Okay, admitted, it's perhaps not the brightest method but it works, and I'm wondering if perhaps there is a simpler way?

Have:
one very small ATA FAT32 drive with windows 98 and boot.ini file.
two SATA NTFS drives, one with XP Pro and the other is a dynamic backup copy. [that works fine]
two ATA NTFS drives for our home security/home surveillance system. [this is mission critical; we're eldery and wife's health is poor; I need to monitor things]


As I upgrade or replace a drive, bad things have happened. I have searched this site for boot.ini recommendations and trying to boot to an NTFS drive. I've learned a lot [thanks all] but mostly that accessing and then editing a boot.ini file on the primary NTFS boot drive is too complex for me.

With my method, I can always get into that little FAT32 drive and edit the boot.ini file to "find" any NTFS drive that I want.

Should I just leave well enough alone, or am I being really stupid about this?

thanks
[edit]
sorry, just realized I moved threads and this should be in XP. New to this, and don't know how to move it.

I recommend obtaining more than 1 computer.

1 for each job.

Well, that is a working setup, why should you want to change it?

As far as editing a boot.ini on a ntfs partition, there is this FREEWARE app:
EDITBINI
http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/utilities.html

But what I do not understand is the actual NEED to edit boot.ini, apart from initial setup.

Would you care to better elaborate and describe what your operations are that need rewriting boot.ini?

There are quite a bit of alternate methods....

jaclaz

I want to get rid of that little FAT32 drive and just have two SATA's and the home security on the other two. The case does not hold 5 drives very well. Really jammed in there will little air circulation. And that FAT32 drive has the boot.ini file, so if something should happen to the primary drive, I have no way to boot or even get into the backup.

I will try that EDITBINI approach as soon as I can.

thanks

Well, you can always boot from a floppy or USB stick or CD, check these:
http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=17563
http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?act=ST...=70&t=52922
http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=16980

A minimal guide to explain NT based boot process is also here:
http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?s=&...st&p=226081

jaclaz

Another thought, have you considered a little case modding, I have a MATX[micro] and my HDD's were packed in too. I added another HDD rack & spaced them out, at same time moved case fan to side[bigger=120mm] intake & put filter on it[cleaner inside now]

jaclaz