Dual Boot Vista and Linux with MediaDirect Working?

have a dell inspiron 640m with vista homebasic preinstalled. I want to erase the contents of the recovery partition and install Ubuntu. I don't want to go through the reformat of the whole disk just to repair MediaDirect.Besides there is so much already that I have done to vista that reinstalling vista would be too much for me.
In case there is already a thread for my question please be kind enough to direct me to that thread...
Many Thanks!

 

MediaDirect 2 or 3?

2 uses a split MBR, 3 is a bit more flexable, so how you go about it will depend on the version (I have done both).

The safe way: Install Ubuntu to your partition (say the third) and grub to that partition as well. On the last screen of the Ubuntu install, set grub under the advanced tab to install to (hd0,x) where x is the number of the partition Ubuntu is being installed to -1 since counting starts at 0. So if ubuntu in on partition 3 use (hd0,2).

This will make the Ubuntu partition the boot partition as well which means if you do this, Vista may fail to hibernate since it needs to be the boot partition. Just a warning if you use that.

Now, if you want to be fancy: download EasyBCD 1.6 in Vista. In Ubuntu, using gParted, make Vista the boot partition again. Then go back to Vista and run EasyBCD. Add Ubuntu to the Vista bootloader, this will get you Ubuntu, MediaDirect, and Hibernation in Vista.

There is another way to get all three and only use grub, but it's a bit more volitale, and I've only doe it using Ghost images and re-doing my entire partition setup.

Good luck!

 

I don't know where the MD version is. I looked at the dvd and it says MediaDirect 3.
The fancy procedure-hibernate will work?