Dell MediaDirect is a software application that is published by

Dell, Inc. Dell is an American based technology company. It develops, sells, repairs, and supports computers and related products and services. Dell is owned by its parent company, Dell Technologies. Dell sells personal computers (PCs), servers, data s ...

and is pre-installed on the computers they sell. It attempts to provide DVD and CD playback and recent editions include features such as an address book and calendar. It is a custom version of CyberLink PowerCinema developed and licensed to Dell by CyberLink. MediaDirect works in conjunction with the operating system and the Dell QuickSet application.

Design controversy

Earlier versions of MediaDirect attracted criticism since they adopt a distinctive combination of

BIOS In computing, BIOS (, ; Basic Input/Output System, also known as the System BIOS, ROM BIOS, BIOS ROM or PC BIOS) is firmware used to provide runtime services for operating systems and programs and to perform hardware initialization during the b ...

and

hard drive A hard disk drive (HDD), hard disk, hard drive, or fixed disk is an electro-mechanical data storage device that stores and retrieves digital data using magnetic storage with one or more rigid rapidly rotating platters coated with mag ...

layout to bypass the installed OS and boot directly to the media player application using a single button press. The chosen approach causes disk geometry to be deliberately misreported, can prevent the successful backup of hard disks and may trigger catastrophic data loss when MediaDirect is launched. Unless the drive and all pre-existing operating systems are left as originally installed, MediaDirect can trigger a forced repartitioning of the drive whilst attempting to load. This intervention typically causes the loss of all operating systems and data on the device. Removing or disabling the application is challenging because Dell employs

Host protected area The host protected area (HPA) is an area of a hard drive or solid-state drive that is not normally visible to an operating system. It was first introduced in the ATA-4 standard CXV (T13) in 2001. How it works The IDE controller has registers ...

technology to cloak the location of the partition containing the software, contributing to the misreported disk geometry.

Versions

Version 4

Version 4 deletes the dual-boot "fast start" capability and associated disk partition. It is now installed as a standard application. MediaDirect 4 includes optimisations for multi-media playback and is primarily used to support Blu-ray drives.

Version 3

Version 3.5 is compatible with Microsoft Windows XP and Vista (it also works on Windows 7 and Windows 8.1). Each version has separate editions that can only be installed on certain computer models. This is achieved by using folder and file names in the installation software that matches the BIOS SystemID. * XPS M1330 * XPS M1530 * MXG071 - XPSM1730 Version 3.3 is compatible with Microsoft Windows XP and Vista (it also works on Windows 7 and Windows 8.1). Each version has separate editions that can only be installed on certain computer models. This is achieved by using folder and file names in the installation software that matches the BIOS SystemID. * MXC061 - Inspiron 640M * MM061 - Inspiron 6400/E1505 * MP061 - Inspiron 9400/E1705 * MXC062 - XPS M1210 * MXG061 - XPS M1710 * MXP061 - XPS M2010 Version 3 has a dual-boot option where the software can utilize a minimal load of the operating system which speeds boot time and simplifies operation.

Version 1.1

Released Sep. 1, 2005, is compatible with Microsoft Windows XP and the following Dell systems: * Inspiron 6000 * XPS/Inspiron XPS Gen 2 * Inspiron 9300 * XPS/Inspiron M170 * Inspiron 1720

More information

Understanding the Dell Media Direct Partition

Dell Media Direct Destroys Partitions?Dell Direct Media Nuked my System

Dell MediaDirect 4.0 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How to Reinstall MediaDirect 3.0 or 3.3

How to Install Dell MediaDirect 2.0

Download / How to Install MediaDirect 1.1

References

External links

Dell MediaDirect 1.1 website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dell Mediadirect Dell products Windows media players