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Dell Reinstallation DVD MCE 2005
I have Dimension 8400. I have to install new HD. Can I do Clean
Install with Dell Reinstallation DVD Microsoft window XP Media Center Edition
2005? Is all window XP Pro OS on this DVD? How come the Retail MCE 2005 has two
CD?
jackshack
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September 8th, 2011 21:00
You will be able to tell when you begin the installation whether or not your Media Center DVD has the Windows operating system on it. As I stated, you will boot the DVD and use it to set up the partitions for the operating system and the Media Center files. The on screen directions should tell you if you need to remove the DVD and boot the Windows XP Pro set-up disk. If you do not need to perform that step, you will find a step that starts Windows XP set-up while the DVD is still in the drive.
DELL-Jesse L
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September 7th, 2011 07:00
bedamax,
Thank you for using the Dell Community Forum.
What does the other cd have written on it? If it reads for the reinstallation of windows xp then you have an XP installation cd as well.
bedamax
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September 7th, 2011 08:00
Both CD are Dell , First cd say: Reinstallation CD (Microsoft
window XP professional including Service Pack 2 ) and second say :Reinstallation
DVD (Microsoft Window XP Media Center Edition 2005)
Can I use only MCE 2005 for clean installation? Is this Full operating System?
jackshack
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September 7th, 2011 18:00
It depends upon when you received it. The first versions of Media Center had you install Media Center and the Windows XP Pro OS separately. You started by booting from the Media Center disk, deleting existing partitions, and re-creating partitions to support the Windows operating system and the Media Center files. Once that was complete, you removed the Media Center disk, inserted the Windows XP Pro installation disk, booted from it, and used it to set up Windows XP Pro into the first partition. You then replaced the Windows XP Pro setup disk with the Media Center disk, allowed it to autorun and clicked on the buttons to have Media Center installed and set up.
Later versions of the program had Media Center and Windows on the same disk. I would think that you would be able to tell from the on-screen instructions whether you would need to interrupt the process and switch disks.
EDIT: One thing I should warn you about; your Dimension 8400 uses PATA (IDE/ATA) drives for your DVD/CD ROM drives. An IDE channel supports a master, found at the end of the IDE ribbon cable, and a slave, found at the connector in the middle of the ribbon. The IDE channel will normally boot only from the master drive. If that drive happens to be a CD drive it will obviously not read your Media Center DVD. One work-around to this, aside from opening the computer and physically moving the master connector to the DVD drive, is to go to system setup, turn IDE port 0 (master) off, leaving IDE Port 1 (slave) on. This will normally force the BIOS to boot from the slave drive and might save you a bit of time.
bedamax
9 Posts
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September 8th, 2011 21:00
I’m OK with booting from the drives/ change the
master and thanks for the advice to turn IDE port 0 (master) off, leaving IDE Port 1 (slave)
on in system setup.
The MCE DVD color burgundy is from 2005 (Dell.Inc and Microsoft Corporations
) and the parts number is: P/NJD208. Can you tell from the P/N if is complete XP Professional on it?