Thank You so much, you will never be able to imagine how much hope you've given to someone that needed help. This computer has been a great friend and now i consider that ejn63 you have been also. ya'll probably think i'm being silly but i'm not. thanx again
You do not need Media Direct unless you want the instant-on/no WIndows feature. You CAN selectively clone the c: partition - if you do, you will need the Windows CD (which is free of charge to obtain) in order to do a repair to the boot sector to get the drive to boot. DO NOT clone the master boot record -- if you do, the new drive will show the same capacity as the original drive had.
Thank you ejn63. Where can i get the mediadirect disks that i need. I have the build with the trial version of ghost which has since expired. I do not recall receiving any XP installation disks. Plus I don't know where a lot of my program disks are since my long term memory is gone. I can only think in the present and not too distant past.
anyway, how can i set up the disk. With the MBR, C:/, D:/, MediaDirect unallocated space, and clone in my first three partitions versus reinstall. I'm in it for the long fight, I've got the time and am very disk poor. thanx tigre
thanks again.Now how can i create an MBR....do a backup/restore of C:/ & D:/.....then reinstall Media Direct in an unallocated space. What if I don't reinstall Media Direct, I always turn on the machine anyway or am i missing something...I would hate for the machine to be lacking, but i must have the space and i don't know where any of the other installation disks are right nowl I can't find the dell media experience anywhere i think someone had me delete it when i first got the machine because it was causing problems. when i press mediadirect button with the machine already booted i get cinemagic and roxio competing for the opportunity. thanx. i tried to clone this doggone thing last tuesday from 9 am to 4pm follwing the advice of the nice young man at the computer store and the g squad at the other store said "just forget about it". What does dell give you if you buy the drive from them since they can tell by your service number you're gonna be in a "hurt locker". tige
Well friendly folks this might just be the end of the story for this old boy. I couldn't talk on the chat cause my computers 3 years and old and warra nty expired. So i talked to a very nice gentleman at the Dell on Call pay per view center. He told me one of the most fantastic things i ever heard in my life...that it would cost me 250.oo to get the media direct disk and that i would need it for my machine to function properly. now i thing dell sells the drive that i was gifted for 125.00 and they know u gon need the disk (which they didn't send with the computer). i told that man my fixed income is not that fixed. so he offered me a deal if i bought it today only 109 dollars. Do i must have mediadirect or can just doctor up the boot record.....and PC restore my files or make an image and restore from that. help!!!! I am very disapointed that I can't afford to upgrade my hard drive. I'm starting to not like Dell (and my names Michael also) very much at all...this whole thing is rediculous! thanx in advance for any alternatives whether they are dell solutions of not....please help this old man! I been up all night with this thing.
ejn63
9 Legend
•
87.5K Posts
1
December 26th, 2009 05:00
You can get the Windows disc here:
http://support.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/dellcare/en/backupcd_form?c=us&l=en&s=gen&redirect=1
and will likely need to call for the Media Direct disc.
ejn63
9 Legend
•
87.5K Posts
1
December 26th, 2009 05:00
You cannot clone the Media Direct partition, nor the master boot record. Those must be placed manually no matter what you do.
For what you can and cannot do with an HPA disc, see:
http://www.goodells.net/dellrestore/mediadirect.htm
lltigre
5 Posts
1
December 26th, 2009 07:00
Thank You so much, you will never be able to imagine how much hope you've given to someone that needed help. This computer has been a great friend and now i consider that ejn63 you have been also. ya'll probably think i'm being silly but i'm not. thanx again
ejn63
9 Legend
•
87.5K Posts
1
December 26th, 2009 07:00
You do not need Media Direct unless you want the instant-on/no WIndows feature. You CAN selectively clone the c: partition - if you do, you will need the Windows CD (which is free of charge to obtain) in order to do a repair to the boot sector to get the drive to boot. DO NOT clone the master boot record -- if you do, the new drive will show the same capacity as the original drive had.
lltigre
5 Posts
0
December 26th, 2009 05:00
Thank you ejn63. Where can i get the mediadirect disks that i need. I have the build with the trial version of ghost which has since expired. I do not recall receiving any XP installation disks. Plus I don't know where a lot of my program disks are since my long term memory is gone. I can only think in the present and not too distant past.
anyway, how can i set up the disk. With the MBR, C:/, D:/, MediaDirect unallocated space, and clone in my first three partitions versus reinstall. I'm in it for the long fight, I've got the time and am very disk poor. thanx tigre
lltigre
5 Posts
0
December 26th, 2009 06:00
thanks again.Now how can i create an MBR....do a backup/restore of C:/ & D:/.....then reinstall Media Direct in an unallocated space. What if I don't reinstall Media Direct, I always turn on the machine anyway or am i missing something...I would hate for the machine to be lacking, but i must have the space and i don't know where any of the other installation disks are right nowl I can't find the dell media experience anywhere i think someone had me delete it when i first got the machine because it was causing problems. when i press mediadirect button with the machine already booted i get cinemagic and roxio competing for the opportunity. thanx. i tried to clone this doggone thing last tuesday from 9 am to 4pm follwing the advice of the nice young man at the computer store and the g squad at the other store said "just forget about it". What does dell give you if you buy the drive from them since they can tell by your service number you're gonna be in a "hurt locker". tige
lltigre
5 Posts
0
December 26th, 2009 07:00
Well friendly folks this might just be the end of the story for this old boy. I couldn't talk on the chat cause my computers 3 years and old and warra nty expired. So i talked to a very nice gentleman at the Dell on Call pay per view center. He told me one of the most fantastic things i ever heard in my life...that it would cost me 250.oo to get the media direct disk and that i would need it for my machine to function properly. now i thing dell sells the drive that i was gifted for 125.00 and they know u gon need the disk (which they didn't send with the computer). i told that man my fixed income is not that fixed. so he offered me a deal if i bought it today only 109 dollars. Do i must have mediadirect or can just doctor up the boot record.....and PC restore my files or make an image and restore from that. help!!!! I am very disapointed that I can't afford to upgrade my hard drive. I'm starting to not like Dell (and my names Michael also) very much at all...this whole thing is rediculous! thanx in advance for any alternatives whether they are dell solutions of not....please help this old man! I been up all night with this thing.