Dell Mediadirect:Can We Install Codecs?

Dell Mediadirect cannot play AVI files as it needs codecs. Is it possible to install codecs to dell media direct?

 

AFAIK, it can use Vista codecs when u launch it in vista... if u start in stand-alone mode, I doubt u can use any specific codecs... Although I'd be glad to be proven wrong

 

Yes you can. However you will have to do few things to access the MD XP installation first. Map the MD XP partition by using MD Installation Disk\Dellkit\MD3Utils.exe.

md3utils.exe /mapmd3 or, optionally you can specify the drive letter as md3utils.exe /mapmd3=x

Afterwards copy Windows Task Manager (Taskmgr.exe) to x:\Windows\system32 (where x: is the MD3 partition). Shutdown Windows and boot in to MD3, press Crtl+Shift+Esc to invoke the task manager, then run explorer as a new task to bring up an explorer window. Now you can browse and install any codec. However, it is better only to install the codec, don’t install any bundled toolbars, additional tools, encoders or players.

Have fun

 

MD3UTILS.EXE and Windows XP taskmgr.exe

 

Ok i'll try this....just a confirmation: you said boot in to MD3-this means start MD3 from the MD button?

 

So MediaDirect is launched within an WinXP shell like BartPE or something?

 

yup thats why u see that win logo when u close media direct

 

did not work.no amount of pressing ctrl+shift+esc keys would bring out taskmanager in MD3...

 

Did you copy the taskmgr.exe to MDPartition:\Windows\System32 directory ? What about Ctrl+Alt+Del ?

 

Yes I copied that to the Media direct partition.I even used ubuntu to check whether the file is on the right folder.I also tried ctrl+Alt+Del no response. It remains on the MD menu.

 

New problem now-I again went thru the copying process,from md3utils.exe to restart MD3 and ctrl+shift+esc or ctrl+alt+del. I now get a black background window with "access denied" written and after a few seconds the window disappears..
What's going on?

 

Are you using one of those new Santa Rosa notebooks? Then maybe they have changed something with the new Media Direct. I used this method on the previous generation MD3 notebooks: Inspiron E1405 and XPS M1210.

 

Stop!!!!! Dell Media Direct relies on the proper codecs being available from Windows Media player and thats just not always correct with the initial installation.

Down load this and try your files then:

http://www.download.com/Windows-Essentials-Media-Codec-Pack/3000-2140_4-10662710.html?tag=lst-0-1

PS: After all you have done dont besurprised now if you have to reinstall MediaDirect and Vista.

 

The problem is I can install a Divx codec and the Media Direct in Vista can play the Divx file but not the Media Direct at start up. Do you think this Codec pack does not have that problem?

 

I updated the codecs on my new 1520. I used Ext2IFS run in XP compatibility mode to map the MEDIADIRECT partition, so I can't speak to the md3utils method. In addition to copying taskmgr.exe, you also have to delete the hibernate.sys file from the MD paritition so MD will be forced to refresh its image on startup. If you do, you'll see the XP-style blue background briefly; now press ctrl+shift+esc here *before* the MD software starts up. It can be finicky, so an alternative is to put a shortcut to taskmgr.exe to the All Users/Startup folder on the MD paritition to force it to start. I guess you could just put a shortcut to Explorer directly using that method. I used the K-Lite Codec Pack, and it's working well.

 

1.ext2ifs is used for linux partitions.how to use it on MD partition? anyway I tried to install on my vista basic but it won't install complaining of compatibility even if I set the exe to xp sp2 compatibility mode.
2.how to start MD3 so that it will be in"administrator mode"? the access denied problem that I have might nbe solved with this.
3. I have inspiron 640m which is the same as the e1405. I did reinstall the MD3 after format of the HD.

 

I ran ext2ifs on Vista Ultimate under XP SP2 compatibility and as an admin. Give that a try unless there's something about Vista Basic preventing you from doing it.

 

I think no need for me to use ext2ifs as I can do the same thing using ubuntu.the mediadirect partition is visible to linux and can be opened with read write function as it is fat32.
I cannot find the hibernate.sys. on the mediadirect partition.
One thing I noticed is that the default user when mediadirect is started does not have admin previlege that is why I get this "access denied" error.How to start mediadeirect in the admin mode I have no clue.I checked the "documents and settings" folder and there is an 'adminitrator' folder.

 

Strange. I didn't encounter that at all. When do you get the "access denied," try to run taskmgr or when try to install the codecs?

 

when I press ctrl+shift+esC in md3 express I get a nwe window with a dark background with "access denied in white letters.never got to the part where the taskmanager is displayed.

 

WOW, this sounds like an awful lot of work just to look at some porn lol, j/k.

I would just install VLC and ignore the silly Dell program.

Actually I'm still waiting to get my first Dell (Vostro 1500, not shipped yet..) so I have no idea what the MediaDirect program is...I was assuming it was just a glorified video player...

 

While in Vista, try putting a shortcut to taskmgr.exe in the All Users/Startup folder on the MD partition. That should force taskmgr to start.

 

Interesting... got ffdshow installed... when booting to MD partition I can play divx files in MP, however there is no video when playing the same file in MD (sound does play though)....

 

After several reboots, failed attempts, and wanting to give up, I finally got this working on my XPS M1330. I tried to follow the directions exactly as PhoenixFx mentioned and got the same exact error that bongski55 got (it would flash a DOS prompt like window saying only one line: Access Denied.) It just never worked for me either and I was ready to give up until I tried a few other things. Now I want to share with everyone else how I got it to work.

FYI, I have MediaDirect 3.3 and Vista Ultimate. These instructions I am about to give will work on a XPS M1330, but not sure about other laptop models; hopefully these instructions help out. But don't take my word for it I won't be held responsible if it doesn't work for you; so try this at your own risk. I backed up all my data before I did any of this stuff, and I suggest you do the same, just in case (unless you are very brave or don't care .

I can't take full credit for these instructions. I am mostly going to copy and paste instructions I got from this url: http://www.notebookforums.com/thread194543.html but modify them such that they work in Vista (the instructions on that URL work w/ XP users, so I recommend you follow those instead of mine if you aren't using Vista). I'd also like to thank PhoenixFx for his files and his quick instructions.

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1. You will need to turn off UAC (if you did, skip to step 2). To do that, goto Start > Control Panel > User Accounts > Turn User Account Control on or off. I found that I could NOT use MD3UTILS.EXE properly w/ UAC on. You can always turn it back on after you are done with this.

2. You'll need a copy of MD3UTILS.EXE. You can use PhoenixFX's zip package of it or use the one that comes w/ the MediaDirect CD. Put it somewhere you can launch it later. If you're not sure where to put it, then put it in the root of the C:\ drive.

3. If you had put it in the C:\ drive, then you can simply goto Start and type: C:\MD3UTILS /mapmd3=x in the Search Box.

Otherwise, you can just goto the DOS prompt and launch the command: MD3UTILS /mapmd3=x (assuming you are in the right directory or path location of the MD3UTILS program)

4. Goto Start > Computer. You should see the Media Direct partition listed on there, as X:. Double-click on the drive to view it. You will then need to make sure you can view system files. If you can, then skip to step 6. If you're not sure, read on to step 5.

5. In the explorer window (where you double-clicked on X , on the upper left corner, first menu option on the top toolbar, is Organize. Click on that, then click on Folder and Search Options. Click the View tab at the top, then uncheck "Hide protected operating system files (Recommended)." You will then get an error message; just click Yes. You can always change that back later if you are uncomfortable leaving it unchecked.

6. In that MediaDirect partition (X , look for a file called "hiberfil.sys" and delete it. If you don't see it, you either never loaded MediaDirect yet, or you have "Hide protected operating system files" checked (see step 5).

7. Next, browse to X:\Windows\System32 and you will see a taskmgr.ex_ file. Just rename the file to taskmgr.exe and change the attribute to Read-Only. If you don't see a taskmgr.ex_ file, then copy over PhoenixFx's copy to X:\Windows\System32 instead and make sure you set it to Read-Only. I had a problem using PhoenixFx's copy, but when I noticed that I already had taskmgr.ex_, I just used that copy instead and it worked. If you don't set this to Read-Only, for some reason it gets deleted when you start MediaDirect. Setting it to Read-Only bypasses this.

8. Browse to the X:\Program Files\Dell\MediaDirect folder and rename the file BGDismount.exe to something less executable like BGDismount.ex_. Just don't delete it.

9. Unmount the drive by doing the same thing as step 3, but use the /unmapmd3 switch. For example: C:\MD3UTILS /unmapmd3=x

10. Shut down Vista, start up MediaDirect (via the MD button) and wait until you see an all blue background with the white cursor in the middle. This is the time to hit Ctrl+Alt+Del. I ended up hitting this key combo repeatedly until the darn Task Manager showed up. You might get an error about it not being able to load BGDismount. Just click OK on that error; we will fix that in the next few steps.

11. Now that you have Task Manager open, you are now free to install whatever you need to play DivX/XviD files or whatever MD doesn't seem to handle on it's own. You can do this by clicking on File > New Task, and you should be able to browse any location, even the Vista partition. Then you can either load your specified codec package/program or run explorer.exe if you wanted. I use CCCP Project's codecs ( http://cccp-project.net/) and it works great; no problems found using it in MD.

12. Once you're done with installing whatever codecs you wanted, you can restart the system from Task Manager (under the "Shut Down" menu option) or just turn it off using the power button.

13. Now boot back into Vista, and repeat step 3. In the MediaDirect Partition, browse to the X:\Program Files\Dell\MediaDirect folder and rename the file BGDismount.ex_ back to BGDismount.exe. Unmount the partition (step 9).

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Boot back into MediaDirect and you should now be able to view DivX, XviD, etc. files using the "Videos" feature. Good luck to everyone!

 

I have the instruction posted yesterday too.
See http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=166572&highlight=Codec.

You don't need to turn off UAC. Just log on to administrator account to go through the process. I am using K-Lite codec pack. Download link and instruction on my thread too.

 

ahhh... I didn't see your post. Good write-up (shorter than mine!). I had to turn of UAC, even though I'm an Admin, but whatever. I'm new to Vista anyway The K-Lite codec pack is also very good to use. Thanks.

 

Yeah. The Vista (Ultimate?) administrator is a mystery. I still cannot figure out why some functions only work in Adminstrator account but not any user with administrator right. This even applies to pre-boot status. My off-state WiFi catcher only works if the last logon was administrator account.

 

Now my MD3 runs avi files(except for a couple which would also not run in windows media player in vista).
I just activated the administrator account and followed the steps outlined here.
I also disabled the admini account afterwards,brought all the modified files in MD3 partition back to original state(no more taskmanager for now).( I am just security conscious).

Thanks everyone for the help!

 

Hopefulyl one of you guys can help - i cant get past step 3 to access the mediadirect partition.
I get the error "Unable to get a partition number using label= or logno=0" when using md3util /mapmd3 function. I tired different drive letters etc but all result in the above error. Suggestions?

 

Are you using the real administrator account (not a user with administrator right) or with the UAC off?

 

Dir - I needed to turn off UAC, my bad.
Thanks for the help!
In my own defence, turning off uac wasn't specified in the first 'Dummy Guide' I used..

 

Are you refering to my 'Dummy Guide'? I was using administrator account and did not turn off UAC. Now I added that to my guide.

 

Just tried this and after 2 hours of trial and tribulation things finally clicked. Although my D drive disappeared (it's back now after reboot). Thanks fimeor the guide!

For the record I turned off UAC before doing this. Not because it didn't work with it on, but that's just how I went about trying it. I also had trouble finding hiberfil.sys but after a few boots and changing all the folder settings it appeared finally (Hide extensions/Hide protected unchecked and I also switched to show hidden files and folders on the radial button above it)

Good luck everyone

 

Hi all,

I've just finished following the instructions by jamesnine (thank you!, you have been repped), and now have avi files playing in Mediadirect, direct boot using ffdshow.

Does anybody find that playback is of a lower quality than when playing in vista?

 

MD3utils /mapmd3=x mounts my /home-partition (I have Ubuntu 7.10 installed). But I got the MEDIADIRECT-partition mounted with Ext2IFS_1_10c.exe from http://www.fs-driver.org. I was able to follow the rest of the instructions up to starting mediadirect where I got a blue screen. I can see the splash screen with the dell mediadirect logo, and and after that a screen with a loading bar. But then it gives me the blue screen. I've tried ctrl-alt-del and ctrl-shift-esc but it doesn't work. I don't see blue background and a white mouse that's in the instructions. How can I solve this?

I have a Dell XPS m1330 running Windows Vista, Dell MediaDirect 3.3 and Ubuntu 7.10.

 

Will updating Media Direct fix this problem?

 

I updated mediadirect in windows vista (since I can't boot into mediadirect atm). The update didn't make any difference. I still get a blue screen.

 

the last step isnt requitredm when in xp media direct, rename the bgmount then

 

Woo! Thank you jamesnine, your instructions worked like a charm. I figured out a much easier way to do everything in far fewer steps though.

I logged in as administrator and could not successfully run "C:\MD3UTILS /mapmd3=x" without having to turn off UAC and rebooting.. but then I had an idea. Why not just do everything from the Command window? Also, it isn't necessary to rename BGDismount.exe. There's also no need to turn UAC off when using a CMD window, so no extra reboots, no changing User or explorer settings, and therefore far fewer steps.

1. In vista, run CMD in administrator mode (if you don't know how to do this, here is how: hit your windows key, type "CMD" into the "start search" bar, then instead of pressing enter, hold CTRL and SHIFT and then press enter. Press "continue" or put in your administrator password to open the window.)

2. Copy and paste the following into the CMD window and hit enter (leave the CMD window up afterwards):
MD3UTILS /mapmd3=x:&x:&attrib -h -r -s x:\hiberfil.sys&del x:\hiberfil.sys&cd\windows\system32&ren taskmgr.ex_ taskmgr.exe&attrib +r taskmgr.exe&MD3UTILS /unmapmd3=x

3. Hibernate and then start MediaDirect. After it's completely booted, just press CTRL + ALT + DEL to open the Task Manager. Use "New Task" to run and install your codec pack (recommended: k-lite) and then shut down via the task manager.

4. If you want to remove the task manager from MediaDirect, boot back into windows, and paste the following into the already open CMD window:
MD3UTILS /mapmd3=x:&ren x:\windows\system32\taskmgr.exe taskmgr.ex_&MD3UTILS /unmapmd3=x&exit

Voila.

Thank you so much again. I was having a ton of problems with MediaDirect when attemping to play DivX movies and other movies encoded with other codecs. It would play at top volume, not display the video, and then would lock up on me, continuing to play the sound on high no matter what I did. After my ears bled for a while, I forced my machine to shut down via the power button.

I did run into a few problems though. After installing the "Essential Codec Pack," MediaDirect kept taking forever to start and I had a few odd errors. It threw up a window stating something like, "could not log in as default user, not enough memory." I just hit "ok" to make it go away. The error didn't cause any extra problems, but it still functioned the way it did before (bleeding ears). After a few more strange MediaDirect boots, I decided to uninstall the "Essential" codec pack and I installed the k-lite codec pack instead. This allowed me to watch all my movies with no problems, but I still had long bootup times, so I shut down again and after a few more puzzling long boots into MediaDirect, I tried hibernated from the Task Manager. That fixed the long bootup problem. Now it boots as fast as it should with no errors and my movies play perfectly.

More thoughts: I got curious and decided to look around once I booted into media direct with CTRL ALT DEL enabled. After running "winver," I noticed that it's actually an "embedded Windows XP SP2." (which means it's Windows XP SP2 with no arms and legs) I'm tempted to try to rebuild the missing parts of windows and install drivers to see if I can turn it into a fully functional OS. The device manager is functional. I could install OpenOffice and use it for school for it's fast booting, since it has access to pen drives by default. (if it starts running slow after a while, I'll delete the hiberfil.sys to start anew. If anyone else has experimented with it, I'm curious as to what you've been able to do successfully.

 

I've had K-Lite Full installed but I would like to know if theres a way to play .FLV videos through Dell Media Direct? Mainly for the purpose to watch saved youtube videos. I have no problems watching FLV through windows media player.

I know I can convert them but it would be at the cost of more hard drive space.(I'd rather not keep both formats and flv is smaller).

 

Just rename file.flv to file.avi and it will play. MediaDirect is actually a chopped down Windows XP that hibernates and it only uses the system resources that it needs (which is the benefit of it, it saves battery life). I believe it uses an embedded windows media window to play the files, which is good at playing wrongly named files. I just tested it and it works.

 

can you later un-mount it from your main OS?

 

Thank you!!! I am now able to watch my saved youtube videos through MediaDirect! Quick question, when I changed my MP4 videos to the file extension of avi, I no longer get sound in MediaDirect but in Vista its fine? Perhaps I need to reinstall K-lite on the MediaDirect partition? (might have to do with ffdshow?) Any ideas?

 

Do you mean that you no longer get sound in MediaDirect, as in the file played fine with the extension "MP4"? If so, then don't change the extension? lol

If you mean MediaDirect won't play the files correctly at all, but it does in Vista, then you might need more codecs installed in your MediaDirect. MediaDirect actually uses Windows Media Player to play files. If this doesn't solve your problem, then you can actually run VLC (from videolan.org) or pretty much any other media player while booted into MediaDirect. I prefer to run media player itself so I can have a playlist and I use the library to organize my movies/music/etc, then I use explorer to look at pictures. If you prefer another video player, install it while booted into MediaDirect, run it from your task manager, then voila, play movies.

Note: MediaDirect is just a gutted WindowsXP Service Pack 2 that runs with modified boot settings and by default hibernates and resumes from hibernation (Other things that are modified is that it limits how much RAM will be used, there's no desktop, no right clicking, none of your peripheral hardware is initialized except which are needed , most of the control panel settings are just gone and most of the ones that are still available don't function correclty, etc, etc, with the goal being to reduce the amount of battery power needed to operate your system to play movies and watch videos).

 

I uninstalled my codecs and just installed K-Lite Mega Codec 3.90(in both windows and my media direct partition). In Vista or stand alone MediaDirect, MP4 files won't show up inside MediaDirect. If I were to change the extension of the MP4 to AVI, Vista is then able to play it through MediaDirect. However, the altered MP4 file (which was changed to AVI) will display picture with no audio but in Windows Media Player it plays just fine.

I've also explored the route of just using VLC player and WMP through stand alone MediaDirect via task manager. I would prefer to just use MediaDirect as my folders are all neatly organized I would also like to put that Dell Remote to some use.

What codec packages are others using for MP4 to show up properly in MediaDirect? Perhaps thats my problem or I'm not clicking on some options during installation? I would like to use other video formats (.3G2, .mov, .divx) without having to mess with the file associations. (renaming all my flash videos was not fun at all )

 

Hmm.. Here are a few possibilities of what the problem might be:

1. The player, if it is an embedded windows media player, might be an earlier (or later, but flawed) version than what you use in Vista and so might not be as good at handling renamed files.

2. If you are using the same versions, maybe the player behaves differently in Windows XP than it does in Windows Vista.

3. Maybe it isn't actually an embedded windows media player and so would behave differently.

Here are a few potential solutions for you:

1. Ensure you have your MediaDirect updated to the latest version.

2. While in MediaDirect, install the latest windows Media Player to update to the latest version. (Try this one at your own risk! I have no idea if this could cause problems with your MediaDirect or not. If it does, you might have to reinstall MediaDirect.)

3. Use this program to convert your mp4 files to an AVI container: http://sourceforge.net/projects/mp4cam2avi/ (this would be your safest bet, but the most time consuming if you have a lot of mp4 files)

Some random information that you might find interesting: If you install winamp on your MediaDirect, there is a plugin that works for many Dell laptops (including my Vostro 1500) that enables me to use my front buttons to play, pause, etc, while playing movies/music in winamp). Also, the ffdshow audio decoder can use DSP/effect plugins for winamp without running winamp. I use the "enhancer" plugin for winamp to get my laptop to sound a ton better when playing movies.

 

Are you using the full version of K-lite? I noticed some of the MP4 cannot be played properly with the lower 2 versions of codec installations. I am using eRightsoft's SUPER to convert most of my video into Divx with AVI extension. I found it to be more compatible. I can play the file on computer, my Philips DVD/Divx player, my portable 7" DVD/Divx player, and all my digital photo frames with video play back function.