Hello, I have some easy problem - should be easy. When you type "msconfig" in the run window you open up a window with all your services, startup programs etc.., one of the catagories there is called BOOT.INI. Now, i don't have that file on my pc - therefore i don't have the sub menu called BOOT.INI in the msconfig window and my problem is that i have two operation systems on two different hard drives and every time i want to switch them i have to restart->bios and change the boot setting. they both are windows xp, it's not importent why i use windows xp twice but it's not normal, i should have a screen says that i have 30 secs to choose which operation system i want to load, and i don't have that screen. how can i create a boot file where the two OS i have will be in it?

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You can not make two independently booting disk boot via the boot.ini menu. It simply doesn't work that way. Additonally since you boot each independently each thinks its on c:. If you boot one the other will be d: yet its over 4000 registry entries will still point to c:. A lot of weird things happen then since things like system files, pagefile pointers, profiles are pointing to c: not d: Solution is to set the bios to which drive you want as your main boot. Then via the bios boot the xp cd and reinstall the OS over the existing OS on the 2nd drive. This is a REPAIR install. You get the choice of new or repair. Choose repair [this is after the "r" for repair which isn't the same] This will create the multiboot in the boot.ini and correct the registry entries in the 2nd OS Imagine the power if you knew how to internet search

"i have two operation systems on two different hard drives" One is XP. What is the other OS? If Vista then it has it's own boot manager. If a Linux Distro then they have boot managers too. If XP is on C:\ drive then right click on My Computer, select Properties, Advanced, Startup and Recovery, Settings button. There you will find the Edit button to edit your boot.ini file. Bryan

He does say part way into the initial post - they are both XP. Also he can't find the boot.ini, which is not unknown - occasionally. There are circumstances where during installation XP does NOT create the boot.ini. To this day I'm still not sure why it happens, even though I have read (somewhere - over the rainbow...) the why etc... You can create it via the bootcfg util (part of XP recovery console): http://www.jsifaq.com/SF/Tips/Tip.a... discusses this aspect. That same util can/will (if used correctly) find any other OS present (from the NT family be that NT/W2K or XP) and add it to the boot.ini; this even if it has to first create that boot.ini. What you do NOT make clear is how each drive/XP installation was established. Were they both created in the same physical PC; using the same motherboard etc.? Or were they in different systems? From what you say initially it would appear that both were created in the current system (otherwise one of them wouldn't boot up OK)? If this so then both can be made to boot via a single boot.ini on the Master drive in the system as is. Either you manually write/create one via notepad/wordpad - or use the bootcfg util as above.; the bootcfg util is probably easier? Also clarify - when each drive/XP installation was created was that drive the Master at the time? Post back details of how each OS etc. was installed and who knows what may be possible... If both were created in the same system etc.. then the bootcfg util may do all that's required... If this is the case - then all path statements for each drive will remain valid - when that drive is booted up (i.e is the active OS). Each drive/installation (when booted up) will merely assign a different (temporary) drive letter to the other non-booted drive (when viewed via Explore or MyComputer); and each booted OS will retain its assigned drive letter when actually booted up/operating... This latter part being because the registry is where drive letters are stored in the NT family. During boot up of a given NT family OS... the registry is consulted during the process. Thus the drive letter for the OS - as assigned at its installation - will be recovered/retained and used on that occasion. But as stated above... when that drive is not booted - it may well be given another letter when viewed from another booted OS. In your situation you might well find the two drives both boot as c: ; and whichever is not booted up will apppear as perhaps d: or e: or whatever. They will appear to flip-flop betwen their installed drive letter and this other letter (assigned to them by the booted OS) accordingly. It works; it's a bit strange initially to observe; but all path statements will be safe/valid for the each OS - when it boots up.