Microsoft KB Archive/83433

= Windows 3.1 Resource Kit WIN.INI Section Settings =

Article ID: 83433

Article Last Modified on 7/30/2001



This article was previously published under Q83433



SUMMARY
The information contained in this article is contained in the WININI.WRI file in the Microsoft Windows Resource Kit for the Microsoft Windows operating system version 3.1. The WININI.WRI file may be viewed within the Windows Write utility in the Windows Accessories Group.

The WININI.WRI file contains specific information about the entries.



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:

1. WIN.INI, which primarily contains settings that you can use to  customize your Windows environment according to your preferences.

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

Caution: Changing settings can lead to undesirable results when you run Windows. Before changing any setting, read &quot;Changing Settings&quot; later in this document.

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, 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 a comment with a semicolon.

Sections in the WIN.INI File

The sections described in the list below most often appear in the WIN.INI file. 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 and configuration. For example, if you install a printer or set up applications, additional sections and settings might be inserted by your applications or the software that controls your printer. Refer to your application's documentation for information on those sections and settings.

The following sections appear in WIN.INI and in this document in the following order (however, the order of these sections is not important):

Section        Does ---

[windows]      Affects several elements of 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 different countries and languages.

[ports]        Lists all available output ports.

[fonts]        Lists the font files that are loaded by Windows.

[FontSubstitutes] Lists the fonts that Windows uses in place of               other fonts, only if the other fonts are not installed on                your system.

[TrueType]     Describes options for using and displaying TrueType fonts.

[mci extensions] Associates specified types of files with Media Control Interface devices.

[network]      Describes network settings and previous network connections.

[embedding]    Lists the server objects used in OLE.

[Windows Help] Lists settings used to specify the default size, placement, and text colors of the Help window and dialog boxes.

[sounds]       Lists sound files assigned to system and application events.

[PrinterPorts] Lists installed printers that Windows can access.

[devices]      Lists installed printers that provide compatibility with Windows versions 2.x.

[programs]     Lists additional paths that Windows will search to find a                program file when you try to open an associated data file.

[colors]       Defines colors for parts of the Windows display.

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:

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 will not change them. If they are not present, Setup will add them:

Device= Documents= Programs=com exe bat pif

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

bmp=pbrush.exe ^.bmp

Setup adds two new settings, 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 additional settings, 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 OLE:

[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 changed, 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. If you want to change a setting, you will have to search for it within the appropriate section.

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

SettingName=

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  indicates whether the value should be a number, a letter, a range of numbers, or something else.

Changing Settings -

When the Setup program created the WIN.INI, file it assigned default values to the settings. Some settings that are listed in this document, may not appear in your WIN.INI file. These settings have the default value. You might want to change one or more of these values to change the appearance or performance of Windows to suit your needs.

Caution: Always back up your WIN.INI file before you make changes so that you can restore the original file in cause you accidentally damage the WIN.INI file or make changes that cause problems when running Windows.

There are two ways to change WIN.INI settings:

By using Control Panel to change most settings. This is the safest and most recommended way because there is no need to open the WIN.INI file, where it is easier to make mistakes. For more information on Control Panel, see Chapter 5, &quot;Control Panel,&quot; in the Windows User's Guide.

By using 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.) This is the method you must use to change the settings that cannot be changed with Control Panel. After you have edited the WIN.INI file, you must restart Windows for the settings to take affect. For more information on how to use Notepad, see Chapter 12, &quot;Additional Accessories,&quot; in the Windows User's Guide.

Caution: Be extra 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. In addition, some editors can damage certain characters (those with ANSI values of greater than 127). It is recommended that you use Notepad to change the settings that cannot be changed with Control Panel. The listings in this document indicate which settings you can change with Control Panel.

[windows] Section Settings --

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=

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=

Default:       3 Purpose:       Sets the width of the borders around all the windows on                your desktop except those 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.

CoolSwitch=<0-or-1>

Default:       1 Purpose:       Turns fast task switching on or off. A value of 1 turns this feature on. A value of 0 turns it off. To change:     Choose the Desktop icon in the Control Panel window and select or clear the Fast &quot;Alt+TAB&quot; Switching check box. ____________________________________________________________ CursorBlinkRate=

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=, , 

Default:       None Purpose:       Defines the default printer. The  value can be any device name given in the [devices] section. An               explicit port and driver must be assigned to the device. The  value is the filename (without the extension) of the device-driver file. The  value is any portname given in the [ports] section. To change:     Choose the Printers icon from the Control Panel window or                the Printer Setup command from the Print Manager Options menu. _____________________________________________________________ DefaultQueueSize=

Default:       8 Purpose:       Specifies the number of messages an application's message queue can hold. To change:     Use Notepad to edit the WIN.INI file. (You should never               need to change this setting.) ____________________________________________________________ DeviceNotSelectedTimeout=

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 turned on during this time, Windows won't print to the device. Note that for some devices, Windows immediately displays an error message if the device is not already turned 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 or the Printer Setup command from the Print Manager Options menu. This changes the corresponding value only in the [PrinterPorts] section. ____________________________________________________________ Documents=

Default:       None Purpose:       Defines files that are considered &quot;documents&quot; by Windows File Manager. The listings in the [extensions] section also determine which files File Manager recognizes as document files, and associates them with a particular application. The extensions listed here are not associated with any application. Use this setting to define only document file extensions that are not in the [extensions] section. Separate extension names with a space, and do not include the preceding periods. To change:     Use Notepad to edit the WIN.INI file. ____________________________________________________________ DosPrint=

Default:       No Purpose:        Specifies whether Windows should use MS-DOS interrupts when printing. When this setting is yes, MS-DOS interrupts are used. When this setting is no, printing output is sent directly to the port that the printer is assigned to. To change:     Choose the Printers icon from the Control Panel window or                the Printer Setup command from the Print Manager Options menu, and then clear the Fast Printing Direct to Port check box in the Connect dialog box. ____________________________________________________________ DoubleClickHeight=

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

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. ____________________________________________________________ DoubleClickWidth=

Default:       4 Purpose:       Specifies the width (in pixels) that the mouse pointer can move between clicks in a double-click. If the mouse pointer is moved further right or left, the two clicks will be               treated as separate single clicks. For example, if               DoubleClickWIDTH=10, the mouse pointer cannot move horizontally more than 5 pixels between clicks for the two clicks to be recognized as a double-click. If you enter an               odd number, it is rounded up to the nearest even number. To change:     Use Notepad to edit the WIN.INI file. ____________________________________________________________ KeyboardDelay=

Default:       2 Purpose:       Establishes how much time elapses after you hold down a key before the key starts to repeat. To change:     Choose the Keyboard icon from the Control Panel window. ____________________________________________________________ KeyboardSpeed=

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 will run as icons when Windows is started. This value is a list of one or more program filenames for applications, or documents that are associated with an application, each separated by a space. Make sure you 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 so that they are 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=

Default:       0 for 386 computers; 400 for 286 computers Purpose:       Specifies how long to wait before displaying a cascading menu. 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=

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=

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. ____________________________________________________________ MouseTrails=

Default:       None Purpose:       Specifies the number of pointers shown on the screen when the MouseTrails option is selected. You can specify a number between 1 and 7. Note: This setting is supported only if you are using an EGA, VGA or SuperVGA display driver. To change:     Choose the Mouse icon from the Control Panel window or, if the Mouse dialog box in Control Panel does not include the MouseTrails option, use Notepad to edit the WIN.INI file. ____________________________________________________________ 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=

Default:       &quot;None&quot; Purpose:       Specifies the name used for a null port. This name appears in the Printers-Connect dialog box 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=

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:       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. Make sure you 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. ____________________________________________________________ ScreenSaveActive=<0-or-1>

Default:       0 Purposes:      Specifies whether a screen saver should be displayed if                Windows is not actively being used. Setting this value to 1, enables a screen saver. Setting this value to 0 disables a               screen saver. To change:     Choose the Desktop icon from the Control Panel window. ____________________________________________________________ ScreenSaveTimeOut=

Default:       120 Purpose:       Specifies the amount of time that Windows must be idle before the screen saver appears. To change:     Choose the Desktop icon from the Control Panel window. ____________________________________________________________ Spooler=<yes-or-no>

Default:       Yes Purpose:       Specifies whether or not to send output to the printer through Print Manager. Changing this value to no disables Print Manager. To change:     Choose the Printers icon from the Control Panel window and select or clear the Use Print Manager check box. ____________________________________________________________ SwapMouseButtons=<0-or-1>

Default:       0 Purpose:       Specifies whether or not to swap the right and left mouse buttons. If the value is 1, the buttons are swapped. To change:     Choose the Mouse icon from the Control Panel window. ____________________________________________________________ TransmissionRetryTimeout=

Default:       90 for PostScript printers; 45 for all other printers. 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 Print Manager displays a message 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 or choose the Printer Setup command from the Print Manager Options menu. Changing this setting by using Control Panel or Print Manager changes the corresponding value only in the [PrinterPorts] section. ____________________________________________________________

[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.

The [desktop] section can contain the following settings: ____________________________________________________________ GridGranularity=

Default:       0 Purpose:       Specifies the size (in units of eight pixels) of the grid that Windows uses to position windows on the screen. You can specify a number between 0 and 49. To change:     Choose the Desktop icon from the Control Panel window. ____________________________________________________________ IconSpacing=

Default:       77 Purpose:       Specifies the number of pixels that will appear horizontally between icons. Increasing this number increases the amount of horizontal space between icons. To change:     Choose the Desktop icon from the Control Panel window. ____________________________________________________________ IconTitleFaceName=

Default:       MS Sans Serif Purpose:       Specifies the font used for displaying icon titles. Change this value if the icon title is difficult to read. To change:     Use Notepad to edit the WIN.INI file. ____________________________________________________________ IconTitleSize=

Default:       8 Purpose:       Specifies the size of the font used for displaying icon titles. Change this value if the icon title is difficult to               read. To change:     Use Notepad to edit the WIN.INI file. ____________________________________________________________ IconTitleStyle=<0-or-1>

Default:       0 Purpose:       Specifies whether the icon title text should be bold. When the value is set to 1, the icon title text is bold. When the value is set to 0, the icon title appears in regular text. To change:     Use Notepad to edit the WIN.INI file. ____________________________________________________________ IconTitleWrap=<0-or-1>

Default:       1 Purpose:       Specifies whether or not to wrap icon titles. A value of 1 enables icon title wrapping and increases icon vertical spacing by 3 lines. A value of 0 disables icon title wrapping To change:     Choose the Desktop icon from the Control Panel window. ____________________________________________________________ IconVerticalSpacing=

Default:       Windows determines the default value based on the icon title font and the display you are using. Purpose:       Specifies the number of pixels that will appear vertically between icons. Increasing this number increases the amount of vertical space between icons. To change:     Use Notepad to edit the WIN.INI file. ____________________________________________________________ Pattern=<b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 b6 b7 b8>

Default:       &quot;(None)&quot;  (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 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 center the desktop wallpaper or tile it across the screen. When this setting is 0 the wallpaper is               centered. When this value to 1 the wallpaper is tiled. To change:     Choose the Desktop icon from the Control Panel window. ____________________________________________________________ Wallpaper=<bitmap-filename>

Default:       &quot;(None)&quot;  (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. ____________________________________________________________

[extensions] Section Settings

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: ____________________________________________________________ =<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 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 entries 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. ____________________________________________________________

[intl] Section Settings

The [intl] section describes how to display dates, times, currency amounts, and other items for countries other than the United States. The default values reflect U.S. options.

To change any setting in this section, choose the International icon from the Control Panel window.

The [intl] section can contain the following settings: ____________________________________________________________ iCountry=<country-code>

Default:       1 Purpose:       Specifies the country code. This number matches the country's               international telephone code, except for Canada, which is 2. ____________________________________________________________ iCurrDigits=

Default:       2 Purpose:       Specifies the number of digits to put after the decimal separator in currency. ____________________________________________________________ iCurrency=

Default:       0 Purpose:       Specifies a currency format according to the following:

Value          Format __________________________________________________ 0              $2 1               2$ 2               $ 2 3               2

The actual currency symbol is specified by the sCurrency value. ____________________________________________________________ iDate=

Default:       0 Purpose:       Specifies a numerical date format according to the following:

Value          Format ___________________________________________________ 0              12/31/90 1               31/12/90 2               90/12/31

The actual date divider is specified by the sShortDate value.

This setting is not used by Windows 3.x and exists only for compatibility with Windows 2.x. ____________________________________________________________ iDigits=

Default:       2 Purpose:       Specifies the number of digits to display after the decimal separator in numbers. ____________________________________________________________ iLZero=<0-or-1>

Default:       0 Purpose:       Specifies whether to put leading zeros in decimal numbers according to the following:

Value          Format ____________________________________________________ 0              .7 1               0.7

The actual decimal separator is specified by the sDecimal setting. ____________________________________________________________ iMeasure=<0-or-1>

Default:       1 Purpose:       Specifies the measurement system according to the following:

Value          System ___________________________________________________ 0              Metric 1              English ____________________________________________________________ iNegCurr=

Default:       0 Purpose:       Specifies a negative number format according to the following:

Value          Format ____________________________________________________ 0              ($1) 1               -$1 2               $-1 3               $1- 4               (1$) 5               -1$ 6               1-$ 7               1$- 8               -1 $ 9               -$ 1 0               $ 1-

The actual currency symbol is specified by the sCurrency setting. ____________________________________________________________ iTime=

Default:       0 Purpose:       Specifies whether to format time using a 12-hour clock or a 24-hour clock.

Value          Format          Meaning 0                      1:00                    12-hour clock 1                      13:00           24-hour clock

The actual time separator is specified by the sTime setting. ____________________________________________________________ iTLZero=

Default:       0 Purpose:       Specifies whether to put leading zeros in time according to                the following:

Value          Format __________________________________________________ 0              9:15 1               09:15

The actual time separator is specified by the sTime setting. ____________________________________________________________ s1159=

Default:       AM Purpose:        Specifies the string that follows times before noon in the 12-hour time format. ____________________________________________________________ s2359=

Default:       PM Purpose:        Specifies the string that follows times after noon in the 12-               hour format or that follows all times in the 24-hour format (for example, GMT). ____________________________________________________________ sCountry=

Default:       United States Purpose:       Specifies the name of the country whose standard setting you want to use. ____________________________________________________________ sCurrency=

Default:       $ Purpose:       Specifies the currency symbol you want to use. ____________________________________________________________ sDecimal= Default:. Purpose:       Specifies the punctuation used to separate the fractional part of a decimal number from the whole number part. ____________________________________________________________ sLanguage=

Default:       enu Purpose:       Specifies the language you want to work in. Windows applications that provide language-specific tasks, such as               sorting or spell-checking, use this setting. The following are the standard values:

Value          Language dan            Danish deu            German eng            International English enu            U.S. English esn            Modern Spanish esp            Castilian Spanish fin            Finnish fra            French frc            French Canadian isl            Icelandic ita            Italian nld            Dutch nor            Norwegian ptg            Portuguese sve            Swedish ____________________________________________________________ sList= Default:       , Purpose:       Specifies the character used to separate items in a list. In U.S. English, the most common separator is a comma. ____________________________________________________________ sLongDate=<date-picture>

Default:       dddd, MMMM dd, yyyy (e.g., Friday, June 1, 1990) Purpose:       Specifies your choice for the long date format, including abbreviations for the words and different separators, according to the following:

Date Picture   Item            Format M                      Month   1-12 MM                     Month   01-12 MMM                    Month   Jan-Dec MMMM                   Month   January-December d                      Day             1-31 dd                     Day             01-31 ddd                    Day             Mon-Sun dddd                   Day             Monday-Sunday yy                     Year            00-99 yyyy                   Year            1900-2040

If you want to include the letters d, y, or m in the separator strings, you must enclose the separator strings in single quotation marks, if you are editing the WIN.INI file directly. Control Panel will automatically insert single quotation marks in the correct places. In addition, Control Panel will accept only certain date-picture combinations. Therefore, you should use Control Panel to change this setting. ____________________________________________________________ sShortDate=<date-picture>

Default:       M/d/yy (e.g., 6/1/90) Purpose:       Specifies your choice for the short date format, including abbreviations for the words and different separators, according to the list described above in the sLongDate listing. Control Panel will accept only certain date- picture combinations. Therefore, you should use Control Panel to               change this setting. ____________________________________________________________ sThousand=

Default , Purpose:       Specifies the symbol used to separate thousands in a number with more than three digits. An example, if the value is a               comma, is 3,000. ____________________________________________________________ sTime=

Default:       : Purpose:       Specifies the character used to separate the hours, minutes, and seconds in time. An example, if the value is a colon ,               is 15:29:31. ____________________________________________________________

[ports] Section

The [ports] section lists all available communications and printer ports, and defines default values; it also lists files to which printer output can be sent.

The [ports] section can contain up to 10 occurrences of the following setting. Any additional occurrences are ignored by Windows. ____________________________________________________________ :=<baud-rate>, ,<word-length>,<stop-bits>,p

Purpose:       Specifies an available output port. You can specify no more than 10 ports.

The keyname must be the name of an output port as it is recognized by MS-DOS. This keyname can be COMx: (serial               port, where x represents the port number), LPTx: (a parallel                port, where x represents the port number), EPT: (used for a                specific IBM printer), LPTx.DOS (a parallel port used to                bypass Windows printing and print directly to a port, where x                represents the port number), FILE:, or a filename.

For COM ports, the <baud-rate> value specifies the port's               baud rate; the <word-length> value gives the length of a word (in bits); the <stop-bits> value gives the number of stop bits to be used; and the ,p option specifies that hardware handshaking is in effect.

LPT (parallel), EPT, FILE, and LPTx.DOSports do not take any parameters.

The LPTx.DOS ports are used (instead of the corresponding LPT               port) to print directly to the port and bypass the Windows' special output handling. This port is provides compatiblity with Windows version 3.0.

Specifying a filename for the will direct output to that file. A filename, unlike the other port names, must not be followed by a colon.

By using FILE:=, Windows will prompt you to specify a               filename for the print file when you print.

To change COM port settings: Choose the Ports icon from the Control Panel window. To change or add other ports: Use Notepad to edit the WIN.INI file. ____________________________________________________________ LPT1.DOS= LPT2.DOS= LPT3.DOS= LPT4.DOS=

Default:       None Purpose:       Enables printing directly to a parallel port. Use these settings to bypass Windows' special parallel port output handling when printing. To change:     Use Notepad to edit the WIN.INI file. ____________________________________________________________

[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. ____________________________________________________________

[FontSubstitutes] Section Settings

The [FontSubstitutes] section describes fonts which are recognized by Windows as the same typeface. This is useful if you want to work on documents created using Windows 3.0 that include fonts whose names have changed in Windows 3.1.

The [FontSubstitutes] section contains one or more occurrences of the following setting: ____________________________________________________________ <font-name>=<font-name>

Default:       Helv=MS Sans Serif Tms Rmn=MS Serif Times=Times New Roman Helvetica=Arial Purpose:       Specifies the font that Windows will use in place of                another font, only if that font is not installed on your system. For example, if you are viewing a document that is               formatted in Helvetica, but Helvetica is not installed on                your system, Windows will use Arial to display the document. To change:     Use Notepad to edit the WIN.INI file. ____________________________________________________________

[TrueType] Section Settings

The [TrueType] section describes options that affect the use and display of TrueType fonts in your Windows applications.

The [TrueType] section can contain the following settings: ____________________________________________________________ OutlineThreshold=<number-of-pels-per-em>

Default:       256 Purpose:       Specifies the number of pels-per-em at which Windows will render TrueType fonts as outline fonts instead of as bitmap fonts. Using bitmap fonts is faster, but requires more memory. If you are low on memory, decrease this value. Do not specify a value over 300. If you do, you might encounter problems using TrueType fonts. To change:    Use Notepad to edit the WIN.INI file. ____________________________________________________________ TTEnable=<0-or-1>

Default:       1 Purpose:       Enables or disables TrueType fonts. Setting this value to 1 enables TrueType fonts so that they are available in your Windows applications. Setting this value to 0 disables TrueType fonts. In this case, TrueType fonts are not available in your applications. To change:     Choose the Fonts icon from the Control Panel window. ____________________________________________________________ TTIfCollisions=<0-or-1>

Default:       0 Purpose:       Specifies whether or not to use TrueType fonts in place of                other fonts if both types of fonts are installed on your system and have the same font name. If this value is set to               1, the TrueType font will be used. For example, Windows provides both a bitmap and a TrueType version of the Symbol font. If you set this value to 0, Windows will use the TrueType version. To change:     Use Notepad to edit the WIN.INI file. ____________________________________________________________ TTOnly=<0-or-1>

Default:       0 Purpose:       Specifies whether or not to list only TrueType fonts in the fonts dialog box in Windows applications. If this value is               set to 1, only TrueType fonts are listed. If this value is               set to 0, all fonts installed on your system are listed. 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 device drivers. Whenever a media file is selected, Windows will use the associated driver to play it.

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

[network] Section Settings

The [network] section describes network settings and previous network connections.

The [network] can contain the following settings: ____________________________________________________________ =

Purpose:       Shows the network connections that are restored each time Windows is started. To change:     Choose the Network Connections command from the Disk menu in File Manager. ____________________________________________________________ InRestoreNetConnect ____________________________________________________________ Restore=<0-or-1>

Default:       1 Purpose:       Specifies whether or not to reconnect to the network servers you were connected to in your previous Windows session. This setting works for MSNet, Lan Manager Basic, and Lan Manager 2.0. If this value is set to 1, you will be reconnected to               the network servers each time you start Windows. If this value is set to 0, you will not be reconnected. To change:     Choose the Networks option from the Control Panel window, or if the Network dialog box for your network does not include a reconnect option, use Notepad to edit the WIN.INI file. ____________________________________________________________ =

Purpose:       Shows the path for a network printer and the port the printer is assigned to. This connection is restored each time Windows is started. To change:     Choose the Printers option from the Control Panel window, or the Network Connections command from the Options menu in Print Manager. ____________________________________________________________

[embedding] Section Settings

The [embedding] section lists the OLE objects, their description, the program that is used to create them, and their file format. This information also appears in the Registration Info Editor. It is recommended that you use the Registration Info Editor to register applications or edit application information for OLE. The [embedding] section is included in the WIN.INI file only to maintain compatibility with Windows 3.0 and 3.0 applications.

The [embedding] section can contain one or more occurrences of the following setting: ____________________________________________________________ =, , ,

Purpose:       Specifies the objects used as servers for OLE. The keyname specifies the name of the server object.

The keynames provide a description of the server object. The second description appears in the list of registered file types in the Registration Info Editor.

The keyname identifies the path and name of               the executable file for the application that is used to                create the object.

The keyname identifies the format of the file. The value for this setting is most often &quot;picture&quot;, which is               metafile format.

To change:     Run the Registration Info Editor (REGEDIT.EXE) from File Manager or from Program Manager. ____________________________________________________________

[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 panel.

The [Windows Help] section can include the following settings: ____________________________________________________________ M_WindowPosition=, , , , H_WindowPosition=, , , , A_WindowPosition=, , , , C_WindowPosition=, , , ,

Purpose:       Defines the default size and position of the main Help window, and the History, Annotate, and Copy dialog boxes.

The first defines the x coordinate of the upper- left corner. The second defines the y coordinate of the upper-left corner. Both these numbers define the default position of the main Help window, and the History, Annotate, and Copy dialog boxes.

The third defines the default width of the Help window and dialog boxes. The fourth defines the default height of the Help window and dialog boxes. Both height and width are measured in pixels.

The fifth specifies whether or not the main Help window is maximized. A value of 1 indicates that it is               maximized. A value of 0 indicates that the main window is the default height and width. Changing this value has no effect on the size of the dialog boxes, since they cannot be               maximized.

To change:     Move or size the main Help window, or the History, Annotate, or Copy dialog boxes. The values are updated in the WIN.IN file automatically. ____________________________________________________________ JumpColor=<red-value> <green-value> <blue-value>

Purpose:       Specifies the color of text that, when chosen, leads to a new panel of help information. For example, entering 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 panel (the type of panel used for glossary                definitions). For example, entering 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 panel 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 panel (the type of panel used for glossary                definitions), located in a different help file. To change:     Use Notepad to edit the WIN.INI file. ____________________________________________________________

[sounds] Section Settings

The [sounds] section lists the system events that support sound and the sound files that are assigned to each event.

The [sounds] section can contain one or more occurrences of the following setting: ____________________________________________________________ = ,

Purpose:       Specifies the sound file assigned to and a description of a                system event. The is the name of the sound file. The is a text string that describes the system or application event.

To change:     Choose the Sound icon in the Control Panel window. ____________________________________________________________

[PrinterPorts] Section Settings

The [PrinterPorts] section lists the printers Windows can use and the printer driver, port assignment, and timeout values for each printer.

The [PrinterPorts] section can contain one or more occurrences of the following setting:

-- <device-name>=<driver-name>, <port-name>, <DeviceNotSelectedTimeout>,<TransmissionRetryTimeout> ,<port-name>,<DeviceNotSelectedTimeout>, <TransmissionRetryTimeout>,...

Purpose:       Specifies driver, port, and timeout information for a                printer.

The <device-name> keyname is the name of the printer. The <driver-name> value is the printer driver filename.

The <port-name> value is the name of the port assigned to the printer. If a printer is not assigned to a port the <port-name> value is the string specified in the NullPort setting (in the [windows] section).

The <TransmissionRetryTimeout> value determines the amount of time (in seconds) allowed for attempted transmission retries.

The <DeviceNotSelectedTimeout> value determines the number of seconds Print Manager will wait for the device to be switched on.

If the timeout values are not specified for a particular port, Windows uses the default settings listed in the [windows] section for that port.

Caution: When changing a setting in this section, be sure it does not conflict with a corresponding setting in the [devices] section. Problems may occur if an installed printer does not appear in the [PrinterPorts] section.

To change:     Choose the Printers icon from the Control Panel window or                choose the Printer Setup command from the Print Manager Options menu. ____________________________________________________________

[devices] Section Settings

The [devices] section lists the installed printers. The settings in this section match those in the [PrinterPorts] section, without the timeout values. This section is necessary only for Windows version 2.x applications, which look to the [devices] section for this information.

The [devices] section can contain one or more occurrences of the following setting: ____________________________________________________________ <device-name>=<driver-name>, <port-name> ,<port-name>,...

Purpose:     Specifies an installed printer.

The <device-name> keyname is the name of the printer. The <driver-name> value is the printer driver filename. The <port-name> value specifies the port that is assigned to the printer. If the printer is not currently assigned to a port, the <port-name> value is the string specified in the NullPort setting (in the [windows] section).

Caution: When changing a setting in this section, be sure it does not conflict with a corresponding setting in the [PrinterPorts] section. Problems may occur if an installed printer does not appear in the [PrinterPorts] section.

To change:     Choose the Printers icon from the Control Panel window or                choose the Printer Setup command from the Print Manager Options menu. ____________________________________________________________

[Programs] Section Settings

If you use File Manager or Program Manager to open a document file that is associated with a file type in the Registration Database, and File Manager or Program Manager cannot find the program file that starts the application specified by the file type, Program Manager or File Manager will look in the [Programs] section ot the WIN.INI file for the path to the program file. If the path is not in the [Programs] section, Program Manager or File Manager will display a dialog box in which you can specify the path. The path you specify is then added to the [Program] section.

The [Program] section can contain one or more occurrences of the following settings: ____________________________________________________________ = : \

Purpose:       Specifies the drive, directory, and executable program file needed to start an application.

The keyname specifies the name of the program file that Windows was searching for when you tried to open the associated data file.

The keyname specifies the drive on which the program file is located. The keyname specifies the directory in which the program file is located. The second keyname specifies the name of the executable program file, located in the specified drive and directory, needed to start the associated application. ____________________________________________________________

[colors] Section Settings

The [colors] section defines the colors for components of the Windows display.

The colors section can contain settings of the following type: ____________________________________________________________ =<red-value> <green-value> <blue-value>

Purpose:       The <red-value>, <green-value>, and <blue-value> values are integers that specify the relative intensities of red, blue, and green, respectively. These settings can range from 0 (minimum intensity) to 255 (maximum intensity).

The keyname can be any one of the following:

Keyname            Refers to ActiveBorder        Border of the active window

ActiveTitle        Active title bar

AppWorkspace       Application workspace for Windows applications

Background         Screen background (desktop)

ButtonFace         Button face

ButtonHilight      Highlight around the top and left side of buttons

ButtonShadow       Button shadow

ButtonText         Button text

GrayText           Text that is dimmed (as in an unavailable                    command name)

Hilight            Background of highlighted text

HilightText        Highlighted text

InactiveBorder     Border of the inactive window

InactiveTitle      Inactive title bar

InactiveTitleText  Inactive title-bar text

Menu               Menu background

MenuText           Menu text

Scrollbar          Scroll bar

TitleText          Title-bar text

Window             Window workspace

WindowFrame        Window frame

WindowText         Window text

To change:     Choose the Color icon from the Control Panel window.

Reference(s):

Microsoft Windows Resource Kit 3.1, &quot;WININI.WRI&quot;.

Additional query words: 3.1 3.10 win31

Keywords: KB83433

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