The questions at the end this is no successful guide.
1.So I've install OS x86 10.4.6 with patchs for my CPU to a VMware drive. I've then DD'ed it across to an active AF partition, skipping to first 32256 bites of the disk image.
Great works great, thanks to all those cleaver people with there patchs and advise, thanks again.

2.Managed to configure Darwin Boot Loader to allow me to choise which partition to boot from to boot from. By Copying,
/Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/com.apple.Boot.plist
to desktop. Editing to:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple Computer//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
<key>Quiet Boot</key>
<string>No</string>
<key>Timeout</key>
<string></string>
<key>Kernel</key>
<string>mach_kernel</string>
<key>Kernel Flags</key>
<string></string>
<key>Boot Graphics</key>
<string>Yes</string>
<key>Graphics Mode</key></dict>
<string>1280x1024x32@70</string></dict>
</dict>
</plist>
Copying back to location and authenticating with password.

Again all thanks to the support of the experts.

3. With the 'Quiet Boot' and 'Timeout' keys in place I can now use Chain0, edit my boot.ini and set my Windows XP drive to actve. Allowing me to boot into Windows or choise OS x86.
Without these keys in place using chain0 and selecting OS x86 at boot just makes the boot.ini file run the OS x86 partition and Darwin automatically selects the active partition, Windows XP and I end up quickly back with the boot.ini options, leaving OS x86 unreachable without setting it active again.

So this allows me to boot straght into Windows as defult. Good! Thats the way around I like it. But now I have to select the OS x86
from the Darwin boot loader.

How can I make this Darwin selection of boot drive automatic? I've tried inserting
<key>Kernel Flags</key>
<string>rd=disk0s2</string>
to the above file but as disk0s2 is not active it fails to boot, starting
Wondows XP again. Leaving the 'timeout' key in place wth a value of 2, will allow me to select boot options and manualy selecting the drive. Now interupting before the 'Timeout' key runs out and selecting OS x86 slice with '-v' (for error messages).
I get
'Waiting on <dist ID='0'><Key>IOProviderClass</Key><string ID="1">IOService</string><Key>BSD Name</Key><string id="2">disk0s2-v</string></dict>
AppleIntelPIIXPATA: PIIX4 (CMD 0x1f0, CTR 0x3f4, IRQ 14, BM 0x1050)
AppleIntelPIIXPATA: PIIX4 (CMD 0x170, CTR 0x374, IRQ 15, BM 0x1058)
...and such...
Still waiting for root device
Still waiting for root device'
etc etc.

Setting OS slice to active I have, in the past, been able to recover OS X, but testing now I get the same error message.
Interupting 'Timeout' key select OS x86 and typing '-F mach_kernel -v' produces the same error message.

I tried installing OSx86 on a VMware drive with the same partitions as my primary drive and installing OSx86 to its AF partition before copying the partition under VMware and Lunix to and VMware drive using dd (no skip) to make a Raw img to dd from Windows. It made no difference.

While I dd the image again can any one help me.

Is there any way the get Darwin to automaticlly boot from a non active volume?

So that I can use just chain0 and boot.ini and have no interaction with Darwin.

----------------------------
Hi Grade
-Pentium .2 (sse3 patch)
-Foxconn 865A01 motherboard (No patch, won't restart.)
-512MB ddr pc3200
-Nvidia 5200, 128mb(No patch, exceleration??? not know)
-AC97 sound (No patch, works but not reconised)
-Sata Primary Drive 120mb
-ATA secondary drive 200mb (Was one old partition but OS did not
reconise it, repartitioned it under Windows XP to smaller partition, now reconised)
-ATA Jumbo CDR (burns just fine)
-OS x86 10.4.6, upgrade and sse3 patchs only.

Standing on the shoulders of giants!

Thanks for all those experts I got this far.

Thank you,
Free30

I couldnt manage to do that using only boot.ini and darwin-bootloader

However, grub is capable of booting the 2 OS and "changing" the active partrition at boot time
This is very easy to use ont triple-boot systems (with) linux
I am not sure if Win-Grub is capable of doing this, and I dont know how to use it

Your other choice is to get a copy os Acronis and use that as a boot manager

This was kinda what i was going for too...

Let start a new topic keep in short and sweet. And mention thing s you've tried.


Please someone help, I know it's only two buttons but if I can select it why can't it be automatic.

Free30

Ok, still no way of getting Darwin to boot straght into a non active partition.
But for me, who's lucky enough to have two hard disks.
So my bios boots onto my Windows drive, then chain0 will find OSx on my second drive which can, for me, be set active. Allow Darwin to boot OSx86 without selecting any drive a second time.
But still if you only have one drive the problem still stands. How to make Darwin boot OSx86 from a non active partition?
Free30