"A multi-boot boot manager starts before any OS starts, that's how it can give you the option of multi booting. An OS can do nothing until it is initiated."

That's what I was thinking

Does that apply to the xp boot manager also or is that different?
If it does can I assume then that in a dual boot windows 98/xp if I changed the motherboard that windows 98 will still work while xp will not ?