Media Direct on new hard drive

Why do the instructions for reinstalling Media Direct on a new hard drive indicate that there needs to be 1308MB of unpartitioned space on the new drive when the partition for Media Direct on the original drive is only 47MB? Seems like a terrible waste of space.

 

Although I've never tried to install MD on a new HD ,but I think 50MB should be enough,you can give it a try though coz I don't thing you've anything to lose

 

No, you need around 1500mb. You can try using 1308 but some users found out that it wasn't enough space, so I usually recommend 1500mb or 2000mb.

The reason the two differ is because on the new HDD, you have to install MD. Where as on the old MD, MD is on a hidden area, and only needs to be repaired.

 

Thanks SG, what is this hidden area?

Is there a way to use the same hidden area on the new drive?

 

You can see this hidden area with special programs - don't ask me what programs though cause I don't know . I know you can't see it while you are formatting XP, or in disk management, nor does Partition Magic show this area. You just have to trust me that it is there.

As for setting it up on a new HDD, I highly doubt you want to do this. It would probably take up a lot more work than what it is worth.

If you get a new HDD, you'll need to leave around 1500mb to 2000mb of unpartition space located at the end of the HDD. When you run the reinstallation disc, the software will format that area for it's needs. This space will not show up in XP even after you install the software. The only way you will see it is when you are in the partition setup in XP format process or possbily the disk management area of XP (under control panel). It does not show up under My Computer like spare partitions do.

 

lumberbunny,

That 47MB area is not your MediaDirect partition, it's your DellUtility partition. For a description of the MediaDirect partition, see my webpage at www.goodells.net/dellrestore/mediadirect.htm.

The 1308 figure was the amount needed for an earlier version of MediaDirect. I believe Dell has revised their webpage to increase that figure because current MediaDirect versions require more room.

Dan Goodell

 

Thanks dg! That answered my question 100%. Here's a few more questions for you:

When I format this drive to put it in an external enclosure, how can I ensure that the 1.5GB HPA is also formatted?

How much disk space is used by NTFS?

Am I understanding [ http://www.goodells.net/dellutility/recreate.htm] correctly when I say that the utility partition is a completely redundant copy of the utility CD?

Thanks again

 

Thanks .

 

I'm not sure I understand this question. If you mean, "How do I create a HPA on a new disk and format it," the answer is you can't. The user cannot create a HPA--at least, not easily.

If you mean, "I want to remove the HPA and reuse the disk space, so how do I format it so I can use it," the answer is rather convoluted. You first have to get the MBR to stop enabling the space as a HPA--I think Mark McK has a thread somewhere on this forum about how to do that. Then you need something like Partition Magic to incorporate the HPA's disk space into another partition.

??? NTFS is a file system. It's a method of organizing a partition's sectors so data can be stored and retrieved.

The one-and-only program inside the utility partition is redundant. It's on the Utility CD, and is also available for download from the Dell website.

But the existence of the utility partition, whether or not it contains any programs, is a prerequisite for the proper functioning of both the DSR partition and the MediaDirect partition. Don't remove the utility partition unless you are also eliminating both the DSR and the MediaDirect partitions.