<s>
WIN.INI	B-Protocol
is	O
a	O
basic	O
INI	B-Protocol
file	I-Protocol
that	O
was	O
used	O
in	O
versions	O
of	O
the	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
operating	B-Application
environment	I-Application
up	O
to	O
Windows	O
3.11	O
to	O
store	O
basic	O
settings	O
at	O
boot	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
default	O
,	O
all	O
font	O
,	O
communications	O
drivers	O
,	O
wallpaper	O
,	O
screen	O
saver	O
,	O
and	O
language	O
settings	O
were	O
stored	O
in	O
WIN.INI	B-Protocol
by	O
Windows	B-Application
3.x	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
of	O
these	O
settings	O
were	O
honored	O
in	O
Windows	O
9x	O
,	O
although	O
the	O
files	O
had	O
begun	O
to	O
be	O
phased	O
out	O
in	O
favor	O
of	O
the	O
Windows	B-Protocol
registry	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
still	O
acknowledged	O
some	O
entries	O
in	O
the	O
WIN.INI	B-Protocol
file	O
to	O
provide	O
backwards	O
compatibility	O
with	O
older	O
16-bit	O
applications	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
when	O
a	O
fresh	O
install	O
of	O
XP	B-Application
is	O
performed	O
,	O
the	O
WIN.INI	B-Protocol
file	O
created	O
is	O
initially	O
blank	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
and	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
the	O
WIN.INI	B-Protocol
file	O
was	O
removed	O
entirely	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Prior	O
to	O
Windows	B-Application
3.0	I-Application
,	O
it	O
was	O
not	O
uncommon	O
for	O
applications	O
to	O
store	O
their	O
configuration	O
settings	O
inside	O
WIN.INI	B-Protocol
(	O
via	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
3.0	I-Application
in	O
1990	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
introduced	O
the	O
concept	O
of	O
"	O
private	O
"	O
INI	B-Protocol
files	I-Protocol
(	O
i.e.	O
</s>
<s>
)	O
,	O
and	O
some	O
new	O
application	B-Application
programming	I-Application
interface	I-Application
calls	O
so	O
that	O
applications	O
could	O
store	O
their	O
settings	O
in	O
their	O
own	O
files	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
bundles	O
two	O
specialized	O
editors	O
for	O
core	O
configuration	B-Protocol
files	I-Protocol
(	O
such	O
as	O
WIN.INI	B-Protocol
,	O
SYSTEM.INI	B-Protocol
,	O
CONFIG.SYS	B-Device
,	O
and	O
AUTOEXEC.BAT	O
)	O
with	O
its	O
operating	O
systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sysedit	B-Application
is	O
an	O
MDI	O
text	B-Application
editor	I-Application
that	O
opens	O
all	O
of	O
those	O
files	O
simultaneously	O
,	O
available	O
in	O
all	O
versions	O
of	O
Windows	O
since	O
Windows	B-Application
3.x	I-Application
(	O
until	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
MSConfig	O
,	O
included	O
with	O
Windows	O
98	O
and	O
above	O
except	O
Windows	O
2000	O
,	O
is	O
a	O
simpler	O
application	O
that	O
allows	O
a	O
user	O
to	O
enable	O
and	O
disable	O
drivers	O
and	O
applications	O
from	O
being	O
loaded	O
at	O
startup	O
by	O
the	O
aforementioned	O
files	O
and	O
the	O
Run	O
,	O
RunEx	O
,	O
and	O
RunOnce	O
registry	B-Protocol
keys	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
WIN.INI	B-Protocol
and	O
SYSTEM.INI	B-Protocol
are	O
included	O
in	O
modern	O
versions	O
of	O
Windows	O
for	O
16-bit	O
application	O
support	O
.	O
</s>
