# Vista, Ubuntu Linux, Dule boot and Dell Media Direct button



## firestormer (Sep 16, 2005)

Found this article

http://caffeinbar.com/wp/2007/03/08/start-linux-with-dell-mediadirect-button/#comment-2500

I have a Dell Inspiron 6400 with Windows Vista installed and Dell Media Direct preinstalled in a partition.

By pressing the Dell Media Direct button on my laptop when turned off it launches the Dell Media Direct OS.

*Without uninstalling windows *i want to add a partition, install Linux Ubuntu (I have the CD) and set it all up so that when pressing the power button will launch Vista like normal, when pressing the media direct button instead of launching media direct, launch linux ubuntu.

Now I also found this which explains the media direct button.
http://www.goodells.net/dellrestore/mediadirect.htm

Unfortunatly most of all of this is beyond me, so I could do with some help. Some very detailed step by step, with all abreviations explained.

In the mean time i will be running Ubuntu on Virtual PC 2007.


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## saikee (Jun 11, 2004)

It can be beyond others who have no access to the media button or a Dell PC, as your information tells us very little of how the Type D7 media partition can be controlled. I got the feeling it may be a hardcoded program launching directly the selected hardware of the Dell machine. It doesn't sound like Dell is welcoming its users to re-configure it to boot rival systems to Vista.

The way I could see forward as the safest way would be

(1) Using Vista's internal program to resize Vista partition to make room for about 10Gb free space. Vista is now shipped with its own resizer program and is the one to use as 3rd party software may fall foul with its security check/protection mechanism.

(2) Use the free space to create 1Gb swap and 9Gb partitions, both can be logical as you may run out of primary partitions. You can use Ubuntu as Live CD to create the two partitions.

(3) Install Ubuntu into the 9Gb single partition and install Grub in its root partition. This mean no boot loader into the MBR so that Vista will boot exactly as before.

(4) Make a bootable Grub CD (or floppy if you have a floppy drive). You can use it to boot up Ubuntu manually or automatically if you write the menu.lst in the /boot/grub/menu.lst in the CD. For how to make such a Grub CD read Section 3.4 of Grub Manual. Last link in my signature also has showed an alternative method.

Assuming the swap in hda5 and Ubuntu in hda6 then Ubuntu will boot in a Grub prompt (obtained by the Grub CD) by

```
root (hd0,5)
chainloader +1
boot
```
By altering (hd0,5) to the partition resided by Vista the Grub CD can boot Vista too.

If you write a menu.lst onto the Grub CD then the lines needed would be

```
title Ubuntu in hda6 or (hd0,5) in Grub term
root (hd0,5)
chainloader +1
```
Not the most elegant solution but it is safe as rock and preserve your Vista and its MBR untouched like a virgin.

The other method is as you have suggested to go with virtual machine in Vista but I got a feeling plenty of teething trouble ahead in this direction.


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## firestormer (Sep 16, 2005)

Ive been thinking, what if i where to just resize the Dell Media Direct partition, delete everything on it and then install linux onto that partition. Then when i press the Media Direct Button it will launch that partition but instead of DMD running ubuntu will run.


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## saikee (Jun 11, 2004)

I couldn't tell but it seems a waste to nuke the Dell's factory-fitted functionality.


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## firestormer (Sep 16, 2005)

The dell media direct OS is useless. i tried it once. Its just as quick as booting vista and loading Media Center.

Whats your best guess? Would it work?

Also i went into disk management to resize the Vista partition but it said i could only shrink it by 110 MB, im running a defragment, but are there any programs you could recomend to help?


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## saikee (Jun 11, 2004)

You could try it. Linux boot loaders don't care about the partition type and will boot if it is Type D7. All you need is to instruct the installer to place the boot loader in its root partition as it guarantees the boot loader to start at the first sector.

I would caution any move deviating from Vista's own resizer program. The reason is Vista has turned crafty and now keeps a record of the partition table for checking purpose in every boot up. Resizing a partition will alter the hard disk addresses of the partition and that will give Vista the reason it needs to stop booting. This move makes Vista virtually useless for future expansion and impossible to migrate or move around. That is why MS ships a resize inside otherwise Vista is as good as dead meat.

I have tried gparted with limited success on resizing Vista. My experience with Vista own resizer has been excellent and it is definitely faster than others and more importantly causes no booting problems in the end.


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## firestormer (Sep 16, 2005)

Vista wont let me shrink the volume, it comes up with window to do it but it says the most i can shrink it is 0 MB. Im guessing this is because the data on my hard drive is spread out. Are there any programs that will let me move the data into one place so i can shrink it?

Also i need to identify which partition belongs to media direct. are there any programs that will let me read the contents of the other partitions?


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## saikee (Jun 11, 2004)

I don't think you can do much with a 120Gb disk filled with about 70Gb of data. Vista need working space to operate and also hard disk area to keep the backup.

I would go out to buy an 160Gb 2.5" laptop hard disk, hook it up as an external USB disk, clone the 120Gb disk across, swap the disks, put away the 120Gb disk as the back up and start using the 160Gb disk to play around with the Linux.

Alternatively you should consider putting Linux on a USB device. Instruct the Inspiron Bios to boot USB device first so that if the USB device is connected you boot to Linux. No USB device connected you boot to Vista.

Every Linux has the terminal program fdisk with which you can see the partition type of every hard disk. It appears that D7 partition isn't supported by Linux as its isn't listed there. dd will still clone it though.


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## firestormer (Sep 16, 2005)

Its ok ive done some more defraging and deleteing and ive managed to shrink it. Ive freed up 8GB that plus the Media Direct partition should be eonough.

Using a Linux live CD (Slax) i was able to access the partitions. Ive narrowed it down to 2 different partitions. What is odd though is that slax showed partitions for sda1, sda2, sda4 and sda5. But no sda3. Should i be worried?

Im going to use slax to copy the files of the partition anyway before i format/resize it.


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## saikee (Jun 11, 2004)

There nothing odd at all. In fact it confirms your disk conforming to PC standard that can have only a maximum of 4 primary partition. If you want more then one of the primary must be given up for turning into an extended partition in which up to 59 logical partitions may be form if you have space. Your sda3 has been turned into an extended partition, rather the sda3 position in the partition table has been used as such.

I bet if you do command

```
fdisk -l
```
you should see sda3 marked "Extended".

An extended partition is the envelope only defining the beginning of the first and the end of the last logical partition. It has no usable storage space inside.


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## firestormer (Sep 16, 2005)

Im using Partition Logic to resize my new partition. The problem im having is trying to figure out which partition it is.
Linux lables the partiotions in the following order:
sda1, sda2, sda4, sda5

Partition Magic lists then as:
1, 2, Blank, 4, 3

Windows shows the partition i want as 4th from the left (the 2 GB one) See bellow.









Now im pretty sure that sda5 is the one i want. So i think that relates to partiton 4 in the case of partition magic.

---

God im so affraid of screwing up. This is the 1st time ive ever messed with partitions and stuff.

-


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## vtel57 (Jul 12, 2004)

Don't sweat it. If you trash it, you can still reinstall everything with your Dell recovery disk. Make sure you have your important data in Vista backed up onto CD/DVDs, though.

The individual assisting you (Saikee) is a multiboot GURU. Pay attention to what he tells you. 

Have FUN!


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## firestormer (Sep 16, 2005)

Im having trouble with Disk Logic, i think partly becasue i dont understand it. Under resize it says you can enter the size in megabytes giving and example (1m-2048m) so i entered 1m-10000m. It shrunk it. It also wont let me enter any thing bigger then 10000m. Any ideas?


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## vtel57 (Jul 12, 2004)

Sorry. I have no idea how that partitioning app works. I use gparted for all my partition needs.


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## firestormer (Sep 16, 2005)

Ive managed to install ubuntu but i cant seem to get it too boot using the dell MD button.

When i press the MD button i get an image showing Dell MD logo boot screen bt after a few seconds vista boots.

I was scared for a second when i booted up because the dell boot screen froze for about a minuet.


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## RobLinux (Nov 7, 2007)

Is firestormer still interested in this? It looks like an interesting problem, and I joined forum to see if comments at this late stage would be useful, having stumbled into the thread with Google.

The http://www.goodells.net/dellrestore/mediadirect.htm makes sense to me, and I think the way to go, is to re-install the media sw in a normal partition, and install GRUB stage boot into the hidden partion. To do that you will need to hack GRUB, to use the appropriate LBA-3 code, and temporarily expose the hidden area.

This system, is all a horrible hack, born of Windows not having a decent boot loader, and paranoia of manufacturer's not wanting mere owners of a machine, break their stuff.

As such it would be cool to subvert this system, for cool FOSS purposes. It would have to be GRUB or lilo hacks, as they have the low level code needed to address the physical disk blocks directly, though I guess you could do something similar in a DOS environment, like those used by DFT's.


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## firestormer (Sep 16, 2005)

nar i gave up on that ages ago, thx anyway


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