Reinstalling Vista: 2 unknown partitions

[Albédo]

Posted to: microsoft.public.windows.vista.general +
microsoft.public.windows.vista.installation_setup
Follow-up to: microsoft.public.windows.vista.general

Hello from France.
Here is my problem of the day...
I just put a new, 160 Go hard disk in my Dell Inspiron laptop.
Then, following Dell's instructions as found on a flyer that came with the
machine, this is what I did :
1. install Dell's "For Reinstalling Dell Media Direct 3" DVD
2. install Vista
3. finish with "For Reinstalling Dell Media Direct 3"
At stage #2 I choose to have C: at 50 Go, leaving the rest to D:
Once Vista was installed, I found that D: had yet to be formatted, which I did.
Now, as I take a look at the system, I find that there are in fact 4 volumes:
- one is 47 Mo - "Type :" basic - "Statut :" Sound (Configuration EISA) ; this
one can't be touched
- second is 2,01 Go - "Type :" basic - "Statut :" Sound (Principal partition) ;
this one can be deleted
- then C: et D:
I've been searching the internet, and found quite incoherent bits of
information, so I decide to ask you all:
1. how were those two, unnamed volumes created?
a. may the first one have been created by the first, Dell DVD I used first?
b. then which program can possibly have created the 2,01, and what was it
intended for?
2. can I safely suppress the 2,01 Go partition and try to have Vista give them
to C: (which, I'm afraid, may prove too small, as I guess the system files will
be getting bigger in the future)?
Thanks *very sincerely* for your attention, and thanks in advance for any
answer.
So greeting from France.

 

[Albédo]

I guess "Installing Vista" should have been the proper name of the post, as I am
using a new hard disk. Sorry for that.

 

[Timothy Daniels]

This posting belongs in "alt.sys.pc-clone.dell", as it
concerns procedures and software that is specific to
Dell laptops.

As a preliminary answer to your question,
the 4.7MB partition contains the diagnostic utilities, and
the 2.01GB partition will contain the re-installed MediaDirect
application and its "embedded" OS. The partition called
"D:" is for you to use for data, and you were to use what
is now the "C:" partition for the re-installation of Vista.
All these partitions were created by the first run of the
MediaDirect re-installation disk.

MediaDirect has been a major pain in the derriére for most
owners who wanted to modify their laptop's partition layout,
perhaps to dual-boot Vista with another OS (or two), and
Dell has gotten many complaints about it in the NGs and in
the forums and by telephone conversations with Customer
Support. Right now, a version 4.0 of MediaDirect is in beta
testing. Its design goal was to make it more flexible to allow
partitions to be created and deleted without the need to re-
install the entire hard drive contents to re-install MediaDirect
and to allow such partition modification without losing the
MediaDirect feature. It is expected that owners of Dell laptops
which came with some version of MediaDirect installed will be
able to get a version 4.0 CD or DVD free of charge from Dell
if they ask Dell for it. Right now (June 27th, 2008) is too soon,
though.

*TimDaniels*

 

[Albédo]

"Timothy Daniels" :
| This posting belongs in "alt.sys.pc-clone.dell",
| as it concerns procedures and software
| that is specific to Dell laptops.

Didn't know there was such a group. Am subscribing right away.

| (...) the 2.01GB partition will contain
| the re-installed MediaDirect application
| and its "embedded" OS.

I don't get this: so far, that peculiar volume seems empty (as far as I can
tell, since it can't be accessed in the usual way, like through File manager),
and I'm finished with reinstalling Dell MediaDirect. Do you mean that 2.01 Gb
partition is were the system copies its temporary files when I'm using Dell
MediaDirect? Does that apply both from Vista and without having loaded Vista in
the first place--which seems to be the reason why Dell MediaDirect is made for?)
? If so, if I just delete that partition so as to let C: get the liberated
space, what will happen next time I launch MediaDirect?

| (...) these partitions were created by the first run
| of the MediaDirect re-installation disk.

O.K., so my guess was right!

| MediaDirect has been a major
| pain in the derriére (...)


As far as I can tell, *Dell* has been such an annoyance for me, unfortunately...

| (...) to get a version 4.0 CD or DVD
| free of charge from Dell if they ask Dell for it.
| Right now (June 27th, 2008) is too soon,
| though.

Do you think the Dell Support Center interface will beep when such an offer is
made, or should I keep reading "alt.sys.pc-clone.dell" for news?

I am *very* sincerely grateful for bothering to explain that much, and I hope
you can explain a bit more...

 

[msnews.microsoft.com]

How do I configure Outlook Express to access the alt.sys.pc-clone.dell (alt
newsgroups)?

This posting belongs in "alt.sys.pc-clone.dell", as it
concerns procedures and software that is specific to
Dell laptops.

As a preliminary answer to your question,
the 4.7MB partition contains the diagnostic utilities, and
the 2.01GB partition will contain the re-installed MediaDirect
application and its "embedded" OS. The partition called
"D:" is for you to use for data, and you were to use what
is now the "C:" partition for the re-installation of Vista.
All these partitions were created by the first run of the
MediaDirect re-installation disk.

MediaDirect has been a major pain in the derriére for most
owners who wanted to modify their laptop's partition layout,
perhaps to dual-boot Vista with another OS (or two), and
Dell has gotten many complaints about it in the NGs and in
the forums and by telephone conversations with Customer
Support. Right now, a version 4.0 of MediaDirect is in beta
testing. Its design goal was to make it more flexible to allow
partitions to be created and deleted without the need to re-
install the entire hard drive contents to re-install MediaDirect
and to allow such partition modification without losing the
MediaDirect feature. It is expected that owners of Dell laptops
which came with some version of MediaDirect installed will be
able to get a version 4.0 CD or DVD free of charge from Dell
if they ask Dell for it. Right now (June 27th, 2008) is too soon,
though.

*TimDaniels*

 

[Sinner]

How do I configure Outlook Express to access the alt.sys.pc-clone.dell
(alt newsgroups)?

Exactly the same way you set it up to access this newsgroup.

 

[Gordon]

Exactly the same way you set it up to access this newsgroup.

Except the OP would need to subscribe to a news server other than
msnews.microsoft.com....