The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.

    Size of MediaDirect partition?

    Discussion in 'Dell' started by roobarb, Oct 13, 2007.

  1. roobarb

    roobarb Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    120
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    as topic, how big is the partition of MediaDirect? I'd like to install it again, so i gotta make a new partition. Do you just boot it from the cd-drive to install it like a windows cd?

    Its a Vostro 1500
     
    roobarb, Oct 13, 2007
    #1
  2. Commander Wolf

    Commander Wolf can i haz broadwell?

    Reputations:
    2,962
    Messages:
    8,231
    Likes Received:
    63
    Trophy Points:
    216
    I believe it's around 2.5GB. If you boot from the MediaDirect disk it will automatically format and partition your drive appropriately, though. Then you can install Windows after that.
     
    Commander Wolf, Oct 13, 2007
    #2
  3. roobarb

    roobarb Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    120
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    Well i already have Win vista installed on one big partition, and i dont want to reinstall it. Can't i just make a partition of that size and then install it there? Can't i choose that specific partition to install MD to?


    Edit:
    I've got a Windows Vista config atm which i dont want to re-do, i have software installed that i dont want to do all over again.

    I want to use Vistas diskmanager to make another partition of about 3gbs, then just install MediaDirect there without modifying/reinstalling vista.
    Is this possible?
     
    roobarb, Oct 13, 2007
    #3
  4. chelet

    chelet Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    170
    Messages:
    1,501
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    55
    I wonder if it would be possible to back up the Vista partition using something like Acronis, then delete all partitions and restore Vista from the backup.
     
    chelet, Oct 13, 2007
    #4
  5. roobarb

    roobarb Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    120
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    So u cant just install mediadirect onto a big partition with Vista?
    Even though i use diskmanager and make a new partition for MediaDirect? Cant u choose where to install mediadirect manually? Does the program have to make the partitions itself?!
     
    roobarb, Oct 14, 2007
    #5
  6. krt

    krt Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    18
    Messages:
    190
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    Should work. Create the partition and see how far you get with the installer.

    Here is my initial partition layout with my laptop that you can use for reference:
    initial partition layout on dell laptop
     
    krt, Oct 14, 2007
    #6
  7. roobarb

    roobarb Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    120
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    This is what i want to do.

    I use Vistas diskmanager to make 3gb of not allocated space, and then i wanna boot the media direct cd, and want it to make the hidden small and the 2,5gb partition for media direct.
    I dont want it to touch my big partition with Vista installed on it, cause there are loads of things i hate to reinstall.

    So i dont want to reinstall vista after the media direct program has organized and prepared it for media direct.
    Is this possible?
     
    roobarb, Oct 14, 2007
    #7
  8. Chuckles

    Chuckles Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    40
    Messages:
    164
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    No. You must use the MD DVD and start over from scratch.

    But you don't have to reinstall Vista, just back up (using Vista's built-in Complete Backup) and later restore.

    MD may not be worth the hassle, though.
     
    Chuckles, Oct 14, 2007
    #8
  9. tolkein666

    tolkein666 Newbie

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    9
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    5
    tolkein666, Oct 14, 2007
    #9
  10. roobarb

    roobarb Notebook Consultant

    Reputations:
    0
    Messages:
    120
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    30
    Damn. Then it isn't worth it.
     
    roobarb, Oct 15, 2007
    #10
  11. TuxDude

    TuxDude Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    255
    Messages:
    921
    Likes Received:
    2
    Trophy Points:
    31
    The MD3 is not a HPA partition but merely a logical partition with a custom partition type in its identifier making it hidden..... MD2 and older ones were HPA partitions....
     
    TuxDude, Oct 15, 2007
    #11