Best way to dual boot? Can Media Direct change to boot Linux? Delete Media Direct? E1505

Hey all, lil bit of everything. I know the guides that talk about formatting and reinstalling.. however. I noticed this on my friends E1505. I had to reinstall her OS from CD after her HD crashed... I will say WOW... damn that thing loaded up fast on 1 GB ram... was like mine from factory never did that super fast lol.

So anyways. Besides the point. I want to basically get rid of Media Direct. I will never use it... so why not reclaim the HD space its using. I understand altering the partitions will make the recovery partition not work. Which I guess "could" be ok since I know the CD works and does things.

However, If I can keep it would be nice.

So is there a safe way to get rid of Media Direct without it effecting anything else?

Next question.. since we know Media Direct "power button" makes the laptop boot into something else.. is there a way to maybe make it load into another OS like Ubuntu or something? Kinda make the main power button load windows like normal. But if I use the Media direct button, it would load the alternative OS linux instead.

If that could be done, would be neat. Thanks for any advice on these. =)

 

as far as i know, it can boot linux, you may want to read this and this

I just get rid the MediaDirect partition today also, but have you try to press mediaDirect button from a power-off stat ?

 

Well I have not installed it yet, so MD is still in there, so from power off, it will just boot into MD.

I read the guides you posted thanks. Cept one issue... I dont wanna reinstall XP and everything. >.< So I dont want to do that option... Has to be a easier way to delete the MD and use it for linux without starting from scratch. =/

 

that's what I'm searching too hope soon there's a howto of that without starting from scratch

 

I read somewhere that Mediadirect is burried deep within your HD, and it actually "lies" about the total amount of HD space available. Sounds like a tricky operation to delete.
I'm just gonna leave it alone for now. No sense in messing up my laptop for a few extra gigabytes that I probably won't need.

 

I haven't been able to find out how to get the mediadirect button to boot directly into linux.

What I did however was deleted the mediadirect partition and merged it with my windows partition and then installed linux into the recovery partition. Now when I press the mediadirect button on the laptop it loads grub and I choose my OS from there. I believe is also boots faster since it doesn't go through the whole dell loading screen when using the mediadirect button.

 

Dragoneye, Can you go into more detail on this? Cause even if the MD button gets you a boot screen to choose, even THAT is something more and different then just the power button to main windows boot.

I plan to use Ubuntu I think.

 

What?
But then , you've made it.
Just turn to 0 the timeout in grub's menu.lst, set the default to the linux you want to load and you're done.
But I would leave the timeout as is, because grub's menu can be used to access some sort of diagnostics.

I am having trouble in doing that because my linuxes are on logical partitions in the extended partition. I tried to install grub in the extended partition /dev/sda4 but it won't do it (says there is not such a disk). I thought that, as a container, the extened partition had some space for itself...

 

Arg I am not sure where the damn MD partition is! I looked at disk mangement. Ubuntu and Norton Partionmagic dont see this "Sda4" one. I see the small 50 mb 1st Partition. Then the main C: windows one, followed by the 4-5 GB recovery one as 3rd I believe.

So where on earth is the MD one.... I wanna install this and so.. but arg, just so frustrating.

 

Google found this thread
http://www.notebookforums.com/thread160165.html
A post by MarkMcK in that thread mentions something about Media Direct on the E1505 being "via a Host-Protected Area and NOT a partition." That would be why you're not seeing it as a partition. There are some links to tools in that thread, which may help.

 

Can ubunto be started through Windows (i.e. does it have an installer like Mandriva?)

If so follow the guide here to accessing Windows XP Embedded (behind the scenes of MD3):

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=181717 (link to another thread)

Once there, in you should be able to insert the CD/DVD and boot it from inside Windows XP Embedded on the provision it has an installer (I have no idea about Linux).

Let me know how you get on...

Chris.

P.S. If this helps gives me some Rep points!!!

 

Interesting about the XP embedded thingy. Ill try that. But I need to still get rid of that hidden area... or I guess be able to install Linux. I mean maybe I wont care if I can get it dual booting in general, even IF MD stays..

Is there a way to get it installed, easily resize the C drive (while not affecting the other partitions) then getting linux to install up fully? Im guessing if its a hidden SDA5 That should mean I can make a real SDA4?

 

Anyone? I am wondering if anyone has installed this on top of everything already. Like can I keep the partitions the same and just have Ubuntu be the 4th sda? Mean Im guessing MD would still work.. but just wondering on how to do this all without reinstalling.. or if I have to give up on even getting a general dual boot working and just have it installed to a external HD?

 

It is definitely possible to get Linux booting from the MediaDirect button. See, for example, my posts and the discussion in this thread: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=180795

MediaDirect is installed as a 3GB primary partition. You should be able to see and manage it from a partition editor such as Gparted on an Ubuntu live CD.

You'll want to delete the MediaDirect partition and install Linux on a primary partition (not an extended partition as Sredni Vashtar has struggled with). This just means that the partition shouldn't be contained inside another on your hard drive. I don't know how the Ubuntu installer installs by default but you can certainly create a partition using a partition editor and install it directly there (you'll need to make a swap partition, too).

Once you have Linux booting from a primary partition, instructions along the lines of those I give in the thread I link to should work for you.

 

yeah i followed his instruction and i got it thanx Shoyer

 

Ok am I correct in assuming your deleting the recovery partition too?

Also I thought on the E1505 the MD was a host protected area instead of a shown partition?

When you talk about the MD cd, is that the one you can download from dell?

Finally.. do I still need to backup my hard drive? I mean I kinda wish I had a external HD that big right now lol... otherwise would be too many DVDs.

 

I deleted the recovery partition, but that's not strictly necessary. I don't see any need to waste 10GB of space to restore to the factory default when it's easy enough (and preferable) for me to reinstall Vista on its own.

I'm not sure what is meant by MediaDirect being in a "host protected area." It appears to be on a regular partition, at least on my Inspiron 1520. That post you refer to is over a year old.

When I talk about the MD CD, I refer to the one that came with your computer, marked "MediaDirect 3.3 Reinstall". I don't think you can download it from Dell.

Generally I would say that in the worst case scenario you'll just make your computer unbootable. That can be a tricky thing to fix, but all your data is still there if you can figure out how to get it booting again. Of course, there is always a risk of pressing the wrong button and accidentally deleting or formatting a partition, for example. In that case, it's still probably possible to get your data back, but it would be much more of a pain in the ass. I'm confident enough in my abilities that I didn't backup my data, but I can't recommend that risk for anyone else. It's always good to have a backup of your documents and email, though, just in case a hard drive goes back or your laptop is stolen (both have happened to me in the past several years).

 

Ok well the MD I dont see ANYWHERE on my partitions. I see SDA 1 which I will guess is dell utilities and diag.
SDA2 is my main C: Drive with Windows MCE2005
SDA 3 is about a 3-4 GB partition which isnt active, so I will assume thats my recovery drive.

Thats all I see. Then I read in a thread linked here about a host protected area SDA 5 thats hidden, Then when you use the MD button it will swap out on boot the SDA5 to SDA4 allowing it to boot up.

So yea, kinda confusing there. I just wanna get this installed so I can do it. =/

 

Ah. Well in that case you may have the special "host protected area" setup after all. I take it you have a E1505 as in your signature? (They may have a different setup compared to laptops that came with MD 3.3)

 

Yea the one in my sig is the one I have, So yea... I am really not even sure if I CAN dual boot... I mean since I dont have a seen SDA4.... and if I delete the recovery part... makes me wonder... thats why im asking. =/

 

Would it just be better to use a external HD? Question on THAT tho, I have data on it now... can I just install Linux on it without affecting the data and just make a part for the swap or do I totally need to make a fresh part with it with no data in it. (Like will Linux install to the Fat32 external HD without deleting my files from it?)

 

/dev/sda4 is the name of the extended partition on my Vostro. You might have three primary partition (seen as sda1, sda2, sda3 by modern Linuxes) and an HPA partition. HPA is short for Hell of a Pain in the A, from what I can read on Google: http://www.google.com/search?q=Removing+dell+hpa

As for dual booting, yes you could. You probably have now (EDIT: oh I see you specified your partitions, so they actually are)

1. primary BOOT and DIAG partition (by DELL)
2. OS partition with data
3. Recovery partition
4. HPA with Media Direct 2

So, if you wipe the recovery partition (maybe a DVD backup is in order, just in case), boot with a linux live CD (Ubuntu, for example), format it as ext3, shrink it a bit to create a swap partition, then install Ubuntu there without installing GRUB in the MBR (but manually installing it on the same partition as ubuntu) you could then use the media direct fixmbr to associate the ubuntu partition with grub to the media direct button.
(But that HPA is a waste of space, so have a Google session to find a guide to remove it).
I would rather have
1. primary BOOT and DIAG partition (by DELL)
2. Windows partition (shrunk)
3. Linux partition
4. extended partition
4.1 linux swap
4.2 logical partition (Windows data)
4.3 logical partition (Linux data)

You could also dual boot with grub, by installing it in the MBR.

Or you could tweak Windows boot program to let you choose between Windows or Ubuntu. Right now I have this solution on my sysytem: I have Vista on a primary partition and two linuxes on logical partitions withing the extended partition. I modified Vista's boot with BCedit and now when I boot I can choose between Kanotix, Ubuntu and Vista.

My problem with the media direct button is that I don't have a suitable primary partition onto which install another grub to associate with it.
I will eventually delete the recovery partition and install my primary Linux box there. But I have yet to give up trying...

 

Just to confirm. I wont have to format my entire HD right? Just delete the recovery part and install ubuntu there? Then have it use the SDA4 for the extended?

Ubuntu will auto do that right?

How does that effect the MD if I didnt do anything to it?

 

No, you won't have to reformat the whole hard disk. I installed two linuxes, created a total of fifteen partitions leaving the Dell diag partition, Vista partition, and the Recovery partition untouched.
I deleted the MD partition to make place for and extended partition jn order to have more than four partitions.

Ubuntu will auto do that, but I won't say it would do it right (it will allow you to boot Vista and Ubuntu from its bootloader but I am afraid but not sure - you can try - that it will affect the MD button facility). The reason is that - to my knowledge but I may be wrong- it will overwrite the MBR (Master boot record) with its loader and will spoil the Media direct button magic.

So:
You can delete the recovery partition.
Install Ubuntu choosing manual partitioning. Install everything on sda4 (and format it as ext3 -or ReisersFS if you prefer)
At the seventh install screen in Ubuntu, go to advanced options meditate on the "install boot loader in MBR". - It seems strange mut this is the only option in Ubuntu for the boot loader so it's either that or none: now there are two ways to set up a Linux boot.

Option1: you choose not to install the bootloader of linux. You'll have to install GRUB on your own. It can be a PITA. It's what I did, but I had to copy the grub folder from my other Linux install (Kanotix allows you to install Grub in Linux's partition). I could send you the essential files, but you will have to do some editing and in the end you'll see Kanotix's boot screen

Option2: you install Linux's boot loader in the MBR. Then you fix it with fixmbr (from vista's DVD) first, and with rmbr (from MD's CD) later. The first will rewrite the vista boot code in the MBR, the second will enable the MD button.

Last thing is to use EasyBCD to add a linux option to vista's boot menu. It takes 15 seconds.

 

K Ill give this a shot, long as Im not losing anything but the recovery part. Im fine. =)

 

Ok well here is the update. I deleted the recovery partition. Afterall.. it could be restored by a CD... did that once before on a diff pc.

Well I got ubuntu running. =) Using grub atm to boot up choose. Havent got to the MD area checking yet or so. 1st things 1st.

Anyways, when I did a manual install and did the partitions. Did I have to make BOTH a ext3 AND a swap partition or did the installer auto do a swap one?

Cause not sure atm if I made a extra partition thats doing nothing.... Just not sure if the installer was doing its own thing for swap or what. Not sure of anything lol.

I can tell you this tho. Im glad I studied back before I bought this and went with the Intel wireless options hehe..

Then I installed Envy and got the ATI drivers. =)

 

Ok I figured the partition out, It just mapped differently. I hear however some people do a ext3, swap and a home partition?? I didnt make a 3rd one for home. Am I supposed to? Whats that really for?

 

it allows you to decouple the OS from your data and customizations.
It is also possible to have partitions for /var /usr and many other branches of the Linux flesystem.

I'd add a swap partition and a /home partition. Actually, I already did that, but will reinstalla everything againg when I'l reformat my laptop to accomodate a /usr partition too.

 

Well I have a 500 mb Swap one, 3.5 GB for the ext3 one and that was it.

I just wish I knew if I really should have a home partition or not.. if so what do I format it as? Also if I dont do that, is it bad? Im more playing with unix then hardcore but I rather least have it setup ok.

Also wonder what option for gaim I have.