Q83436: Windows 3.1 Resource Kit SYSTEM.INI [386ENH] Section M-Z
Article: Q83436
Product(s): Microsoft Windows 3.x Retail Product
Version(s):
Operating System(s):
Keyword(s):
Last Modified: 15-DEC-2000
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The information in this article applies to:
- Microsoft Windows versions 3.1, 3.11
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SUMMARY
=======
This article contains information from the SYSINI.WRI file that ships in the
Microsoft Windows Resource Kit for the Microsoft Windows operating system
version 3.1. You can view SYSINI.WRI within Microsoft Windows Write.
The [386ENH] section of the SYSTEM.INI file contains information specific to
running Windows in 386 enhanced mode, including information used for
virtual-memory page swapping.
MORE INFORMATION
================
===============================================================================
MapPhysAddress=<range>
Default: None
Purpose: Specifies the address range (in megabytes) in
which the memory manager preallocates physical
page-table entries and linear address space. Use
this setting if you are using a DOS device driver
(such as an older version of RAMDrive that uses
extended memory) that needs contiguous memory.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file.
===============================================================================
MaxBPs=<number>
Default: 200
Purpose: Specifies the maximum number of break points (a
method for transferring control to 386 Enhanced
Windows) that can be used by the Virtual Memory
Manager. You may need to increase this value if
you are using a third-party virtual device driver
that requires more break points than the default
value.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file.
===============================================================================
MaxCOMPort=<number>
Default: 4
Purpose: Specifies the maximum number of COM ports
supported in enhanced mode. Change this value if
you have more than 4 COM ports installed in your
computer.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file.
===============================================================================
MaxDMAPGAddress=<address>
Default: 0FFFh (non-EISA computers); 0FFFFFh (EISA
computers)
Purpose: Specifies the maximum physical page address that
can be used for Direct Memory Access (DMA). This
setting works only with hard drives that support
DMA.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file.
===============================================================================
MaxPagingFileSize=<kilobytes>
Default: 50 percent of available disk space
Purpose: Specifies the maximum size (in kilobytes) for a
temporary swap file.
To change: Choose the 386 Enhanced icon from the Control
Panel window.
===============================================================================
MaxPhysPage=<hexidecimal-page-number>
Default: Determined by Windows based on the highest
physical page number detected by the Memory
Manager during initialization.
Purpose: Specifies the maximum physical page number that
the Memory Manager can manage as a useable page.
This setting allows pages to be added at a
physical address beyond what the Memory Manager
recognized during initialization. If the value
specified is less than what the Memory Manager
determines, the Memory Manager will ignore several
physical pages that it would normally use,
preventing the use of memory. This is useful if
you are using a hardware device that cannot
recognize all of the physical memory in your
computer (for example, ISA DMA Network cards
cannot access physical memory above 16 megabytes.)
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file.
===============================================================================
MCADMA=<Boolean>
Default: True for MCA computers; False for all other
computers
Purpose: Specifies whether Windows should use the MCA
extensions to direct- memory access (DMA). This
setting only applies to MCA computers. Disable
this setting if you are using an MCA computer, but
the DMA extensions are not implemented.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file.
===============================================================================
MessageBackColor=<vga-color-attribute>
Default: 1 (for blue)
Purpose: Specifies the background color of message screens,
such as the screen that appears when you press
Ctrl+Alt+Del.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file.
===============================================================================
MessageTextColor=<vga-color-attribute>
Default: F (for white)
Purpose: Specifies the color used to display text in
message screens, such as the screen that appears
when you press Ctrl+Alt+Del.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file.
===============================================================================
MinTimeSlice=<milliseconds>
Default: 20
Purpose: Specifies the minimum amount of time (in
milliseconds) a virtual machine is allowed to run
before other virtual machines can take over. A
smaller value (such as 10 milliseconds) will make
multitasking appear smoother, but will decrease
overall system performance.
To change: Choose the 386 Enhanced icon from the Control
Panel window.
===============================================================================
MinUnlockMem=<kilobytes>
Default: 40
Purpose: Specifies the amount of memory that must remain
unlocked and available for use when resuming a
virtual machine if more than one virtual machine
is running.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file. (You
should never need to change this setting.
===============================================================================
MinUserDiskSpace=<kilobytes>
Default: 500
Purpose: Specifies how much disk space (in kilobytes) to
leave free when creating a temporary swap file.
Use this setting if your system's paging drive has
less available space than Windows can use for
paging. This setting does not apply if a permanent
swap file exists.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file.
===============================================================================
Mouse=<filename-or-*devicename> (See "Device=", above)
Default: None (Setup assigns an appropriate value based on
your system configuration.)
Purpose: Specifies the virtual device that controls the
mouse hardware in 386 enhanced mode.
To change: Choose the Windows Setup icon from the Main
Group window.
===============================================================================
MouseSoftInit=<Boolean>
Default: True
Purpose: Specifies whether Windows should convert INT 33h
function 0 hard initialization calls to function
33 soft initialization calls, which do not reset
the mouse hardware. If enabled, you can use a
mouse with a non-Windows application that you
start in a window. Disable this setting if the
cursor and screen information appear garbled or
distorted when using the mouse with an
application. If you disable this setting, you may
not be able to use the mouse when running a non-
Windows application in a window.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file.
===============================================================================
NetAsynchFallback=<Boolean>
Default: False
Purpose: If enabled, Windows attempts to save a failing
NetBIOS request. When an application issues an
asynchronous NetBIOS request, Windows will attempt
to allocate space in its global network buffer to
receive the data. If there is insufficient space
in the global buffer, Windows will normally fail
the NetBIOS request. If this setting is enabled,
Windows will attempt to save such a request by
allocating a buffer in local memory and preventing
any other virtual machines from running until the
data is received or the timeout period (specified
by the NetAsynchTimeout setting) expires.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file.
===============================================================================
NetAsynchTimeout=<seconds>
Default: 5.0
Purpose: Specifies the timeout period (in seconds) when
Windows needs to enter a critical section in order
to service an asynchronous NetBIOS request. It is
used only when NetAsynchFallback is enabled. This
value can include a decimal (such as 0.5).
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file.
===============================================================================
NetDMASize=<kilobytes>
Default: 32 on Micro Channel (TM) machines (IBM PS/2 or
compatible); 0 on non-Micro Channel machines (IBM
PC/AT compatible).
Purpose: Specifies the DMA buffer size (in kilobytes) for
NetBIOS transport software if a network has been
installed. In this case, the buffer size is the
larger value between this value and the value of
DMABufferSize.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file.
===============================================================================
NetHeapSize=<kilobytes>
Default: 12
Purpose: Specifies the size (in kilobytes) of the data-
transfer buffers in conventional memory that
Windows allocates for transferring data over a
network when running in 386 enhanced mode. All
values are rounded up to the nearest 4K.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file.
===============================================================================
Network=<filename-or-*devicename> (See "Device=", above)
Default: None (Setup assigns an appropriate value based on
your system configuration.)
Purpose: Specifies the type of network you are using with
Windows in 386 enhanced mode.
To change: Choose the Windows Setup icon from the Main
Group window.
===============================================================================
NMIReboot=<Boolean>
Default: No
Purpose: If enabled, causes a reboot to occur when a
nonmaskable interrupt is received.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file.
===============================================================================
NoEMMDriver=<Boolean>
Default: False
Purpose: If enabled, prevents Windows in 386 enhanced mode
from installing its expanded memory driver. This
differs from setting EMMSize to zero, which does
not prevent the EMM driver from being loaded.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file.
===============================================================================
NoWaitNetIO=<on-or-off>
Default: On
Purpose: Specifies whether or not to convert synchronous
NetBIOS commands to asynchronous commands. When
this setting is enabled, synchronous NetBIOS
commands are converted. This can improve overall
system performance when running several
applications.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file.
===============================================================================
OverlappedIO=<Boolean>
Default: Off, if InDOSPolling is enabled; Otherwise, On
Purpose: If enabled, several virtual machines can make read
and write requests to a disk before the first
request has been completed. If disabled, virtual
machines cannot issue a request to read or write
to a disk until any previous read and write
requests have been completed.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file. (You
should never need to change this setting.
===============================================================================
PageBuffers=<number>
Default: 4
Purpose: Specifies the number of 4K page buffers used to
store asynchronous read and write pages. This
setting is used only if you are using 32-Bit Disk
Access and a permanent swap file. You can specify
a value between 0 and 32. Increasing this value
can improve Windows' performance.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file.
===============================================================================
PageOverCommit=<number>
Default: 4
Purpose: Specifies the multiplier for determining the
amount of linear address space the Memory Manager
will create for the system. The amount of linear
address space that the Memory Manager will create
is computed by rounding up the amount of available
physical memory to the nearest 4 megabytes and
then by multiplying that value to the value
specified for this setting. You can specify a
value between 1 and 20. Increasing this value
increases the amount of available linear address
space, causing the size of data structures to
increase. This also increases paging activity
proportionately and can slow down the system.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file.
===============================================================================
Paging=<Boolean>
Default: Yes
Purpose: Enables or disables demand paging (virtual memory)
and permanent and temporary swap files. Disable
this setting only if you need the disk space
normally used for a temporary swap file.
To change: Choose the 386 Enhanced icon from the Control
Panel window.
===============================================================================
PagingDrive=<drive-letter>
Default: None
Purpose: Specifies the disk drive where Windows in 386
enhanced mode will create a temporary swap file.
This setting is ignored if you have a permanent
swap file. If you don't have a permanent swap file
and no drive is specified or the specified drive
does not exist, Windows will attempt to put your
temporary swap file on the drive containing your
SYSTEM.INI file. If the specified drive is full,
paging will be disabled.
To change: Choose the 386 Enhanced icon from the Control
Panel window.
===============================================================================
PagingFile=<path-and-filename>
Default: WINDOWS\WIN386.SWP
Purpose: Specifies the path and filename for the temporary
swap file that is created when you start Windows
in 386 enhanced mode. This file is deleted when
you quit Windows. This setting overrides the
PagingDrive setting.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file.
===============================================================================
PerformBackfill=<Boolean>
Default: Auto (Windows automatically checks to see if it
needs to fill in memory based on how DOS is
occupying memory.)
Purpose: Specifies whether or not to allocate a full 640K
of memory to a computer that has less than 640K of
base conventional memory. Enabling or disabling
this setting overrides the automatic checking done
by Windows.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file. (You
should never need to change this setting,
because Windows can automatically detect whether
or not to perform a backfill.
===============================================================================
PermSwapDOSDrive=<drive-letter>
Default: None
Purpose: Specifies the disk drive where Windows in 386
enhanced mode will create a permanent swap file.
This setting is ignored if you are using a
temporary swap file.
To change: Choose the 386 Enhanced icon from the Control
Panel window.
===============================================================================
PermSwapSizeK=<kilobytes>
Default: None
Purpose: Specifies the desired size in kilobytes of a
permanent swap file.
To change: Choose the 386 Enhanced icon from the Control
Panel window.
===============================================================================
PerVMFILES=<number>
Default: 10; 0 if SHARE is installed.\177
Purpose: Specifies the number of private file handles
Windows should allocate to each virtual machine.
Increase this value if an application does not
have enough file handles to run. The total number
of file handles, including the global handles
specified in the FILES= statement in CONFIG.SYS,
cannot exceed 255. If it exceeds 255, this value
will be rounded down. Set this value to 0 to
prevent the allocation of any private file
handles. If SHARE is installed, then this setting
is ignored in the SYSTEM.INI file.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file.
===============================================================================
PSPIncrement=<number>
Default: 2
Purpose: Specifies the amount of additional memory, in 16-
byte increments, that Windows should reserve in
each successive virtual machine when the
UniqueDOSPSP setting is enabled. The setting that
works best for your machine might vary depending
on your memory configuration and the applications
you are running. Valid values are 2 through 64.
See UniqueDosPSP for more information.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file.
===============================================================================
ReflectDosInt2A=<Boolean>
Default: False
Purpose: Indicates whether Windows should consume or
reflect DOS INT 2A signals. The default means
Windows will consume these signals and therefore
run more efficiently. Enable this setting if you
are running memory-resident software that relies
on detecting INT2A messages.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file.
===============================================================================
ReservedHighArea=<paragraph-range>
Default: None
Purpose: Specifies a range of memory that Windows will not
scan to find unused address space. This has the
side effect of turning off the RAM and ROM search
code for the range. The range (two paragraph
values separated by a hyphen) must be between A000
and EFFF. This scanning can interfere with some
adapters that use the same memory area. The
starting value is rounded down and the ending
value is rounded up to a multiple of 4K. For
example, you could set ReservedHighArea=E100-E3FF
to prevent Windows from scanning the first 12K of
memory starting at E100. You can specify more than
one range by including more than one
ReservedHighArea line.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file.
===============================================================================
ReservePageFrame=<Boolean>
Default: True
Purpose: Specifies whether Windows should give preference
to EMS page frame space or conventional memory
when it has to use one of the two to allocate MS-
DOS transfer buffers. This choice is necessary
when Windows cannot find space (other than EMS
page frame space) between 640K and 1MB. If
enabled, this setting will preserve EMS page frame
space at the expense of conventional memory. If
your non-Windows applications do not require
expanded memory, disable this setting to make more
conventional memory available to non-Windows
applications.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file.
===============================================================================
ReserveVideoROM=<Boolean>
Default: False
Purpose: Instructs Windows that video read-only memory
exists in pages C6 and C7. If the text font
appears scrambled when starting non-Windows
applications, enable this setting.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file. (You
should not need to change this setting, because
the default setting causes Windows to detect
video ROM correctly.)
===============================================================================
ROMScanThreshold=<number>
Default: 20
Purpose: Specifies a parameter used for determining if a
memory area in the adapter region (usually between
C000-EFFF) that has no ROM header or incorrect
header information is read-only memory (ROM). The
number for this setting specifies how many
different values must occur within the memory area
to determine whether or not it is ROM. If the
number of transitions is greater than the value
for this setting, Windows recognizes the memory
as ROM. If the number of transitions is less than
the value, Windows recognizes the memory as usable
memory. A value of 0 disables this setting,
causing Windows to recognize this memory area as
usable.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file. (You
should never need to change this setting.)
===============================================================================
ScrollFrequency=<number>
Default: 2
Purpose: Specifies the number of lines you can scroll in a
non-Windows application that is running in a
Window before its display is updated.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file. (You
should never need to change this setting.)
===============================================================================
SGrabLPT=<port-number>
Default: None
Purpose: Routes all printer interrupts on the specified
port to the Windows screen rather than to the
current virtual machine.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file.
===============================================================================
SyncTime=<Boolean>
Default: True
Purpose: If enabled, Windows periodically synchronizes its
time with the computer's CMOS clock. If this
setting is disabled, Windows usually maintains the
correct time, unless TrapTimerPorts is disabled
and you are running applications that can cause
the system time to run faster or slower than the
actual time. This setting is related to the
TrapTimerPorts setting.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file.
===============================================================================
SystemROMBreakPoint=<Boolean>
Default: True if Windows is started in real mode of the
80386/486 CPU. False if Windows is started in
virtual mode of the 80386/486 CPU. Most 386 memory
managers, such as QEMM and 386MAX, require this
value to be set to false. If a 386 memory manager
is running Windows is started in virtual mode.
Otherwise, Windows is started in real mode.
Purpose: Specifies whether Windows should use ROM address
space between F000:0000 and 1MB for a break point.
Windows in 386 enhanced mode normally searches
this space to find a special instruction that is
used as a system break point. If this address
space contains something other than permanently
available ROM, you should disable this setting.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file.
===============================================================================
SysVMEMSLimit=<number -or-kilobytes>
Default: 2048
Purpose: Specifies how many kilobytes of expanded memory
Windows is permitted to use. Setting this value to
0 prevents Windows from gaining access to any
expanded memory. Setting it to -1 gives Windows \
all the available expanded memory that it
requests.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file.
===============================================================================
SysVMEMSLocked=<Boolean>
Default: No
Purpose: Specifies whether to swap expanded memory being
used by Windows applications to the hard disk.
Locking expanded memory (enabling this setting)
can improve the performance of a Windows
application that uses it, but can slow down the
rest of the system.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file. (You
should never need to change this setting.)
===============================================================================
SysVMEMSRequired=<kilobytes>
Default: 0
Purpose: Specifies how many kilobytes of expanded memory
must be free in order to start Windows. Leave this
setting at zero if no Windows applications require
expanded memory.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file.
===============================================================================
SysVMV86Locked=<Boolean>
Default: False
Purpose: If enabled, causes the virtual-mode memory used in
the system virtual machine to remain locked in
memory instead of swaping it out to disk.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file.
(Because Windows controls this process, there is
no need to change this setting.)
===============================================================================
SysVMXMSLimit=<number-or-kilobytes>
Default: 2048
Purpose: Specifies the maximum amount of memory (in
kilobytes) the extended memory driver allocates
to DOS device drivers and memory-resident software
in the system virtual machine. Set the value to -1
to give an application all the available extended
memory that it requests.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file.
===============================================================================
SysVMXMSRequired=<kilobytes>
Default: 0
Purpose: Specifies how many kilobytes of extended memory
must be reserved by the XMS driver in order to
start Windows. Leave this setting at zero if there
are no XMS users in the system virtual machine.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file.
===============================================================================
TimerCriticalSection=<milliseconds>
Default: 0
Purpose: Instructs Windows to go into a critical section
around all timer interrupt code, and specifies a
timeout period (in milliseconds). Specifying a
positive value causes only one virtual machine at
a time to receive timer interrupts. Some networks
and other global memory-resident software may fail
unless this setting is used. However, it slows
down performance and can make the system seem to
stop for short periods of time.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file.
===============================================================================
TokenRingSearch=<Boolean>
Default: True
Purpose: If enabled, Windows searches for a token ring
network adapter on machines with IBM PC/AT (R)
architecture. Disable this setting if you are not
using a token ring card and the search interferes
with another device.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file.
===============================================================================
TranslateScans=<Boolean>
Default: No
Purpose: If enabled, Windows will translate a keyboard's
scan codes to make them compatible with standard
IBM scan codes. Use this setting only if you have
a keyboard that generates non-standard scan codes.
This setting is used only for the Switcher Screen
and fullscreen message boxes.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file.
===============================================================================
TrapTimerPorts=<Boolean>
Default: True
Purpose: Specifies whether Windows should trap read and
write operations to the system timer ports that
are performed by applications. If disabled,
Windows will not trap these operations, allowing
applications that fequently read or write to the
timer to run faster. However, this may interfere
with Windows' ability to keep accurate system
time. If disabled, Windows can usually detect when
an application has changed the timer interrupt
interval and then make any adjustments to the
time. If your system's time appears to be running
fast or slow, enable this setting. If you do not
want to enable this setting, enable the SyncTime
setting. This causes Windows to check the time
periodically and then make any necessary
adjustments.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file.
===============================================================================
UniqueDOSPSP=<Boolean>
Default: True (If you are running a network based on
Microsoft Network or LAN Manager. See the
NETWORKS.WRI online document to find out whether
the network you are running is one of these);
False for all other networks.
Purpose: If enabled, Windows starts every application at a
unique address (PSP). Each time Windows creates a
new virtual machine to start a new application,
Windows reserves a unique amount of memory (i
bytes) below the application. For example, if the
first application is loaded at address M, the
second application is loaded at address M+i, the
third at M+2i, and so on.The amount of memory (i)
is determined by the PSPIncrement setting. These
settings ensure that applications in different
virtual machines all start at different addresses.
Some networks use applications' load addresses to
identify the different processes using the
network. Disabling this setting on such networks,
might cause one application to fail when you exit
another because the network interprets them as the
same application. If you enable this setting,
slightly less memory is available for non-Windows
applications.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file.
===============================================================================
UseableHighArea=<paragraph-range>
Default: None
Purpose: Specifies a range of memory that Windows will
treat as unused address space regardless of what
may be there. UseableHighArea takes precedence
over ReservedHighArea if you specify ranges that
overlap. The range (two values separated by a
hyphen) must be between A000 and EFFF. The
starting value is rounded down and the ending
value is rounded up to a multiple of 4K. For
example, you could set UseableHighArea=E100-E3FF
to ensure that Windows can use the first 12K of
memory starting at E100. You may specify more
than one range by including more than one
UseableHighArea line.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file.
===============================================================================
UseInstFile=<Boolean>
Default: False
Purpose: Specifies whether Windows should look in the
INSTANCE.386 file for information it can use to
determine whether data structures within MS-DOS
need to be local. There are two other methods for
giving Windows this information: internal tables
within the device, and an INT 2Fh call documented
in the OEM Adaptation Kit. Both methods are
preferable to using this setting; it is provided
only for compatibility with Windows/386 version
2.x.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file.
===============================================================================
UseROMFont=<Boolean>
Default: True
Purpose: If enabled, Windows uses the soft font stored in
the video read-only memory (ROM) for displaying
messages that appear when non-Windows applications
are running in a full screen, and for displaying
the text that appears when switching away from a
non-Windows application. Disable this setting if
the font used to display messages is different
than the font used in the application, or if
random dots and shapes appear on your screen.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file.
===============================================================================
VGAMonoText=<Boolean>
Default: True
Purpose: Instructs Windows to ignore the video memory
address space in VGA displays, usually used for
monochrome adapters. When this setting is
disabled, Windows can use the B000h through B7FF
range for upper memory space, provided that no
hardware device is using these addresses and your
applications do not use the monochrome display
mode of your VGA adapter.
Note: This setting applies to VGA displays only.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file.
===============================================================================
VideoBackgroundMsg=<Boolean>
Default: True
Purpose: If enabled, Windows displays a message when a
background application is suspended, or if its
display cannot be updated properly because video
memory is low. Disabling this setting turns off
the warning message. This setting affects all non-
Windows applications that are currently running.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file.
===============================================================================
VideoSuspendDisable=<Boolean>
Default: False
Purpose: Specifies whether or not to suspend applications
running in the background if their display become
corrupted. If this setting is enabled, the
application continues running. If disabled,
applications become suspended and a warning
message appears, if the VideoBackgroundMsg setting
is enabled.
Note: This setting applies to VGA displays only.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file.
===============================================================================
VirtualHDIrq=<Boolean>
Default: On for AT-compatible computers; Off for all other
computers.
Purpose: If enabled, Windows in 386 enhanced mode can
terminate interrupts from the hard disk
controller, bypassing the ROM routine that handles
these interrupts. Some hard drives might require
this setting to be disabled in order for
interrupts to be processed correctly. If this
setting is disabled, the ROM routine handles the
interrupts, which slows down system performance.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file.
===============================================================================
WindowKBRequired=<kilobytes>
Default: 256
Purpose: Specifies how much conventional memory (in
kilobytes) must be free in order to start Windows.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file.
===============================================================================
WindowMemSize=<number-or-kilobytes>
Default: -1
Purpose: Limits the amount of conventional memory Windows
can use for itself. The default value (-1)
indicates that Windows can use as much
conventional memory as it needs. If there is not
enough memory to run Windows in 386 enhanced mode,
try entering a positive value less than 640.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file.
===============================================================================
WindowUpdateTime=<milliseconds>
Default: 50
Purpose: Specifies the amount of time (in milliseconds)
Windows takes before it updates the display oXf
non-Windows applications running in a window.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file.
===============================================================================
WinExclusive=<Boolean>
Default: No
Purpose: If enabled, all of the computer's processing time
is allocated to Windows whenever a Windows
application is in the foreground. If this setting
is enabled and a Windows application is in the
foreground, no non-Windows application will run.
To change: Choose the 386 Enhanced icon from the Control
Panel window.
===============================================================================
WinTimeSlice=<number,number>
Default: 100,50
Purpose: This setting contains two numbers. The first
number specifies the relative amount of processing
time (based on the MinTimeSlice setting) given to
all Windows applications running in the
foreground, relative to the time allocated to all
non-Windows applications running in the
background. The second number specifies the
relative amount of processing time given to all
Windows applications running in the background
when a non-Windows application is running in the
foreground. The range of valid numbers is 1
through 10000. The important value is the ratio of
these settings to the corresponding settings in
the PIF's of the active non-Windows applications.
To change: Choose the 386 Enhanced icon from the Control
Panel window.
===============================================================================
WOAFont=<font filename>
Default: DOSAPP.FON
Purpose: Specifies which font file(s) are loaded into
memory when running non-Windows applications.
These fonts are also available to your Windows
applications as long as a non-Windows application
is running.
To change: Quit Windows and then run Setup from MS-DOS.
This setting changes when you change the
Codepage or Display setting in Setup.
___________________________________________________________
XlatBufferSize=<kilobytes>
Default: 8
Purpose: Specifies the size of the low-memory buffer used
to map MS-DOS calls from protected mode to virtual
386 enhanced mode. Increasing this value can
improve the performance of protected mode Windows
applications that read or write information in a
large number of bytes (for example, some database
applications). However, this may decrease the
amount of memory available for running non-Windows
applications and may cause problems on networks
that use named pipes. These networks may require a
value of 4. The value you specify is rounded to
the next 4-kilobyte increment. For example, if you
set this value to 5, Windows rounds it up to 8.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file.
===============================================================================
XMSUMBInitCalls=<Boolean>
Default: Ususally true, but may be false depending on the
extended memory manager you are using.
Purpose: Specifies whether or not Windows should call the
extended memory driver's upper memory block (UMB)
management routines.
To change: Use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file. (You
should never need to change this setting.)
===============================================================================
Reference(s):
"Microsoft Windows Resource Kit," version 3.1, SYSTEM.INI
Additional query words: 3.10 win31
======================================================================
Keywords :
Technology : kbWin3xSearch kbZNotKeyword3 kbWin310 kbWin311
=============================================================================
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