The Machine Configuration File
The machine configuration file, located in %windir%\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v%version%\CONFIG\machine.config, contains configuration settings specific to the machine it is installed on. While most of these settings pertain to functionality internal to the .NET Framework, it may also be used to store configuration settings common to more than one application. If you do use it store shared application configuration settings, you should be careful to name your settings in a unique way. You should also take care not to disrupt any existing machine configuration settings when adding your own configuration settings to the machine configuration file.
Some of the settings in this file include debugging and error message configuration; network configuration, such as authentication details and web proxy location; a large number of ASP.NET configuration settings, including settings that let you specify how different web browser platforms and versions should be recognized; and remoting configuration. Many of the settings in the machine configuration file may also be configured at runtime for a particular application instance. However, changes to these settings at runtime do not persist in the machine configuration file, nor are they shared across different application instances.
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