Dell XPS M1530 - Prepare your XPS with Dell MediaDirect (thanks to Safar)

Before you can reinstall the Dell MediaDirect software, you must prepare your hard drive for the Reinstallation using the utilities on the "Reinstallation Media", this will erase all data and create drive partitions.
Once you have prepared your hard drive, you can reinstall your Microsoft® Windows® Vista operating system, hardware drivers, and software programs.
Please note the "Primary Partition" that is created during the preparation of the hard drive should be used when installing the Microsoft® Windows® Vista operating system. Once the operating system is fully reinstalled, follow the instructions in "Reinstalling the Dell MediaDirect Software" to reinstall your Dell MediaDirect software.

Step 1 - Preparing the Hard Drive for the Dell MediaDirect Reinstallation

Before you begin installing your Microsoft® Windows® Vista operating system, you must prepare your hard drive using the software provided on the reinstallation media.

To prepare your hard drive:

1. Turn on your computer.
2. Insert the reinstallation media into the CD/DVD drive, and then restart your computer
3. If your computer is already configured to boot from the CD/DVD drive, you will be prompted to press a key to boot from the CD/DVD drive. If the "Media Direct Reinstallation" does not automatically start, restart your computer and when the Dell logo appears, press immediately. This will take you to the boot menu where you need to select CD/DVD drive
4. When the Media Direct Reinstallation menu appears, select the option to partition the hard drive

• Select "Option 1" from the menu if you wish to use all of the hard drive for your operating system installation. This is the most common selection and is how your computer was originally shipped to you, unless you specified an operating system partition size at the time you ordered your computer
• Select "Option 2" if you wish to designate a size for your operating system and have a data partition. This will allow you to specify a size for the operating system partition, leaving the remainder of the hard drive configured as a "data" partition (D:)

1. Once you have prepared the drive and you have returned to the main recovery menu, remove the reinstallation media and replace it with the operating system reinstallation CD. Select the option to reboot your computer
2. If your computer does not automatically start the media, press to access the Boot Menu and select the CD/DVD boot option
3. Install your Microsoft® Windows® Vista operating system (for help refer to the Windows installation guide), selecting the "Primary Partition" when prompted. If you have two hard drives, select the "Primary Partition" on the same disk where the MediaDirect partition resides. Once you have completed the installation of the operating system, you can begin reinstallation of the Dell MediaDirect software.
   

Step 2. Reinstalling the Dell MediaDirect Software

Note: You must follow the instructions in "Step 1. Preparing the Hard Drive for the Dell MediaDirect Reinstallation" prior to reinstalling the Dell MediaDirect. Dell MediaDirect requires a special partition which is automatically created under the hard drive preparation process.

To reinstall the Dell MediaDirect software:

1. At the Windows desktop, close all open applications.
2. Insert the reinstallation media into the CD/DVD drive. The Dell MediaDirect™ Powered by Cyberlink window opens automatically.
3. Press to reinstall Dell MediaDirect. When the reinstallation process is complete, a message will be displayed.
4. Press to exit the reinstallation window, and then remove the reinstallation media from the DVD drive.
5. Shut down the computer through the Start menu.
6. Once your computer has completely turned off, press the Dell MediaDirect button on your computer to launch MediaDirect.