CompTIA A+® Certification All-In-One For Dummies®, 2nd Edition

6.4. Examining Other Boot Process Files

This section takes at a look at some additional files related to the boot process. These include config.sys, autoexec.bat, win.ini, and system.ini, which store configuration information for Windows (primarily Windows 9x) but are also used by newer versions of Windows. Finally, you will see the sysedit.exe utility.

6.4.1. config.sys

The config.sys file has been around since early versions of MS-DOS. It stores modifications to the default settings that are set through msdos.sys. config.sys usually contains environment settings and device driver load lines for devices such as CD-ROM drives. If the file does not exist, io.sys will apply system default settings to the environment in addition to the settings that are found in msdos.sys. If the config.sys file does exist, io.sys ensures that after processing the config.sys file, the settings are equal to or higher than the default settings. If config.sys settings do not meet the default settings, io.sys will apply the default settings. (Your settings might have been changed from the default settings in order to support an application; the file's value is often increased for application support.)

In Chapter 1 of this minibook, I mention that Windows NT can be traced back to a joint venture with IBM, and originally ran on IBM's OS/2 (Operating System 2). Since that time, Microsoft has provided some support for OS/2 applications in the Windows NT OS. This support was removed with the release of Windows ...