Within Windows NT4, Windows 2000 in fact even in Windows 95 & 98 (they also exist in dot net but for the life of me can not recall their namespace) there are available system modules which will read/write an INI file:

In VB code would:

Declare Function WritePrivateProfileString Lib "Kernel32" Alias "WritePrivateProfileStringA" (ByVal AppName$, ByVal KeyName$, ByVal keydefault$, ByVal FileName$) As Long

    Declare Function GetPrivateProfileString Lib "Kernel32" Alias "GetPrivateProfileStringA" (ByVal AppName$, ByVal KeyName$, ByVal keydefault$, ByVal ReturnString$, ByVal NumBytes As Long, ByVal FileName$) As Long

In Use:

Public Function ReadString(ptSectionName As String, ptKeyName _ As String, INI_FileName As String, txtDefault As String) As String

Dim lCharacters as Long

Dim tBuffer(256)

tBuffer = String$(256, 0)

lCharacters = GetPrivateProfileString(ptSectionName, ptKeyName, "", tBuffer, 255, INI_FileName)

If lCharacters > 0 Then

        tIniString = Left$(tBuffer, lCharacters)

    Else

        'tIniString = ""

        tIniString = txtDefault     '10/17/02 RMJc

    End If

    ReadString = tIniString

End Function

Hope this Helps