can anyone help with the key mapping, everytime i launch tomb raider and the main screen icons keeps circling

Please post your dosbox version and the OS you're using.

Start off with all joysticks detached, then see if dosbox works (watch the
console window, there should be NO mentioning of some joystick/gamepad).

Then plug in the gamepad you want to use, start dosbox again and make
sure that the gamepad IS mentioned in the console window.
Report back what the exact output of the console window is.

I ahve windows xp home edition, latest version of dosbox

here is what the cosole says
DOSBox version 0.72
Copyright 2002-2007 DOSBox Team, published under GNU GPL.
---
CONFIG:Loading primary settings from config file C:\Program Files\DOSBox-0.72\do
sbox.conf
MIDI:Opened device:win32
One joystick reported, initializing with 4axis
Using joystick Logitech(R) Precision(TM) Gamepad with 2 axes, 10 buttons and 0 h
at(s)
MAPPER: Loading mapper settings from mapper.txt

can anyone help with this please???

Be sure your gamepad is calibrated. See if timed=false/true in
your dosbox.conf has an effect on that.

what exactly does not work with Tomb Raider? Is it not recognized at all? Or just some keys are wrong?

it will not work with tomb raider at all, no movement at all. how do i do the keymapper, how do you select a key then apply it to that keypress?

don' you have to select gamepad movement in the installer/setup? I don't remember Tomb Raider that well, it has been ages and I only had it from a friend for a week or two...

I guess that is why I am asking at this forum for help

don't you have to select gamepad movement in the installer/setup?

Well, do you have to or not? I mean in the setup/installer of the game.

what i have is a the file directory on my hard drive and on a cd, the installer for tomb raider when you first launch it does not ask me to select either keyboard nor controller

and in Tomb Raider, can you there select the controller?

the menu has a icon that looks like a keypad. i go to that and then you have a default map key and user key pad menu, the user key pad has keys like pad8 , pad6 etc but none of them work, i can not selct what i key i want to map too???

Ok, tested it. The game is controllable by default with a joystick. Worked for me right away. At least controlling the directions of Lara.
Then in the game menu you select control, then you select the action you want to change with the arrow keys (joystick was able to move the selection, too), hit enter then press the button of your gamepad you want to assign the action to.
My dosbox.conf settings
[joystick]
joysticktype=auto
timed=true
autofire=false
swap34=false

Damn, this game is blocky nowadays, don't remember it being that blocky...

yea its graphics are old, i can control laura too, just not with the buttons 1, 2 ,3 or 4 and the top 4 buttons as well only the D pad. so do i change the keys in the game itself or in dosbox?

In the game, select controls, enter, when the control windows opens press left or right arrow to get to the user defined keys. Then go to the control you want to change with the arrow keys, press enter, press joystick button and there you go.

hey Dominus my menu is complety different, maybe you could just share your install files with me and i can install this instead? what do you think? because in that menu it says default then you hit the RIGHT side on the d pad and then i get user keys, its screwy

c'mon don'T make it harder than it is or at least tell me where the problem is exactly. So you get to the User Keys?
Well, then use the arrow keys of your keyboard to get to wherever you want to assign a key or joystick button, then press enter on your keybard, then press whatever key you want...
Or please post a picture of how it looks on your side.