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Just recovering from a bad computer experience where I lost all my settings. I won't bore you with all the details, but is there any IT guru out there that can tell me how to get rid of the choice of OS at start-up? Somehow I've ended up with two of them - both xp pro even though in reality there's only one. and only one of them actually works, if I select the second, nothing happens.

1. Minimize All Windows or use the show desktop shortcut.
2. Right click on the My Computer icon and select Properties.
3. Go to the Advanced Tab
4. Click Advanced in the Startup and Recovery Group
5. Click Edit in the System Startup Group
6. There should be a section called [operating systems]
7. Remove the offending line
8. CTRL-S to Save and then ALT-F, E to exit
9. Click OK
10. Click OK
11. Reboot and you should have the changes

Gotta be quick to help round here
try here for reference:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.as ... US;q289022

copy boot.ini to somewhere for a backup.

Thanks Kipper
I'm off to try it now, let you know how it goes.

Ok, this is what I have

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect /noexecute=optin
signature(498c498b)disk(1)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect

I'm guessing I should delete this

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect /noexecute=optin

am I right?

If the default works as listed then I think you want to delete:
signature(498c498b)disk(1)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect

Great! That worked
All I have to do now is figure out why the second HD doesn't like to be slave to the first, I've taken off the little plastic bridge in the pins at the back but I'm not sure if it's supposed to go on any of the other pins.

Sometimes they are slave by default, without jumpers at all, some have a parking set of pins just to keep it safe, let us know the brand and model, usually they have docs on the manufacturer's website.

The primary master is ST3060015A 60gb, brand?
The reluctant slave is Maxtor 6L040J2 40gb.
Thanks for your help wahr42 and Kipper

phillipb wrote:The primary master is ST3060015A 60gb, brand?

That'll be a Seagate drive. Actually I think the number is ST360015A, it's a Seagate Barracuda V. Installation guide is here, jumper settings are down the bottom of the first page. No jumper on = slave.

so for the maxtor
http://www.maxtor.com/_files/maxtor/en_ ... tyle_c.htm

DS for master, no jumper for slave but you can put it in the PK position for keeping.

I think STxxxxx is a Seagate also, I think the ATA bus drives are all very similar for jumper positions from memory it's master on the far left with the circuit board facing down and the pins facing you. Slave with no jumper in place.

hopefully this helps

Thanks MCWB, I just had a look at both maxtor and seagate websites. It seems that both drives are masters with jumpers on the first set of pins and slaves without jumpers but the seagate also says that you need to put 2 sets of jumpers if the slave drive is non ATA compatible ... whatever that means. I guess I can try that and see how it goes.