys)
2 Olivetti 102-key ICO
3 IBM AT compatible (84 or 86 keys)
4 IBM compatible, enhanced (101 or 102
keys)
If this field is blank or missing, the driver
selects a default type. For IBM-compatible
keyboards (using the keyboard.drv driver), the
default type is determined by the BIOS.
To change: Choose the Windows Setup icon from the Main
Group window.
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
[NONWINDOWSAPP] SECTION
The [NonWindowsApp] section contains settings that affect
the performance of non-Windows applications.
The [NonWindowsApp] section can contain the following
settings:
------------------------------------------------------------
NetAsynchSwitching=<0-or-1>
Default: 0
Purpose: Indicates whether Windows will allow you to
switch away from an application (running in
real mode or standard mode) after it has made an
asynchronous network BIOS call. The default value
of 0 specifies that such task switching is not
allowed. Switching away from some applications
that make these calls might cause your system to
fail. Once Windows detects an asynchronous
NetBIOS call, it will not allow switching from
the application even if no more of these calls
are made. Set this value to 1 if you are sure the
applications you use will not receive network
messages while you are switched away from them.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file.
------------------------------------------------------------
ScreenLines=<number>
Default: 25
Purpose: Specifies the number of lines that will be
displayed on the screen when a non-Windows
application is run. An application that specifies
a different screen mode can override this
setting.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file.
------------------------------------------------------------
SwapDisk=<drive-colon-directory>
Default: (The directory pointed to by the TEMP environment
variable; if there is no TEMP variable, then the
default is the Windows directory)
Purpose: Provides the name of the disk drive and directory
to which Windows running in real mode or standard
mode swaps non-Windows applications.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file.
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
[STANDARD] SECTION
The [standard] section contains settings that are specific
to running Windows in standard mode.
The [standard] section can contain the following settings:
------------------------------------------------------------
Int28Filter=<number>
Default: 10
Purpose: Specifies the percentage of INT28h interrupts,
generated when the system is idle, that are made
visible to software that is loaded before
Windows. Windows will reflect every nth
interrupt, where n is the value of this setting.
Increasing this value might improve Windows'
performance, but may interfere with some memory-
resident software such as a network. Set this
value to 0 to prevent INT28h interrupts. But
note that setting this value too low will add
to system overhead that might interfere with
communications applications.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file.
------------------------------------------------------------
NetHeapSize=<kilobytes>
Default: 8
Purpose: Specifies the size (in kilobytes) of the buffer
pool that standard-mode Windows allocates in
conventional memory for transferring data over a
network. Some networks require a larger buffer
than the default. Increasing this value will
diminish the amount of memory available to
applications. If no network software is
running, this setting will be ignored and no
memory will be allocated.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file.
------------------------------------------------------------
PadCodeSegments=<0-or-1>
Default: 0
Purpose: Setting this value to 1 causes Windows kernel to
pad code segments with 16 bytes. This will
prevent the last instruction in the segment
from being too close to the segment limit for
80286 C2 stepping. You only need to set this
value to 1 for this 80286 stepping.
Unfortunately, there is no easy way of telling
what stepping a 80286 chip is. Try setting this
value to 1 if your 80286 system hangs in
standard mode.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file.
------------------------------------------------------------
ReservedLowMemory=<kilobytes>
Default: 0
Purpose: Specifies the amount of conventional memory (in
kilobytes) to be reserved for use by programs
other than Windows. There is no known reason
to change this value.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file.
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
NOTE: See the SYSINI2.TXT and SYSINI3.TXT files for the
[386Enh] section listings.
----------
PC/AT is a registered trademark of International Business
Machines Corporation.