Windows 3.1 SYSTEM.INI [boot] Section

 Last reviewed: November 22, 1994
Article ID: Q83386
The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Windows operating system versions 3.1, 3.11

SUMMARY

The information in this article was taken from the SYSINI.WRI file contained in the Microsoft Windows Resource Kit for Windows version 3.1. The SYSINI.WRI file may be viewed with Windows Write.

MORE INFORMATION

The [boot] section of the SYSTEM.INI file contains a list of drivers and Windows modules that are used to configure Windows each time it boots. All settings contained in this section are required, with the exception of the CachedFileHandles entry.

If any of these settings are modified or deleted, Windows may not work properly. There are no built-in default values for these settings; these settings are assigned upon Setup based on the system configuration.

The [boot] section can contain the settings described in the following paragraphs.

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
          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.

CachedFileHandles=<number>

Default: 12 Purpose: Specifies the number of the most recently-used 

          executable (.exe) and dynamic link library (.dll)
          files that can remain open. Windows keeps these
          files open so that they can be accessed quickly,
          ensuring optimal performance. However, some
          networks have a limit on the number of files that
          can be open on a server at a time. If you are
          having problems running Windows from a Network
          server, use a lower number for this setting. Valid
          numbers are 2 through 12.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file.

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.

drivers=<filename-or-aliasname>

Default: None Purpose: Specifies the filename(s) or alias name(s) of the 

          installable drivers that load when Windows is
          started. An installable driver is a dynamic-link
          library that is treated by Windows like a device
          driver. If the drivers you want to use include
          parameters, you must specify them by alias name.
          Alias names are defined in the [Drivers] section
          of the SYSTEM.INI file. You can list several file
          or alias names in this setting
To change: Most setup programs add these settings to the 
            SYSTEM.INI file when installing installable
            drivers, so you shouldn't need to change the
            settings. Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI
            file.

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.

fonts.fon=<filename>

Default: None Purpose: Specifies the filename of the proportionately- 

          spaced system font used by Windows 3.1.
To change: Choose the Windows Setup icon from the Main- 
            group window. This setting changes when you
            change the display setting in Setup.

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 and change the setting for the
            Keyboard option.

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 and change the setting for the
            Language option.

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 and change the setting for the
            Mouse option.

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 and change the setting for the
            Network option.

oemfonts.fon=<filename>

Default: None Purpose: Specifies the name of the font file for the OEM 

          character set. This setting is associated with the
          display setting.
To change: Quit Windows and then run Setup from MS-DOS. 
            This setting changes when you change the
            Codepage or Display 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 system 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: Quit Windows and run Setup from MS-DOS.

TaskMan.Exe=<filename>

Default: taskman.exe Purpose: Specifies the task-switching application that 

          appears when you press CTRL+ESC. If this setting
          does not appear in the SYSTEM.INI file, then
          Windows Task Manager is used as the task-switching
          application.
To Change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file.

REFERENCES

Microsoft Windows Resource Kit 3.1 SYSINI.WRI file

KBCategory: kbref kbdisplay kbsound
KBSubcategory:
Additional reference words: 3.10 win31 WRK RK

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Last reviewed: November 22, 1994
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