For Dual Booters: Just some notes from my adventures

I just spent two days trying to make Media direct work with Vista and Linux, but no results...in the end i just trashed Media Direct after hearing that it was pretty much useless. (actually, it doesn't even have a way to monitor your battery life)

some notes for dual booters, on the new Inspiron series (1x20/1x21)

1. Dell's MBR does extend past the first sector boundary. There is the normal windows MBR in the beginning then some dell junk that extends past the normal MBR boundary into the area after the MBR and before the 64th ***edit: changed cylinder to sector*** SECTOR (where the first parition starts)

What's important that you must not wipe this MBR is that it contains code to store your system's service tag. (I positive, but not sure, that it also contains code to load Media Direct and Dell Diagnostics).

So you decide if you want to hose the area, because your system might later have difficulties with Dell Technical Support.

2. After reading some Media Direct 3 logs that it left on the hard drive, it seems that the media direct installation CD identifies Media Direct as the LAST LOGICAL PARTITION, but this seems to be different than how the MBR identifies it, because for me the MBR couldn't find the Media Direct Partition even though it was the last Logical Partition. (Media Direct found the partition in Windows and installed, but when I booted Media Direct it booted Vista).

If anybody knows to how to read Intel Real Mode Assembly Code, be my guest and read the mbr dumps.

i hope this will help someone.

 

What do you actually mean by DELL MBR ? I think you are talking about the small 47MB partition isnt it ?

Also isnt the DELL sevice tag stored in the BIOS ?

 

As the name suggests, Dell Master Boot Record.

I'm quite sure it needs to be intact to get the Mediadirect button to multi-boot (or at least not stuff up your partitions when pressed). You can repair that MBR by running the rmbr.exe utility. Here's some random info about the Dell MBR

http://caffeinbar.com/wp/2007/03/08/start-linux-with-dell-mediadirect-button/

On my system I made the mistake of installing the Linux bootloader into the MBR, overwriting the Dell one. If I accidentally hit the MD key, my partitions gets fudged and I have to repair them manually.

 

If you have a DELL MBR and if you actually install Windows freshly then Windows MBR will overwrite the DELL MBR wont it ? That is why I asked what do you mean by DELL MBR like what does the DELL MBR actually do ? And I know very well that MBR = Master Boot Record

 

Ok I see what you're saying now. Will just wait for the thread-starter to give more info.

 

the first 512 bytes of the MBR are standard windows MBR code...

on the normal hard drive cylinders 2-63 are usually blank (before the first parition), but dell uses that for media direct, service tag storage, etc.

which means, if you plan on installing GRUB bootloader or something, don't overwrite that area.

 

Okie now I get it.... But clarigy me this - If GRUB overwrites that area and it causes problem then how come installing Vista (which also writes its own MBR) will not cause any problems ?

 

Alright, I think I'm more confused now...

Could someone write a guide/does a guide already exist on making the MD button boot a linux partition?

 

Have you tried pressing the button a second time? I notice if I press it it ruins my partitions as well, but if I press it again everything is perfect again... Not sure what it actually does...

 

I believe more info regarding these DELL partitions can be found on goodells.net but that article there seems to be a little old..... I believe currently DELL follows something similar to what is mentioned there even though not exactly the same....

 

the key is vista only write to the first 512 bytes, not the junk that grub writes to after the first 512 bytes.

grub uses the area after the 512 bytes for storage of stage2


http://caffeinbar.com/wp/2007/03/08/start-linux-with-dell-mediadirect-button/

that shows how to start linux w/media direct button

 

I will have to try this sometime. Probably around the time I format next, to minimise potential damage

Cheers.