Diagnosing .INI Files: Example One

The Configuration

• The Windows executable files are stored on the file server, in a shared directory. (This uses the SETUP /A option of Windows setup.)

• Individual end-user Windows desktop configuration files are stored in the end-user's private directory space on the file server, in a directory called F:\USER\login\WINDOWS, where login is the end-user's NetWare login name. (This uses the SETUP /N option of Windows setup.)

You chose the above configuration to achieve the following benefits:

• The desktop that is presented to the end-user is determined by the login id. A single end-user can move between multiple workstations, and a single workstation can be used by multiple end-users, yet each end-user retains her personalized desktop.

• Because all files reside on the file server, you can manage all end-users' configurations from a central location without investing in remote control software.

• This configuration accommodates diskless workstations.

The Problem

• Jeff was trying to increase the resolution of his display. He had found the Windows Setup program in the program group Main in Program Manager. Jeff used Windows Setup to select a display type that looked promising.

• After restarting Windows, Jeff's display went blank. No matter how many times he restarted Windows, Jeff could not recover his display.

Of course, you realize that Jeff selected a driver that was incompatible with his display type. But how do you fix it? Jeff is unable to run Windows Setup again because he can't see the desktop. You don't want to run Setup from the DOS prompt because you have found from experience that it may make unwanted changes to other files such as NetWare's NET.CFG and Windows' PROTOCOL.INI.

You need to modify the SYSTEM.INI file directly. But how? You may know that the SYSTEM.INI file contains the settings for the video driver. If you knew exactly which entries to change, and what to change them to, you could repair Jeff's damage. However, unless you've worked closely with video drivers and their effects on the SYSTEM.INI file, you probably don't know which entries to change, nor to what to change them.

The key to diagnosing this problem is to compare Jeff's current configuration with that of another end-user. Because .INI files are just ASCII text files, you could do the comparison visually, comparing each line in the corrupt file to the corresponding line in the good file. On a large .INI file, this can take hours. The situation is worsened by the fact that the sections within an .INI file are allowed to appear in any order. Similarly, the entries within each section may appear in any order. This can make it very difficult to compare two files.

As you were expecting, here comes .INI Master to the rescue. .INI Master reads both files, noting their differences. The files are displayed side-by-side, with their differing entries highlighted. The order of the entries is not important to .INI Master.

The Resolution

Note: Prior to editing Jeff's SYSTEM.INI file, you'll want to be sure that he is not running Windows. If he is, Windows may overwrite your changes when he exits or restarts Windows.

1. In .INI Master, choose Open from the File menu.
   
   The Open dialog box appears.
   
   
2. In the Open dialog box, choose the SYSTEM.INI file of a desktop which you know to be in good working order. In this example, all end-user configuration files reside on the file server, so you can access these configuration files without leaving your desk. Note: Because you won't be making modifications to this file, it's ok for this end-user to remain in Windows.
   
   The selected SYSTEM.INI file is displayed in a window.
   
   
3. In the same way, open Jeff's SYSTEM.INI file. Again, because all files are stored on the server, you have access to this file without leaving your desk.
   
   Jeff's SYSTEM.INI file is displayed in a second window, and the two windows are tiled so that they can be viewed side-by-side.
   
   
4. You will notice that .INI Master highlights all of the entries that are not the same in both windows. This quickly brings your attention to the entries that may be causing the problem.
   
   Furthermore, by checking the good SYSTEM.INI file, you know exactly what these entries should be.
   
   
5. Still in .INI Master, edit Jeff's SYSTEM.INI to fix the offending entries. Save and close the files.
   
   
6. Let Jeff know that he can get back into Windows.