So, I'm a control freak. I like my OS minimal and out of the way.
I got my new E1505 and doing my research, it turns out that Media Center Edition is pretty much XP Pro. So, I went ahead and got MCE since I have no need to join a domain.
I get the computer, and, like any new computer... it's not running all that well. I got trials all over the place, my system tray is all full up, it's even running some version of SQL Server!? My ram usage after boot was near 500MB. After about.. .an hour of this... in goes the MCE DVD and so begins the format and clean install.
I clean install MCE and all is well. I start the lengthy process of setting up my software, and moving my music collection and all that. Takes a full day. Thanks Dell for that ultra futuristic 10/100 ethernet! Great job there.
Anyhow, after all this, then I get the bright idea to explore Media Direct and some of the MCE features. Yeah, I'm not ever going to use either one of these things. All my music is on an external drive and I use iTunes, so, Media Direct does not see my music. I have no need to run a picture slide show, and playing a DVD, it's not that big a deal to boot the computer. I can work on presentations? I'd just boot for that too, since I'm gonna need access to other things on the computer and I'm gonna have to boot anyhow.
I dig around some more, and I have movie clips of Babe and Fast and Furious on my computer, and they are like 300MB each! Hell to the no! I kill all that.
=== EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ====
So, I'm not about to reinstall everything anytime too soon, but, when I do, I can see reverting back to XP Pro from MCE.
So, can I do this? I like the volume buttons on the front of my E1505, would I lose those? Obviously the Media Direct button would become useless, but is that it? Otherwise, I have no interest in anything MCE or Media Direct offers.
Runs well, not too in my way, but, I don't need the "features."
I'd just want to use XP Pro and not lose my buttons on the front. I can't think of any other issues.
I'd also get one contiguous partition instead of the abandoned 5GB I have hanging off the end now...
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The volume buttons will work fine as long as you have quickset and the audio drivers installed.
About what I thought, MCE and Media Direct FLT!
Discussion in 'Dell' started by count_schemula, Nov 3, 2006.