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SYSTEM.INI is an initialization (INI file) used in early versions ofMicrosoft Windows (from1.01 up toMe) to loaddevice drivers and the defaultWindows shell (Program Manager orWindows Explorer), among other system settings. Many of these settings were honored in Windows 9x (95,98 andMe), although the INI files had begun to be phased out in favor of theWindows Registry. WindowsNT 4.0,2000,XP andServer 2003 still acknowledge someSYSTEM.INI entries in order to provide backwards compatibility with older 16-bit applications. WindowsVista and beyond also haveSYSTEM.INI as well. However, when a fresh install ofXP/Server 2003 is performed, theSYSTEM.INI file created contains by default only these lines:
; for 16-bit app support[drivers]wave=mmdrv.dlltimer=timer.drv[mci][driver32][386enh]woafont=dosapp.FONEGA80WOA.FON=EGA80WOA.FONEGA40WOA.FON=EGA40WOA.FONCGA80WOA.FON=CGA80WOA.FONCGA40WOA.FON=CGA40WOA.FON
Microsoft bundles two specialized text/ASCII editors for coreconfiguration files (such asPROTOCOL.INI,WIN.INI,SYSTEM.INI,CONFIG.SYS, andAUTOEXEC.BAT) with its operating systems.Sysedit is anMDItext editor that opens all these files simultaneously, available in all versions of Windows beginning withWindows 3.0, exceptMe[1] and no longer after Windows 7.MSConfig is a front end interface application that allows the user to enable and disable drivers, Windows shell and applications separately from being loaded at startup by the aforementioned files and from the Run, RunEx, and RunOnceWindows Registry keys.
SYSTEM.INI in Windows 3.x (3.0, 3.10 and Windows for Workgroups 3.11) and Windows 9x (95, 98 and Me):
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