It depends, if you hit the MediaDirect button on the laptop when it is powered down what does it do.
Does it boot up into windows then start media direct or does it go straight into media direct (without loading windows first).

If it starts up windows then goes into MD, then you still need to install MD2.0, if it goes straight into MD2.0 then you do have it on a hidden partition (maybe REALLY hidden lol)

As for installing your dvd codec, just run the Cyberlink install CD from within MediaDirect (from a cold boot... ie power down laptop, hit media direct button).... assuming it goes straight into Media Direct and not Windows--then media direct.
Once in media direct, just hit Ctrl-alt-del and do the File--run to be able to search your computer.
Go to the dvd drive that has your cyberlink cd and choose the install.exe for it.
Thats it,

D.

i end up getting a 6k file from the mooload.com links. Anyone else have this problem?

Took me 9 hours, just have to deal with it if you want it.

Sorry they are slow, but if you show me a fast and free place to upload to, I will upload to them.

D.

It's hidden :-) It's sometimes 100% invisible until hdd manufacturer tools allow you to see it, or higher level tool.s

I got everything to work fine when I reformated today, I installed xp after deleting the partition and stuff, kept the dell utilities, once in xp I installed the chipset drivers, all windows updates, windows media player 10, direct x latest version, real player codec, quicktime codec, and installed everyone device in my computer from the dell website so i have no ? marks in the device manager. I also installed powerdvd and updated it to the latest version and installed DMX and that worked great too. So everything was up and running. Then i did the repair for Media direct and that went well. I can now boot to media direct again AND windows xp so its all good right? yeah, but there is one thing kinda weird that I dont know if you guys know how to fix it. When i look for pictures or anything in media direct (NOT IN WINDOWS) it wont let me search my hard drive past after i click on "local c" then it just gives me the option of "level up" and nothing else....How am I supposed to be able to find pictures and videos and stuff without being able to search my hard drive? Audio CDs, DVDS, and stuff work fine...but i guess the main thing I dont know how to fix is the searching buttons that ARENT there as they WERE before I reformatted...can someone help me? By the way, thank you so much for everyones help getting this thing to work 98%. You guys are awesome and I couldnt have done it without you. Thank you. Now, if i could just get this one thing to work.... :\

I think nobody believes and thus understands what I said. I said there is NO HIDDEN 1.5GB partition for my MediaDirect function that everybody else claims. My MediaDirect button works PERFECTLY after I did a "long repair". I view my harddrive using PartitionMagic. I know very well what "hidden" means. Yes, it may be hidden but it should not be hidden under PartitionMagic, right?

Here is what's in my harddrive. The total partition space shown MATCHES the total harddrive capacity. So, there is NO extra space for the MediaDirect to "hide":
c: 29,996.3MB
d: 60,565.4MB
Hidden: 3,388.7MB (Dell's system restore)
Unallocated: 7.8MB (I don't know what that is, it's there originally)
Total: 93,958.2MB = 100GB (what the manufacturer claims as 100GB is read by the computer as EXACTLY 93.96GB)
So, NOTHING ELSE can be hidden in my HD, right?

So, where is my MediaDirect "hidden"? I don't believe it is in c: or d: because they are newly created partitions when I reinstalled windows. I don't believe it's in the unallocated 8mb (it's too small). And I don't believe it's in the 4gb Dell system restore, either (well, maybe?? but I don't think anybody has pointed this out).

Again, nobody believes that, BUT MY MEDIADIRECT Button works perfectly (it launches DMX WITHOUT starting up windows and it takes about 3 seconds to boot up).

yeah there is nothing hidden.,...he is just smoking the crack

I am having the exact same problem bklax23. I did essentially everything the exact same way...no problems along the way until now. I have plenty of photos in the "My Pictures" folder of my default user account in Windows but they don't seem to show up in MediaDirect.

Any ideas?

Thought you all might find this mildly entertaining. I tried my luck with Dell Chat Support to see if they could help me out with the MediaDirect issue...yeah right. I knew where the conversation would end up from the first sentence this idiot wrote:

Me: "I am having a problem with MediaDirect. It loads up properly but when I click on “Pictures” I can’t open them. It only allows me to click on the C drive, a CD, or “Backup” but when I click on the C drive nothing happens…it doesn’t actually show any of the folders on the C drive."
Dell: "How do you access the MediaDirect?"
Me: "the button on the hinge cover"
Dell: "Thanks, there is a repair feature we can download. Give me a moment and I will provide it to you."
Me: "i just did that actually"
Me: "are you talking about the mediadirect repair utility"
Dell: "Yes."
Me: "that comes on my driver/diagnostic cd"
Dell: "Lets download the one from the website just to make sure."
Me: "i literally just did it"
Me: "before opening this chat up"
Me: "i had to"
Me: "i had reformatted my hard drive and reinstalled windows"
Me: "i got the cd for it two hours ago"
Me: "in the mail"
Me: "i mean"
Dell: "Oh, okay, you have to leave 1308 MB of unpartitioned space in order to install the Media Direct."
Me: "if you think i should do it again i can but i'm just saying"
Me: "that's if i'm reinstalling"
Dell: "No, you are probably going to need to reinstall windows."
Me: "which i didn't have to do"
Dell: "What?"
Me: "i didn't change the hard drive"
Me: "i'm using the system one"
Me: "i didn't mess with the hpa partition"
Dell: "The PC RESTORE?"
Me: "i just had to repair"
Me: "no no"
Dell: "You said you reinstalled and formatted Windows, correct?"
Me: "so i reformatted"
Me: "right"
Me: "deleted all the partitions except the 40 mbdell utilities one"
Dell: "Yeah, that is what I am talking about."
Dell: "You have to leave 1308 MB unpartitioned."
Me: "reinstalled windows"
Me: "well"
Me: "on the instruction sheet"
Me: "that came with the cd"
Me: "it says"
Me: "i only had to do that if i am replacing my hard drive with a new hard drive"
Dell: "You will have to do that if you repartitioned the system. The thing is, we usually recommend the PC restore, but you deleted that partition so we cannot make use of that."
Me: "this is exactly what i did: http://www.notebookforums.com/post1771092-1.html"
Me: "and it worked for that guy and quite a few others"
Me: "if i did have to leave 1308 mb free, i probably wouldn't be able to access mediadirect in the first place"
Me: "but i can"
Me: "it loads up fine"
Me: "it's just the C drive icon in "pictures" which i can't see my pictures in"
Dell: "I have worked with Media Direct a plethora of times, ******."
Me: "well you should tell the dell people to change this manual then"
Me: "because i followed it exactly"
Dell: "I apologize the manual is conflicting."
Me: "it even says on here "use the repair utility cd to repair dell media direct if you are receiving this kit with a new computer and you want to change the way your hard drive is partitioned""
Me: "that's blatantly incorrect then?"
Dell: ". The update contains changes that impact only certain configurations, or provides new features that may/may not apply to your environment."
Dell: "I may need to send you a MediaDirect installation CD not just a repair utility."
Me: "hmm"
Me: "i received that today actually"
Me: "i just didn't think i'd need it"
Me: "so you definitely think i need it huh"
Me: "reinstall windows, leave 1308 mb unallocated space"
Me: "then reinstall?"
Dell: "The CD or the reparition?"
Me: "the cd"
Dell: "I am going to send you a CD for it as well, just in case I am incorrect on this, ******."
Me: "i received both the mediadirect reinstall cd and the driver/diagnostic cd with the mediadirect repair utility"
Dell: "Okay cool, did you run the reinstall CD, *****?"
Dell: "******, sorry the spell check is a bit odd."
Me: "no just did the repair utility"
Me: "but"
Dell: "Yes?"
Me: "since you say you've worked with this so many times"
Dell: "Correct, this can be a difficult issue, ******."
Dell: "Due to the fact that it runs outside the operating system."
Me: "i'm sure you know that 1308 isn't enough space: http://www.notebookforums.com/post2031188-233.html"
Dell: "No, I promise that is the exact amount of space for it."
Me: "everyone on this site who's tried that said at least 1450-1500mb is necessary"
Dell: "Well, my dell training manual states that it needs 1308MB."
Me: "they say that it freezes at 10% with 1308"
Dell: "I do not know what type of configuration they are utilizing."
Me: "i'm not trying to be obstinate but i promise you that figure is wrong"
Me: "but don't worry about it"
Dell: "No sir."
Me: "i'll find the answer on some forum or something...thanks anyway"
Dell: "It is not."

Fcuking idiots. I love how he first tells me he's worked with MediaDirect a "plethora of times" and apologizes for the manual having incorrect information...but not a moment later telling me how he promises his training manual is correct about the 1308MB needed even though that number has worked for no one. Ugh.

I'm starting to think the 1308mb is for MD1, I found out you only need 1428MB for MD2.0

So which method, in the end, takes up less hard drive space:

1. Deleting all partitions, creating one big new partition, reinstalling XP, then running the MediaDirect repair utility, or

2. Deleting all partitions, creating one big new partition minus 1500 MB and reinstalling XP on this partition, then running the MediaDirect reinstallation disc?

This is for XP Home, MD 2.0 and DMX 3.1, by the way.

Any answers?

When I reinstalled, XP saw the "hidden" partition and I deleted it (along with the image restore partition).

Then when I decided to reinstall Media Direct (mainly for the exercise) I shrunk my XP partition using Partition Manager and ran the MediaDirect Reinstall utility.

D

Hi, did you try to press F8 at MediaDirect startup and choose the option to delete the hibernation data?


For ALL:
I found a way to copy the taskmgr.exe after the reinstallation of MediaDirect. You need to change the partition type of the MediaDirect partiton from D7 to 07 (which is NTFS) via ptedit from Partiton Magic.
Afterwards you can copy the taskmgr.exe via BartPE from your Windows installation to MediaDirect. It is not possible to do this from inside your Windows, because the Dell MBR changes the partition type back to D7.

Greets, ifelcon.

Gah! ifelcon you are a genius! Worked perfectly! You rock, my friend