M1330 + partitions + MediaDirect 4.0

Hello,

I have to extend my C: partition because it's becoming to small (I'll use gParted for that), so I figure I can use the opportunity to get something done about that awful MediaDirect 3.5 too.

Right now I have four partitions on my hard disc: a 47 MB partition, then C:, then D:, then a 2 GB partition. I figure the first and the last are used for MediaDirect 3.5.

Could I just uninstall MediaDirect 3.5 from within Vista, then install MediaDirect 4.0, then repartition my hard disc including deleting the 2 MD partitions? Is this all secure when it comes to the scary "home" button?

Oh, and btw: I need MediaDirect 4.0!!! Is there some way to get it? Do I have to convince someone from Dell to send it to me?

(And if I DON'T get MD 4.0 could I somehow re-route the "Home" button, and still safely get rid of those 2 MD partitions?)

Thanks!

Matthias

 

I recommend that you don't get rid of MediaDirect 3.5. I noticed once that if you press the Media Direct button and you don't have it installed, it screws up the boot of windows, and later on you will not be able to access some parts of the hard drive. Also note that this one is attached to the motherboard. Recently I got the motherboard replaced and I was not able to boot anymore the MediaDirect with the computer off with the button... Just a little piece of advice... don't remove it.

 

The 2GB partition is the restore partition that may help you in the future to restore your computer if you have a problem with the OS or it maybe the partition for Dell media direct . Anyway I suggest to not delete this partition.

Media direct 4.0 isn't coming out for XPS so I don't think you will get it from Dell. There is not much different between MD 3.5 and 4 so...

If you want to repartition you must boot your lap with the mediadirect CD and then follow the instruction. It will delete everything on your Harddriver so be sure to backup everything before. And when you finish repartition and installing your vista . Boot in windows and install media direct 3.5 from your CD or else you won't be able to use Media direct button and get an error if you try to... Good luck.

 

I thank you both so much for your quick reply!

But I might not have been very informative in my post. I am of course aware of the discussion here, and parts of my proposal relate to the facts mentioned there.

I am interested in MediaDirect 4.0 because it does not need special partitions anymore. I could safely get rid of those two extra partitions on my hard disc, because they won't be needed anymore. At least that's what I think.

So I think my questions from the first post are not fully answered yet.

Again, if there is a SAFE way to re-route the "home" button or simply "kill" it, I am interested in that too. I honestly don't care too much about the whole MediaDirect application, I just wanna have that disc space and don't be in danger of accidentally pressing the "home" button and destroy my Vista installation that way (as it would happen right now if I just delete the two extra partitions on my HD...).

Cheers

Matthias

 

I would first make a backup.

Next I'd map the MD Button as well as the power button to the Vista partition. Depending on your partitioning this will be something like this:
rmbr.exe DELL 2 2

Last but not least, I'd deinstall MD in Vista and get rid of the MD partition. This should be safe, since you remapped the MD button.

 

Media Direct is kind of useless.

Since deleting that, I have had no problems at all, nothing like what sagrav84 said.

 

Thanks a lot for this information! This is definitely what I'm gonna do, but "rmbr.exe DELL 2 2" does not seem to be THAT easy, does it? Apparently it choses the partition to use in case the "home" button is pressed. If I then delete the two MediaDirect partitions the order changes again and I'd have to set "rmbr.exe DELL" again, right? Also people seem to run into minor issues when applying this - is there a definite guide to using this command?

In case I update the BIOS at some point, would I have to use "rmbr.exe DELL" again?

Thanks!

Matthias

 

There are some guides related to mapping booting Linux to the MD button. I would consider those ( here's one, but there are more out there) related to how the counting of partitions is done for the rmbr.exe command. However I'm pretty sure the partition counting starts at "1":

Code:

E:\DellKit>rmbr /?
rmbr usage is as below:

rmbr VenderName XPProPartitionNO XPEmbeddedPartitionNO
VenderName              available values: DELL HP Generic SPF Demo
XPProPartitionNO        available values: 1 2 3 4
XPEmbeddedPartitionNO   available values: 1 2 3 4
Example
rmbr Generic 1 2

At the time of MD 2.x the MBR was actually in charge of checking for the bits to see whether MD button was pressed and depending on that either booting the active partition or the MD partition. This is described here (though not in great detail; it's the section which also mentions LBA 3):
http://www.goodells.net/dellrestore/mediadirect.htm

With MD 3.x this changed: The MBR is NO longer in charge of messing with MD bits. The MBR is just a generic (e.g. MS Vista) MBR. Since MD booting still works and it still swaps partitions (sorry german
http://www.servicemensch.info/Online/Dell-MediaDirect-3-3-Tipps,ARTIKEL,8.html
the code must be somewhere else. Part of the code seems to be in the MD partition itself. However in this case the BIOS still must know where the MD partition is, since the generic MBR code won't tell that. The only reasonable place such bits could be is some non volatile (NV) memory.

Now to RMBR.EXE: I never launched it beside rmbr.exe /?. I know it works to modify MD button behavior. But I can't tell whether it's kind of MD3.x aware and updates this NV memory. Or whether it replaces the MBR (as the name RMBR.EXE suggests) of your harddrive with something in the MD 2.x style. I'd appreciate if you save a MBR copy before and after applying this command. Then I could see what it does. E.g. booting linux live cd:
sudo dd if=/dev/sda of=myMBR.txt count=63
This copies the first 63 sectors of your harddrive. The first sector contains the MBR the remaining sectors in general don't contain anything, but in the MBR 2.x style case they do.

I don't know anything about MD 4.x. But as far as I read it's Windows only app and not depend on anything.

I'm pretty sure changes to the MD button behavior with RMBR.EXE will survive any BIOS update.

 

Well, and suddenly it does not seem to be that easy anymore

Honestly this is too vague to me, and seems to be a little risky. Also I can't really invest too much time in all this.

So, to go with MediaDirect 4.0 seems to be the more convenient way. Now I just have to get a hold of it! Is the ONLY way to get it to try and get a copy from Dell?

Cheers

Matthias

 

I'm pretty convinced Dell won't hand you a MD 4.0 disc, since they haven't validated it for the XPS line.

In that case leave MD 3.x where it is - the 2GB space don't matter - and get something decent:

. Cyberlink PowerDVD 8 Ultra
. ArcSoft Total MediaTheatre
. Corel WinDVD 9 Plus BluRay

Or if it has to be free:
. MediaPlayerClassic Homecinema, since it provides DXVA H.264 Video acceleration.

But certainly you may try to get it from Dell... Finding a torrent isn't difficult, but ain't legal either.

 

Thanks a lot for your thorough replies!

I am not really in the need for a specific media play, I just use Windows Media Player with ffdshow, and it works fine.

My only "concern" was to get rid of two partitions on my hard disk I don't really need. But I figure you're right and I just leave everything the way it is, and just expand my C: at the expense of D:, and that's it.

Maybe some other time I'll deal with the useless MediaDirect

Cheers

Matthias

 

A little update on this one.

Just wanted to let you know that my repartitioning worked fine. I expanded my C:. from 40GB to 50GB with gParted. It left a small 7MB arean between C: and D: empty, but that's fine.

After this I had to "repair" the boot sequence, which was done in no time with the Windows DVD. Then Windows decided to check D: and C: for consistency.

This all took another 10 mins after gParted was done. Everything is fine now.

Cheers

Matthias

 

FYI, the 2GB hidden partition in Vista is not the recovery partition, it is for Media Direct. The recovery partition with the tools folder and the factor.wim (windows image) file are in the D: RECOVERY partition (usually around 10GB depending on the system configuration).

Media Direct 4.0. Yea, I got Dell to send me a copy even though I have an M1330 and they didn't want to. The disk has no pre-formatting utility (to create the hidden Media Direct partition like in MD 3) and when installed in Vista, pressing the MD button with the computer off simply starts Vista and loads Media Direct.

 

Hmm, how did you convince them in the end to send you a disc?

You couldn't by any chance upload or skype me an image of it, could you?

I'd still love to get rid of the 2GB partition without risking to brick my computer by accidentally pressing the MediaDirect button.

Thanks!

Matthias