Microsoft KB Archive/83386

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Windows 3.1 SYSTEM.INI [boot] Section

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Q83386

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The information in this article applies to:


 * Microsoft Windows versions 3.1, 3.11

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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= -

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= -

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= --

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= ---

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= --

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= ---

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= ---

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=

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= ---

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= ---

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=

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= --

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= ---

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=

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=

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= -

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= --

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. KBCategory: kbref kbdisplay kbsound

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