Internet Settings (.ins) File

The Internet settings (.ins) file is the mechanism used to configure computers for broadband or dial-up Internet access during Windows Welcome. At the end of the Internet service provider (ISP) sign-up offer, the ISP sign-up server creates an .ins file that contains the specified Internet settings and returns the file to the computer. Windows Welcome then processes the .ins file and applies the settings to the computer.

Use the .ins file to configure dial-up networking, Connection Manager, Microsoft® Internet Explorer, and Microsoft® Outlook Express. For broadband Internet connections, the .ins file can also contain Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and other connection-related settings.

For more information, see Internet Settings (.ins entries) for Broadband Connections.

Notes

Custom .ins files must have the following security descriptor:
D:P(A;;GRGX;;;BU)(A;;GA;;;BA)(A;;GA;;;SY)(A;;GRGX;;;WD)
This protects the file from being modified by a user with inheritable settings, allows the Users group to read and execute, allows the Administrators group all access, allows system all access, and allows Everyone read and execute access.
Make sure that you navigate only to trusted sites and pages.

The following sections appear in the .ins files:

Section	Description
[ActiveSetup]	Specifies the location of your custom bitmap files that appear in the Internet Explorer 6.0 Customization Wizard.
[ActiveSetupSites]	Specifies the names and locations of the custom packages that users can download.
[Animation]	Specifies the location of your custom animated bitmap files that appear in the Setup Wizard.
[Batch]	Specifies the types of installation media available for your custom package.
[Big_Logo]	Specifies the name and path of your 38 x 38-pixel bitmap file that appears in the upper-right corner of the browser.
[Branding]	Specifies information about the custom branding and setup information included in your browser package.
[BrowserToolbars]	Customizes the appearance of the Microsoft Internet Explorer toolbar.
[CabSigning]	Specifies the information used to sign your programs.
[ConnectionSettings]	Specifies information about the dial-up networking connection settings used to install your custom Internet Explorer package. This creates common network connection settings on all users' workstations.
[CustomBranding]	Specifies the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) for your branding cabinet file.
[CustomWallpaper]	Specifies the HTML and supporting files for your custom wallpaper.
[Device]	Specifies the type of connection used for Setup.
[Entry]	Specifies whether the information in this .ins file overrides the name of the dial-up networking in your custom package.
[ExtRegInf]	Specifies the names of your information (.inf) files and the installation mode for components.
[FavoritesEx]	Specifies the path to your icon file for Favorites, the URL to each Favorite site, and whether Favorites are available offline.
[HideCustom]	Specifies whether to hide the globally unique identifier (GUID). Each custom component has a GUID that is based on system information and other parameters, such as the time of day it is created.
[ICW_IEAK]	Specifies the path to your custom bitmap files that appear in the Internet Connection Wizard (ICW).
[Internet_Mail]	Specifies your custom Outlook Express information.
[Internet_News]	Specifies your custom news information and whether Outlook Express is the default news client.
[ISP_Security]	Specifies the root certificate to add to your custom package.
[LDAP]	Specifies information for your Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) server. Also specifies whether Outlook Express always checks names and e-mail addresses against the LDAP server.
[Mail_Signature]	Specifies an e-mail signature for news and whether to use the signature.
[Media]	Specifies the types of media that your installation package is available in, such as CD, download, and floppy disk.
[Outlook_Express]	Specifies which pieces of Outlook Express to brand or customize in your package.
[Outlook_Express_Global]	Specifies your branding for the Outlook Express service.
[Phone]	Specifies the telephone information used for your dial-up connection.
[Proxy]	Specifies whether to use a proxy server and identifies the host names for the proxy server.
[Script_File]	Specifies the text of the script file associated with dial-up networking.
[Scripting]	Specifies the names and paths of your dial-up networking script files.
[Security Imports]	Specifies whether to import security information from your computer to your custom package.
[Server]	Specifies the default connection settings used by the Internet Connection Wizard (ICW).
[Signature]	Specifies whether to use an Outlook Express signature and the text of that signature.
[SignupFiles]	Specifies the name of the files that appear during signup, such as Sign-up.htm.
[Small_Logo]	Specifies the name and path of your 22 x 22-pixel bitmap file that appears in the upper-right corner of the browser.
[TCP/IP]	Specifies the Internet Protocol (IP) number of the Domain Name System (DNS) server to use. You can also specify to use a remote gateway, an IP address, and a server address.
[URL]	Specifies whether to use an auto-configured proxy server, and identifies the URLs for the pages that appear when users connect to that server.
[User]	Specifies the logon information required by your users.