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WININI.TXT
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1990-05-01
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WININI.TXT
----------
NOTE: This is the first of two files that contain
information about WIN.INI. The second file, named
WININI2.TXT, is a continuation of the information
presented here.
INTRODUCTION
------------
WIN.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 Windows applications can use the information stored in
these files to configure themselves to meet your needs and
preferences.
There are two standard Windows initialization files:
* WIN.INI, which primarily contains settings that allow
you to alter your Windows environment according to your
preferences.
* SYSTEM.INI, which primarily contains settings that allow
you to customize Windows to meet your system's hardware
needs.
This document describes the contents of the WIN.INI file and
explains how to change settings in the file.
For information on the SYSTEM.INI file, see the SYSINI.TXT
file.
CAUTION: Changing settings can lead to undesirable results
when you run Windows. 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 can be
an integer, a string, or a quoted string, depending on the
setting.
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, WIN.INI settings are listed alphabetically
within the sections that contain them. These sections appear
in WIN.INI and in this document in the following order
(however, the order of these sections is not important):
[windows]
[desktop]
[extensions]
[intl]
[ports]
[fonts]
[PrinterPorts]
[devices]
[colors]
In addition, some Windows applications may add or insert
other sections.
The settings do not appear alphabetically in WIN.INI. If you
want to change a setting, you will have to search for it
within the appropriate section.
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 and its default value (if
applicable).
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, or something else.
A setting that is listed in this document but that does not
appear in your WIN.INI file has the default value.
CHANGING SETTINGS
-----------------
Windows created the WIN.INI file when you installed Windows.
All of the settings contained in this file were set to
default values defined by Windows.
You might want to change one or more of these values in
order to change the appearance or performance of Windows to
suit your needs.
There are two ways to change WIN.INI settings:
* You can use Control Panel to change most settings.
* Use a text editor such as Notepad to edit the WIN.INI
file directly. (Don't use a formatting editor; it can
corrupt your WIN.INI file.)
You can change most settings in WIN.INI by using Control
Panel. By doing so, you avoid opening WIN.INI as a text
file, where it is easier to make mistakes.
For more information on Control Panel, see Chapter 5,
"Control Panel," in the User's Guide.
For the settings you cannot change by using Control Panel,
you must open the WIN.INI file, edit it using a text editor
such as Notepad, and then restart Windows. For more
information on how to use Notepad, see Chapter 10,
"Additional Accessories," in the User's Guide.
CAUTION: You should use care when making changes to your
WIN.INI file using a text editor. Incorrect
changes to WIN.INI can lead to unexpected
results when you run Windows. In addition, some
editors can damage certain characters (those
with ANSI values of greater than 127). It is
recommended that you use Notepad as a text
editor. The listings in this document indicate
which settings you can change using Control
Panel. Use Control Panel whenever possible.
Always back up your WIN.INI file before you
open it.
UPDATING WIN.INI FROM PREVIOUS VERSIONS OF WINDOWS
--------------------------------------------------
If you update your system to Windows version 3.0 from
Windows version 2.x, Setup will automatically update your
WIN.INI file by making the following changes:
In the [windows] section, Setup will add one setting:
Documents=
and will clear the old values from another setting:
Device=
In the [extensions] section, Setup will add two settings:
pcx=pbrush.exe ^.pcx
rec=recorder.exe ^.rec
In the [devices] section, Setup will remove all entries. The
previous drivers, fonts, and other resources will remain in
your system. Setup will ask you whether you want to upgrade
to the new driver or stay with the previous one.
Setup leaves all other sections unchanged.
If you are updating to Windows version 3.0 from Windows
version 1.x, Setup will not preserve any values from your
old WIN.INI file.
WHAT IS IN WIN.INI?
-------------------
The settings in the WIN.INI file allow you to personalize
your Windows environment. WIN.INI contains several sections,
each of which consists of a group of related settings. Your
WIN.INI file might not have all of these sections, or it
might have additional sections, depending on your system's
hardware and software requirements. The following sections
can appear in WIN.INI:
This section Does this
------------ ---------
[windows] Affects an assortment of elements
in your Windows environment.
[desktop] Controls the appearance of the
screen background (desktop) and the
positioning of windows and icons.
[extensions] Associates specified types of
files with corresponding
applications.
[intl] Describes how to display items for
countries other than the United
States.
[ports] Lists all available output ports.
These settings are listed in the
WININI2.TXT file.
[fonts] Describes the screen font files
that are loaded by Windows.
(These settings are listed in the
WININI2.TXT file.)
[PrinterPorts] Lists active and inactive output
devices that can be accessed by
Windows. (These settings are listed
in the WININI2.TXT file.)
[devices] Lists active output devices
that provide compatibility with
Windows 2.x applications. (These
settings are listed in the
WININI2.TXT file.)
[colors] Defines colors for parts of the
Windows display. (These settings
are listed in the WININI2.TXT
file.)
Additional sections might be inserted by other applications.
Consult the application's documentation for information on
those sections.
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
[WINDOWS] SECTION
The [windows] section contains settings that affect the
following parts of your Windows environment:
* Applications that start when you start Windows
* Warning beep
* Printing
* Window border width
* Keyboard speed
* Mouse settings
* Definition of files as documents or programs
The [windows] section can contain the following settings:
------------------------------------------------------------
Beep=<yes-or-no>
Default: yes
Purpose: If this setting is enabled, Windows sounds a
warning beep when you attempt to do something
that is not allowed.
To change: Choose the Sound icon from the Control Panel
window.
------------------------------------------------------------
BorderWidth=<number>
Default: 3
Purpose: Sets the width of the borders around all the
windows on your desktop except those (such as
Control Panel) that have a fixed size. The
allowed range is 1 (narrowest) to 49 (widest).
To change: Choose the Desktop icon from the Control Panel
window.
------------------------------------------------------------
CursorBlinkRate=<milliseconds>
Default: 530
Purpose: Indicates how many milliseconds elapse between
each blink of the selection cursor.
To change: Choose the Desktop icon from the Control Panel
window.
------------------------------------------------------------
Device=<output-device-name>, <device-driver>,
<port-connection>
Default: none
Purpose: Defines the default printer. The
<output-device-name> value can be any device name
given in the [devices] section. An explicit port
and driver must be assigned to the device. The
<device-driver> value is the filename (without
the extension) of the device-driver file. The
<port-connection> value is any portname given in
the [ports] section.
To change: Choose the Printers icon from the Control Panel
window.
------------------------------------------------------------
DeviceNotSelectedTimeout=<seconds>
Default: 15
Purpose: Specifies the default number of seconds for
Windows to wait for a device to be switched on. A
value is saved for each printer listed in the
[PrinterPorts] section. If the device is not
switched on during this time, Windows won't print
to the device. Note that for some devices,
Windows immediately posts an error message if the
device is not already switched on.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the WIN.INI file. This
setting serves only as the system default value.
To change the value for a particular printer,
choose the Printers icon from the Control Panel
window. Using Control Panel changes the
corresponding value only in the [PrinterPorts]
section.
------------------------------------------------------------
Documents=<extensions>
Default: none
Purpose: Defines files that are to be considered
"documents" by Windows. Files with the extensions
listed in the [extensions] section of WIN.INI are
automatically considered documents. Use this
setting to define only document file extensions
that are not in the [extensions] section. The
extensions listed here are not associated with
any application. Separate extension names with a
space, and do not include the preceding periods.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the WIN.INI file.
------------------------------------------------------------
DoubleClickSpeed=<milliseconds>
Default: 452
Purpose: Establishes the maximum amount of time between
clicks of the mouse button that the system
will permit for one double-click. The lower the
value, the less time you have to click twice in
order to effect a double-click.
To change: Choose the Mouse icon from the Control Panel
window.
------------------------------------------------------------
KeyboardSpeed=<milliseconds>
Default: 31
Purpose: Establishes how much time elapses between
repetitions of a character on the display when
you hold down a keyboard key. This setting does
not work for all keyboards. If you delete this
setting from WIN.INI, Windows Setup will not set
this speed, but the speed will still be set if
you choose the Keyboard icon in Control Panel
(even if you cancel out of it).
To change: Choose the Keyboard icon from the Control Panel
window.
------------------------------------------------------------
Load=<filename(s)>
Default: none
Purpose: Specifies one or more applications that are to be
run as icons when Windows is started. This
value is a list of one or more filenames of
applications, or documents that are associated
with an application, each separated by a space.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the WIN.INI file.
------------------------------------------------------------
MouseSpeed=<0-or-1-or-2>
Default: 1
Purpose: Establishes the relationship between mouse
movement and cursor movement when the value of
either MouseThreshold1 or MouseThreshold2 is
exceeded. When this occurs, Windows causes cursor
movement to accelerate according to the value of
MouseSpeed. If it is 0, there is no acceleration.
If it is 1, the cursor is moved twice the normal
speed when mouse movement exceeds the value of
MouseThreshold1. If it is 2, the cursor is moved
twice the normal speed when mouse movement
exceeds the value of MouseThreshold1 or four
times the normal speed if mouse movement exceeds
MouseThreshold2.
To change: Choose the Mouse icon from the Control Panel
window.
------------------------------------------------------------
MouseThreshold1=<pixels>
Default: 5
Purpose: Establishes the maximum number of pixels that
the mouse can move between mouse interrupts
before Windows alters the relationship between
mouse movement and cursor movement. If the mouse
movement exceeds this threshold and MouseSpeed is
greater than zero, Windows moves the cursor at
twice the normal speed.
To change: Choose the Mouse icon from the Control Panel
window.
------------------------------------------------------------
MouseThreshold2=<pixels>
Default: 10
Purpose: Establishes the maximum number of pixels that
the mouse can move between mouse interrupts
before Windows alters the relationship between
mouse movement and cursor movement. If the mouse
movement exceeds this threshold and MouseSpeed is
equal to 2, Windows moves the cursor at four
times the normal speed.
To change: Choose the Mouse icon from the Control Panel
window.
------------------------------------------------------------
NetWarn=<0-or-1>
Default: 1
Purpose: Specifies whether Windows should display a
warning message if your system is configured to
run a network and the network is not running or
the wrong network is running. All Windows
network-related options will be disabled if the
network is disabled or incorrect. Setting this
value to 0 will disable the warning message.
To change: Choose the Network icon from the Control Panel
window.
------------------------------------------------------------
NullPort=<string>
Default: "None"
Purpose: Specifies the name used for a null port. This
name appears in the Printers-Configure dialog box
in Control Panel when a device is installed (that
is, the device driver is present) but is not
connected to any port. This value also appears
for such a device in the [devices] section of
WIN.INI.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the WIN.INI file.
------------------------------------------------------------
Programs=<extensions>
Default: com exe bat pif
Purpose: Defines which files Windows regards as
applications. Extension names are separated by a
space and do not include the preceding periods.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the WIN.INI file.
------------------------------------------------------------
Run=<filename(s)>
Default: none
Purpose: Tells Windows to run one or more specified
applications when Windows is started. The value
is a list of one or more filenames of
applications, or documents associated with
applications, each separated by a space.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the WIN.INI file.
------------------------------------------------------------
Spooler=<yes-or-no>
Default: yes
Purpose: Specifies whether output to the printer is to be
sent through Print Manager. Changing this value
to no disables Print Manager.
To change: Choose the Printers icon from the Control Panel
window.
------------------------------------------------------------
TransmissionRetryTimeout=<seconds>
Default: 45
Purpose: Specifies the default amount of time to give
Windows for attempted transmission retries. A
value is saved for each printer in the
[PrinterPorts] section. If a successful
transmission does not occur during this time,
Windows posts a message box stating that the
printer is not receiving characters.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the WIN.INI file. This
setting serves only as the system default value.
To change the value for a particular printer,
choose the Printers icon from the Control Panel
window. Using Control Panel changes the
corresponding value only in the [PrinterPorts]
section.
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
[DESKTOP] SECTION
The [desktop] section contains optional settings that
control the appearance of the screen background (desktop)
and the positioning of windows and icons on the screen.
The [desktop] section can contain the following settings:
------------------------------------------------------------
GridGranularity=<number>
Default: 0
Purpose: Specifies the size (in units of eight pixels)
of the grid that Windows uses to position
windows on the screen. The allowed range is 0
through 49.
To change: Choose the Desktop icon from the Control Panel
window.
------------------------------------------------------------
IconSpacing=<pixels>
Default: 77
Purpose: Specifies the number of pixels that will appear
between icons. Increasing this number increases
the amount of space between icons.
To change: Choose the Desktop icon from the Control Panel
window.
------------------------------------------------------------
Pattern=<b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6 b7 b8>
Default: "(None)" (This string appears when no pattern
is specified)
Purpose: Specifies a pattern that is used to paint the
screen background. The eight numeric values
define a bitmap eight pixels wide and eight
pixels high. Each decimal value represents a
byte, and each byte represents a row of eight
pixels. The following shows the effect of setting
a bit:
Setting Effect
------- ------
0 Sets the corresponding pixel to the
background color (specified by the
Background setting in the [colors]
section).
1 Sets the corresponding pixel to the
foreground color (specified by the
WindowText setting in the [colors]
section).
For example, if you set the <b1> value to the
decimal value 175, the top row of pixels in the
bitmap will appear as the binary equivalent
(10101111) according to the preceding table.
To change: Choose the Desktop icon from the Control Panel
window.
------------------------------------------------------------
TileWallpaper=<0-or-1>
Default: 0
Purpose: Specifies whether to tile the desktop wallpaper
across the screen (set this value to 0) or to
center it (set this value to 1).
To change: Choose the Desktop icon from the Control Panel
window.
------------------------------------------------------------
Wallpaper=<bitmap-filename>
Default: "(None)" (This string appears when no pattern
is specified)
Purpose: Supplies the name of a bitmap file. This bitmap
appears on the screen background. You need to
include the full pathname of the file if it is
not in the Windows or system directory.
To change: Choose the Desktop icon from the Control Panel
window.
------------------------------------------------------------
WallpaperOriginX=<x-coordinate>
Default: 0
Purpose: Adjusts the initial offset of a tiled wallpaper.
The x-origin (default value) is the left side
of the screen.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the WIN.INI file.
------------------------------------------------------------
WallpaperOriginY=<y-coordinate>
Default: 0
Purpose: Adjusts the initial offset of a tiled wallpaper.
The y-origin (default value) is the top of the
screen.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the WIN.INI file.
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
[EXTENSIONS] SECTION
The [extensions] section contains settings that link groups
of document files with an application so that opening one of
the document files automatically starts the application.
The [extensions] section can contain settings of the
following type:
------------------------------------------------------------
<extension>=<command-line>
Purpose: Contains a list of filename extensions that
identify documents, and corresponding command
lines that are invoked when you choose a file
that has the associated extensions.
The <extension> keyname is an extension of one to
three characters. The <command-line> value is an
ordinary DOS command line. The command line
always begins with an application filename (with
the .EXE extension). This can be followed by any
command parameters the application needs, usually
including the document filename. The caret (^)
character can be used when the original document
filename is needed in the command line; the caret
is replaced by the document filename without any
extension. The most typical <extension> entries
simply list the application name and the document
name; for example:
CAL=CALENDAR.EXE ^.CAL
If you run a file called MYFILE.CAL after this
association has been made, the Calendar progam
will start and automatically open the file named
MYFILE.
To change: Choose Associate from the File menu in File
Manager.
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
NOTE: See the WININI2.TXT file for the [intl], [ports],
[fonts], [PrinterPorts], [devices], and [colors]
section listings.