[firestormer]

Right, when you press the button its designed to open up Dell Media Direct which is Dells crap version of Media Center.

It is controlled by Dell Quick Set.

If you want to change what the button does, unistall dell quickset and follow the instructions here http://forums.techguy.org/tech-tips-...uts-using.html

or look above

[duke0007]

Originally Posted by desaroo22

So I have had my Dell Inspiron 1521 for about a month. I pressed this button beside my power button thinking it would bring me to my home page on my internet. It did not. It brought me to this thing called Dell MediaDirect. It loads everytime I turn on my computer when I dont want it too. It also says there is an error because I have Microsoft BitLoader on my laptop. I just want it to go away so I can go on my computer. Any ideas for help? Please and thank you.

Hi desaroo22,

I am in the same shoes as you. I'll try a few different things and let you know the result.

Initial tries:
1. Deleted all partitions (including MD3 and Vista) and then created one partition for XP. After XP is loaded, I pushed the MD button by mistake, and it rewrote the partition table to create a FAT32 partition for itself, and destroyed my partition at the same time.

2. Prepared HD using MD3, Loaded Vista. Tested both Vista and MD3 works. Tried to install XP over existing file systems and XP wouldn't install.

3. Deleted only the Vista partition and created new one for XP. Installed XP. Then pushed the MD button. Now it only boots into MD and never allows me to boot into XP.

BTW: I did change in BIOS under SATA to ATA because otherwise XP doesn't detect the HD. I read in other threads that someone said it had to be AHCI (or something like that) for MD3 to work correctly. So I'll play with it some more.

Worst come to worst, I'll open the laptop up and cut the wire from the MD button. I don't need the MD crap.

I seriously think someone at Dell should be fired/shot for this terrible design!!! And we don't even have an option to turn the MD thing off. I never wanted it at the first place.

Best,
Duke0007

[duke0007]

We finally settled for this workaround.

1. Use MediaDirect 3.3 CD to prepare hard drive (which will create three partitions)
2. Install XP on the OS partition
3. If the MediaDirect button is ever pressed, and system only boots into MediaDirect partion, then

Option 1

Boot using XP CD, go into repair console and then do "fixmbr".

Option 2

Boot using Windows 98 CD, and then do "fdisk /mbr" and then set NTFS partition to active partition.

This way at least when the MediaDirect button is pressed, you don't lose everything.
If you only create one partition and install XP on it, then pressing the MediaDirect button will rewrite the partition table to create a partition for itself, and all your data are gone!!

I hope Dell will release a BIOS upgrade in the future that will disable the MediaDirect button.

BTW: You can't install MediaDirect 3.3 in XP.

[neonpolaris]

I FOUND IT! To set the button to run a different application IN WINDOWS change the registry keys here:

HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\MobilePC\HotStartButtons\0
HKLM\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\MobilePC\HotStartButtons\0
HKLM\SYSTEM\ControlSet002\Control\MobilePC\HotStartButtons\0

Change the ApplicationPath key from:
"C:\Program Files\Dell\MediaDirect\MDirect.exe"
to whatever you want!

This is cleaner than some other methods because your shortcuts to MediaDirect will still work.
Verified on Windows Vista Business, requires a restart. Also note, this will have no effect on the button pressed when the computer is off.

[firestormer]

Nice one thats much better then my method. http://forums.techguy.org/tech-tips-...uts-using.html

[neonpolaris]

I do however use the AutoHotKey scripts to change my IR remote key presses into key presses that other programs accept.

For example: Now when I press my MediaDirect button, it runs a compiled AHK script. This script starts Beyond Media (made by Snapstream) and listens to the remote copntrol keypresses to change them into what Beyond Media accepts. When I exit Beyond Media, the script closes. Perfect integration of my personal favorite media program.

Now, if I could only find a way to put Beyond media into that hidden partition that runs when you press the button from powered off. It's Windows XP embedded that runs on that partition, but I haven't really poked around it yet. It seems that when you press the button, the custom BIOS changes the MBR on the harddrive to boot to that otherwise hidden partition. When you successfully shut down that MediaDirect/XP embedded, it sets the MBR (master boot record) back. If you forcefully shut down while in there, it will keep booting to that partition even when you press the regular power button. Until you exit out normally.

[DrNo]

Originally Posted by neonpolaris

I FOUND IT! To set the button to run a different application IN WINDOWS change the registry keys here:

HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\MobilePC\HotStartButtons\0
HKLM\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\MobilePC\HotStartButtons\0
HKLM\SYSTEM\ControlSet002\Control\MobilePC\HotStartButtons\0

Change the ApplicationPath key from:
"C:\Program Files\Dell\MediaDirect\MDirect.exe"
to whatever you want!

Does anyone know how to get this to work if you do not have Media Direct installed? I did a clean install of XP (deleted all the partitions) and now when I click the Home key it says that it can not find Media Direct. I've tried to manually insert those reg entries, but it quickset still gives the same error.

Maybe someone could upload a reg file with the media connect entries?

Any help would be appreciated, thnx.

[firestormer]

If all fails you could try my original method.

[firestormer]

By which i mean NOT my original method but rather the method i posted here:
http://forums.techguy.org/tech-tips-...uts-using.html

[rotava]

here is my message to DrNo

hey, i made my dell mediadirect butto to open windows media player without having mediadirect installed on my computer..
you need to open regedit and go to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE->SYSTEM->ControlSet001->Control->MobilePC->HotStartButtons
then, if your machine is in the same state that was mine it will only contain one default value of the type REG_SZ. Now you create a new key named "0" (zero). Done that you enter this key "0" and create a new string value (is the first option i think, it will create a new value of the type REG_SZ), name it as "ApplicationPath" and set its value as the application you want (my is "C:\Program Files\Windows Media Player\wmplayer.exe"). done that do the same to the keys ControlSet002->Control->MobilePC->HotStartButtons and CurrentControlSet->Control->MobilePC->HotStartButtons

sorry about my english and if some names are different, my windows is in portuguese

luck

[canaan]

i recently formatted my m1330 and i remapped my media hotkey to run windows media centre via the regedit command. i then tried using it to run Dell Media Direct when the pc is off, but instead it boots windows and runs Media Centre!

i remapped the key back to run Media Direct, and now when i press it, it doesnt do anything in vista! when i press it when the laptop is off it just boots Vista.

i think i borked it!

any ideas?

could it be that doing a fresh install of the laptop without any of Dell's bloatware has changed the function? could it be that I dont have Quickset installed?

thanks

[rotava]

ok, that was really only when windows is running. In my notebook the media direct button starts linux when the notebook is off. I dont remember exactly how i did that. But you need the media direct CD (it came with your computer).
It works so: either the power button and the media direct button have a partition in your computer to start.By default the dell notebook comes with X partitions ( 1 for recovery, 1 for tools, 1 for windows, 1 for media direct... i think is that) so, the power button will start in partition 3, and the media direct button will start in partition 4. In my case i formatted the recovery partition and i have it so: 1 configuration DELL, 1 windows, 1 linux, 1 swap. I want to power button start in partition 2 and media direct button start in partition 3.
to do that look in this link

http://forums.techguy.org/showthread.php?t=540776&goto=newpost

if you dont understand something ask! Be carefull with the numbers.

Good luck

[Kweese]

well, today i turned on my pc and hit the home button by accident. thought it would load fine so left it to boot.

come back and its off.

so i turn it on again, dell media direct loads and says its configuring files and whatnot.

then, error. says somoething like microsoft encryption software wont let it access my media files. i press exit, pc turns off.

i turn it on again, hoping it boots like normal. no luck, comes up with system recovery options and has been like that ever since i turn it on.

screen says:

Choose a recovery tool.

Operating system: Windows Vista on (:C) OS

im pretty sure the os is petitioned differently to the other files on the hard disk. not too keen on restoring it to factory conditions either :/

ps: just checked again and it says in startup repair that:

Root cause found:

The operating system version is incompatible with startup repair.