WININI.WRI: Microsoft Windows & MS-DOS 5 for IBM PS/2

 Last reviewed: November 22, 1994
Article ID: Q85427
The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Windows & MS-DOS 5 for IBM PS/2

Summary:

The following information was taken from the Windows & MS-DOS 5 for IBM PS/2 WININ.WRI file.

More Information:

WIN.INI File Settings

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 Windows maintains to
customize your Windows environment according to your preferences. 

  SYSTEM.INI, which primarily contains settings that customize Windows
to meet your system's hardware needs.

This document describes only a few of the settings in the WIN.INI file. You can get a more complete listing of the WIN.INI settings by purchasing the Windows Resource Kit for the Microsoft Windows Operating System Version 3.1. The Resource Kit provides complete technical information about Windows version 3.1 for the support professional. It includes a technical reference manual and a disk containing helpful utilities, system resource viewers, drivers, and accessories.

To order the Windows Resource Kit within the United States, dial: 

                 1-800-642-7676
To order outside of the United States, dial the phone number for your 
area.   You can find this number on the International Subsidiary card.
Format of the WIN.INI File

The WIN.INI file contains several sections, each of which consists of a group of related settings. The sections and settings are listed in the WIN.INI file in the following format: 

  [section name]
  keyname=value
In this example, [section name] is the name of a section. 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 in uppercase or lowercase, and it 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 a comment with a semicolon (;).

Updating WIN.INI from Previous Versions of Windows

If you update your system to Windows version 3.1 from Windows version 3.0, Setup automatically updates your WIN.INI file by making the following changes. For detailed information about these settings, refer to the Windows Resource Kit for the Microsoft Windows Operating System Version 3.1.

In the [windows] section, Setup adds three new settings:

KeyboardDelay= ScreenSaverTimeout= DosPrint=

If the following settings are already present in the 3.0 version of the WIN.INI file, Setup does not change them. If they are not present, Setup adds them:

Device= Documents= Programs=com exe bat pif

In the [extensions] section, Setup adds one new setting:

bmp=pbrush.exe ^.bmp

Setup adds two other settings to the [extensions] section, if they are not already present in the 3.0 version of the WIN.INI file:

pcx=pbrush.exe ^.pcx rec=recorder.exe ^.rec

In the [ports] section, Setup adds:

LPT1.DOS LPT2.DOS

Setup adds three other settings to the [ports] section, if they are not already present in the 3.0 version of WIN.INI:

FILE: COM3:=9600,n,8,1,x COM4:=9600,n,8,1,x

Setup adds the following section and settings to support TrueType fonts:

[FontSubstitutes] Helv=MS Sans Serif Tms Rmn=MS Serif Times=Times New Roman Helvetica=Arial

Setup adds the following sections and settings to support multimedia:

[mci extensions] wav=waveaudio mid=sequencer rmi=sequencer

Setup adds the following sections and settings to support sound:

[sounds] SystemDefault=ding.wav, Default Beep SystemExclamation=chord.wav, Exclamation SystemStart=tada.wav, Windows Start SystemExit=chimes.wav, Windows Exit SystemHand=chord.wav, Critical Stop SystemQuestion=chord.wav, Question SystemAsterisk=chord.wav, Asterisk

Setup adds the following section and settings to support object linking and embedding:

[embedding] SoundRec=Sound,Sound,SoundRec.exe,picture Package=Package,Package,packager.exe,picture PBrush=Paintbrush Picture,Paintbrush Picture,pbrush.exe,picture

Setup also makes additional changes, depending on the applications and devices installed on your system.

How to Read This Document

In this document, WIN.INI settings are listed alphabetically within sections. However, the settings do not appear alphabetically in the WIN.INI file. To change a setting, you need to search for it within the appropriate section.

This document lists the syntax, default value, purpose, and recommended method for changing each setting, using the following format.

SettingName=<value-type> 

Default:    The Windows default value for this setting.
Purpose:    This paragraph briefly describes the function of the
setting and its default value (if applicable). To change: Describes the recommended method for changing the value of this setting.

<value-type> indicates whether the value should be an integer, a letter, a range of numbers, or something else.

Changing Settings

When the Setup program creates the WIN.INI file, it assigns default values to the settings. Some settings that are listed in this document may not appear in your WIN.INI file.

There are two ways to change WIN.INI settings: 

  You can use Windows Control Panel to change most settings. This is
the safest and most recommended way because there is no need to open and edit the WIN.INI file, where it is easier to make mistakes. For more information about Control Panel, see Chapter 5, "Control Panel," in the Microsoft Windows User's Guide. 

  You can use a text editor, such as Windows Notepad, to edit the
WIN.INI file directly. (Do not use a formatting editor; it can corrupt your WIN.INI file.) You must use this method to change the settings that you cannot change by using Control Panel. After you have edited the WIN.INI file, you must restart Windows for the settings to take effect. For more information about Notepad, see Chapter 12, "Additional Accessories," in the Microsoft Windows User's Guide.

Caution: Always back up your WIN.INI file before you make changes so that you can restore the original file in case you accidentally damage the WIN.INI file or make changes that cause problems when running Windows. It is recommended that you do not change any settings that are not described in this document. However, if you need to change additional settings, refer to the Windows Resource Kit for the Microsoft Windows Operating System Version 3.1. Be careful when using a text editor to edit the WIN.INI file. Incorrect changes to WIN.INI can cause unexpected results when you run Windows.

[windows] Section Settings

The [windows] section contains settings that affect general areas of your Windows environment, such as which applications run when you start Windows and how information appears on your screen.

The [windows] section can contain the following settings.

DoubleClickHeight=<pixels> 

Default:   4
Purpose:   Specifies the height (in pixels) that the mouse pointer can
move between clicks when you double-click. If the mouse pointer is moved further up or down, the two clicks are treated as separate single clicks. For example, if DoubleClickHeight=10, the mouse pointer cannot move vertically more than 5 pixels between clicks in order for the two clicks to be recognized as a double-click. If you use an odd number, it is rounded up to the nearest even number. This setting is helpful if you are using a pen-tablet pointing device. To change: Use Notepad to edit the WIN.INI file.

DoubleClickWidth=<pixels> 

Default:   4
Purpose:   Specifies the width (in pixels) that the mouse pointer can
move between clicks when you double-click. If the mouse pointer is moved further right or left, the two clicks are treated as separate single clicks. For example, if DoubleClickWidth=10, the mouse pointer cannot move horizontally more than 5 pixels between clicks in order for the two clicks to be recognized as a double- click. If you use an odd number, it is rounded up to the nearest even number. This setting is helpful if you are using a pen-tablet pointing device. To change: Use Notepad to edit the WIN.INI file.

Load=<filename(s)> 

Default:   None
Purpose:   Specifies one or more applications to 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. Specify the complete path if the application or document is not located in the Windows directory. To change: Add the application to the StartUp group in Program Manager, and then select the Minimize On Use check box in the Properties dialog box.

MenuDropAlignment=<0-or-1> 

Default:   0
Purpose:   Specifies whether menus open right-aligned or left-aligned
with the menu title. If this setting is 0, menus open so that they are left-aligned. If it is 1, menus open so that they are right-aligned. To change: Use Notepad to edit the WIN.INI file.

MenuShowDelay=<milliseconds> 

Default:   0 for 80386 computers; 400 for 80286 computers.
Purpose:   Specifies how long Windows waits before displaying a
cascading menu. To change: Use Notepad to edit the WIN.INI file.

Programs=<extensions> 

Default:   com exe bat pif
Purpose:   Defines which files Windows considers applications. A
filename extension is separated by a space and does not include the preceding period. To change: Use Notepad to edit the WIN.INI file.

Run=<filename(s)> 

Default:   None
Purpose:   Causes 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. Specify the complete path if the application or document is not located in the Windows directory. To change: Add the application to the StartUp group in Program Manager.

[desktop] Section Settings

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. Most of these settings (which are not listed in this document) can be changed by using Control Panel. The following setting must be changed by editing the WIN.INI file.

IconVerticalSpacing=<pixels> 

Default:   Windows determines the default value based on the icon
title font and the display adapter you are using. 
Purpose:   Specifies the number of pixels that appear vertically
between icons. Increasing this number increases the amount of vertical space between icons.

[fonts] Section Settings

The [fonts] section describes one or more font files that are loaded when Windows is started.

The [fonts] section can contain one or more occurrences of the following setting.

<font-name>=<font-file>

Purpose: Specifies a font file. The <font-name> keyname is the descriptive name of a font. The <font-file> value is the filename of a file that contains font resources. To change: Choose the Fonts icon from the Control Panel window.

[mci extensions] Section Settings

The [mci extensions] section contains settings that associate different types of media files with different Media Control Interface (MCI) device drivers. Whenever a media file is selected, Windows uses the associated driver to play it.

The [mci extensions] section can contain one or more occurrences of the following setting.

<extension>=<mci-device-type> 

Purpose:   Associates files that have the specified extension with the
specified MCI device driver. Windows uses the specified driver to play the media file associated with it. To change: Use Notepad to edit the WIN.INI file.

[Windows Help] Section Settings

The [Windows Help] section includes settings that specify the size and placement of the Help window and dialog boxes, as well as the color of text that, when chosen, displays a macro, pop-up window, or new Help window.

The [Windows Help] section can include the following settings.

JumpColor=<red-value> <green-value> <blue-value>

Purpose: Specifies the color of text that, when chosen, leads to a new window of Help information. For example, specifying 000 000 000 as values results in black text on a white background. To change: Use Notepad to edit the WIN.INI file.

PopupColor=<red-value> <green-value> <blue-value>

Purpose: Specifies the color of text that, when chosen, displays a pop-up window (the type of window used for glossary definitions). For example, specifying 000 000 000 as values results in black text on a white background. To change: Use Notepad to edit the WIN.INI file.

MacroColor=<red-value> <green-value> <blue-value>

Purpose: Specifies the color of text that, when chosen, runs a Help macro. To change: Use Notepad to edit the WIN.INI file.

IFJumpColor=<red-value> <green-value> <blue-value>

Purpose: Specifies the color of text that, when chosen, leads to a new window of Help information, located in a different Help file. To change: Use Notepad to edit the WIN.INI file.

IFPopupColor=<red-value> <green-value> <blue-value>

Purpose: Specifies the color of text that, when chosen, displays a pop-up window (the type of window used for glossary definitions), located in a different Help file. To change: Use Notepad to edit the WIN.INI file.

KBCategory: kbref kbdisplay kbsound
KBSubcategory:
Additional reference words: 3.10 3.1 5.00a 5.0a WIN31 DOSWIN

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Last reviewed: November 22, 1994
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