Partitions on new dell e1505

[Boney]

I just got my first dell e1505 laptop today and ofcourse even though i checked the "no preinstalled software box" i got a crapload of it on there. So i went to just go ahead and reformat and reinstall the operating system but when I went to the "delete partitions" screen there were 4 there already.

My question is, are any of the 4 partitions actually needed for a dell to run right?

The partitions are:
-: Partition1 [Fat] 47mb
c: Partiton2 [NTFS] 69461mb
f: Partiton4 [MediaDirect] 2047mb
e: Partition3 [fat32] 4754mb

I know that C: (windows) and F: (mediadirect) can go, but i have no idea what are on the 2 unnamed partitions " -, e" and/or if they are safe to remove.

thanks for any insight.

 

[Brainonska511]

The FAT partition at the beginning is the diagnostic software (F10 on startup). IIRC, you can download the software from Dell's website and have it run off a CD instead if you want to save the 47MB.

Can partition "E" be accessed through Windows? If not, it may be some kind of recovery partition, but I don't know if they are still doing that, so it could be something else.

 

[Boney]

Here's my not-so-helpful chat with dell support. All i learned is that you CAN delete the 2 partitions .... but i dont think even they know what is on them.




1:44:46 PM System Welcome @%@#%@ ...
1:44:46 PM System Connecting to server. Please wait...
1:44:46 PM System Connected to chat2.us.dell.com
1:46:55 PM System Ranjit_01137256 has joined this session!
1:46:55 PM System Connected with Ranjit_01137256
1:46:55 PM Ranjit_01137256 Thank you for contacting Dell Technical Support. My name is Ranjit and my rep ID number is 1137256. How may I assist you today?
1:48:27 PM You yes, i just recieved an inspiron e1505 and even though i checked the "no preinstalled software box" i got a bunch of it on there. So i went to just go ahead and reformat and reinstall the operating system but when I went to the "delete partitions" screen there were 4 there already.
1:48:46 PM You My question is, are any of the 4 partitions actually needed for a dell to run right?

The partitions are:
-: Partition1 [Fat] 47mb
c: Partiton2 [NTFS] 69461mb
f: Partiton4 [MediaDirect] 2047mb
e: Partition3 [fat32] 4754mb
1:49:07 PM You I know that C: (windows) and F: (mediadirect) can be safely deleted but i have no idea what are on the 2 unnamed partitions " -, e" and/or if they are safe to be removed.
1:49:36 PM Ranjit_01137256 Thank you for the information. I?ll be glad to assist you. Please give me 2 to 3 minutes to pull up your account information. In the meantime I would like to inform you that you might get an invitation to participate in a survey at the end of this session. You will be asked to rate our interaction on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being very satisfied. In order to participate in the survey, you must close the chat by selecting the "Exit" button.

Also, may I have your telephone number, along with the area code to update our records?
1:49:45 PM You @#$%@#%
1:52:49 PM You are you still there?
1:52:56 PM Ranjit_01137256 Well the window S they run on the ANTS
1:53:13 PM You ?
1:53:16 PM Ranjit_01137256 Its NTFS
1:53:16 PM Ranjit_01137256 not ANTS
1:53:37 PM Ranjit_01137256 Window XP runs on NTFS
1:53:41 PM You i know that
1:53:47 PM Ranjit_01137256 `okay
1:55:08 PM Ranjit_01137256 Please go through this link and it will give knowledge of about Fat and fat 32
1:55:18 PM System Ranjit_01137256 pushes page, http://www.seagate.com/support/kb/disc/win98_fat32_faq.html
1:55:28 PM Ranjit_01137256 Please go through the link
1:56:42 PM You I know what a fat and fat32 filesystem is..... I would like to know what is ON your 2 partitions that you made for them, so that if i deltete them i will not be deleting critical dell system files.
2:02:50 PM Ranjit_01137256 Ok you can delete it if want there is nothing so special on it they don;T have any important files
2:03:42 PM You ok that is good to know, but you wouldnt be able to tell me exactly What is on them though could you? I would like the knowledge for future reference
2:06:20 PM Ranjit_01137256 Well the link that I have given you it has all the knowledge
2:08:02 PM You It only explains what a fat and fat32 system are, which i know, ..... but nevermind - i think i can handle it from here.
2:08:11 PM You thank you for your help
2:09:30 PM Ranjit_01137256 Please stay on the chat I will provide with the case number
2:09:38 PM You ok
2:11:40 PM Ranjit_01137256 Case# @%@#%$
2:11:40 PM Ranjit_01137256 Thank you for staying online. I have included your .Case# @#%@#$@ reference our interaction today. Please keep this on file; it will assist you when contacting DELL. Thank you for contacting DELL Technical Support and allowing me the opportunity to assist you. If you still feel that there are additional DELL Hardware related concerns that need to be addressed, please contact us again at 1-800-624-9896 or Click on "Chat with Hardware Support" at www.dell.com/chat and enter the Service Tag.

 

[allrighty]

well, since i played around w. my dell 6400 which is the same one, the e: is the system recovery that they automaticaly give. it is a nortan ghost so if u bought the windows recovery cd for $10 or have your own xp cd then u could delete the partition.

 

[SonnyDaze]

Originally posted by: allrighty
well, since i played around w. my dell 6400 which is the same one, the e: is the system recovery that they automaticaly give. it is a nortan ghost so if u bought the windows recovery cd for $10 or have your own xp cd then u could delete the partition.

Yeah I have the E1405 and emailed Dell inquiring about a recovery CD...No luck on that. My recovery system is located on the hidden partition and they won't budge on providing me (even if I paid) with a recovery CD. I hate having wasted partitions. I'm running Windows MCE 2005, do you think a regular copy would wwork for an install or not being that its a Dell?

 

[allrighty]

i know that my friend installed xp pro on his dell laptop, but there is still some problems with the drivers from time to time. it is a little bit faster than when he first got it.