How to restore the system.ini and win.ini
On a Microsoft Windows 98, Windows 95, or Windows 3.x computer, the files named system.--- or win.--- are backup copies of the files system.ini and win.ini.
The following sections contain information on how to fix boot errors or other computer issues by restoring the previous backed up versions of win.ini or system.ini.
If any installed software does not work after following the following instructions, reinstall that software.
If you are using Windows 3.x and are in Windows
Click File and choose to Exit Windows.
If you are using Windows 95/98 and are in Windows
Click Start.
Click Shutdown.
Choose to Restart the computer in MS-DOS mode and click OK.
Once at the MS-DOS prompt type the following commands to restore the system.ini
cd \windows <press enter> ren system.ini system.ch <press enter>
If, after attempting to rename the system.ini you receive File not found, continue to follow the following steps.
ren system.--- system.ini <press enter>
If, after attempting to type the above command you receive File not found, follow the following instructions. If you do not receive a message your system.ini should be restored to its original state.
dir system.*
If you see a file other than system.ch (e.g., system.bak or system.000), follow the instructions above but replace the --- with the appropriate extension on your computer.
Once at the MS-DOS prompt type the following commands to restore the win.ini
cd \windows <press Enter> ren win.ini win.ch <press Enter>
If, after attempting to rename the win.ini you receive File not found, continue to follow the following steps.
ren win.--- win.ini <press Enter>
If, after attempting to type the above command you receive File not found, follow the following instructions. If you do not receive a message your win.ini should be restored to its original state.
dir win.*
If you see a file other than win.ch or win.com (e.g., win.bak or win.000), follow the above instructions but replace the --- with the found extension.
Restore files back
If you encounter additional errors or at any time you want to use the files you renamed, rename the original files by reversing the commands above. Below are examples of renaming the files back if you so desire.
ren system.ch system.ini ren win.ch win.ini
Renaming should not be necessary unless you encountered issues while following the steps above or after restoring the original system.ini and win.ini.