Remove HPA partition and MD2 , is it possible ?

I don't use Media Direct and I would like to use the hard drive space. The question is how do I remove the HPA (Hidden Protected Area) partition where Media Direct is installed ?
I am looking for a simple Windows / DOS tool, I am not familiar with Linux or other operating systems.

 

You can use Partition Magic to remove the hidden partition, then move the other partitions up and merge the new space into an existing partition.

 

I also Have MD2 in (HPA). I Have Partition Magic 8.0 but do not know HOW to exactly use it To REMOVE this HPA Totally from My E1705 Dell laptop? I am hoping to Remove completely MD2 and Replace it with MD3. Is this Possible? My problem is i Tried to Install a Bigger Hard Drive,and after Cloning the New 160 gb Drive, it became Truncated to the size of My Original Drive,(Approximately 98.3GB). I was Told The HPA Must be Removed Completely to do a SAFE Clone of My E1705. PLEASE..Any help Will be very Much Appreciated as i DO NOT want to Wipeout my Computer for Fresh Install of All my Information. Thank You In Advance for Any Help. I have another NEW Hard Drive Coming to Try Again Properly WITHOUT Truncating This Time.

 

please start your own thread.

 

You need to uncut the drive and make sure the dell master boot record doesn't recut the drive... This will allow the hidden space at the end of your hdd to be displayed in windows, for you to do as you will... The trade off is the loss of the MD2 data (partition) and the MediaDirect button to MD2 connectivity.

-use Roadkil's Sector Editor it's Windows Based and shareware - http://www.roadkil.net/Sectedit.html
and zero out absolute sector 3 on the laptop hdd.
-reboot computer
-use "HDD Capacity Restore 1.2 by Atola Technology" it's Windows Based and free - http://hdd-tools.com/products/cr/download/
(it will uncut your hdd if the hdd is not on a raid card.)
-power cycle computer (not reboot)

 

I should add that not all of the computers that had MD2 installed used HPA. Mine did not use HPA and had MD2 installed. Granted I had some PITA overlayed partition map that kept getting switched when I pressed the MD button and I nearly killed the drive while trying to completely cleanse the drive of Media Direct. It took 6 hours. If you can see a 4GB Media Direct partition from Windows right away then you probably do not have a HPA partition. If you do not see it there then you probably do. On that note the Media Direct partition will be after the Windows partition and before your Recovery partition if you are not use HPA.

BTW, HPA can only hide part of the end of the drive. It can't do the middle or beginning of the drive.

 

rayny2e, HPA does not have to be removed to do a clone of your drive; if the intention is to clone the drive without MD2. However absolute sector 3 of the hdd does needs to be zeroed out. If you don't zero out sector 3 on the larger cloned hdd, and you boot it up, the old md2 partition location, in abs. sect. 3, will be read and truncation will occur. If you want to clone onto a bigger hdd and keep MD2 with button see... http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=176163