The answer you proffer that the MediaDirect button is only for media player is wrong, because it can't be disabled in the BIOS, and from off, when pressed will turn the machine on with the BIOS jumping to part of the hard disk, that were you to do a clean install, maynot contain an operating system, with random, and often disastrous results. Dell's own clean install instructions at for example How to Reinstall MediaDirect explains how to do a clean install on MediaDirect machines.
If you skip the above, from a fellow poster: The best thing would probably be to not press the button when the computer is off. -=EVER=-
It is annoying and dangerous to one's system's integrity that the button can't be disabled permanently. Removing the button or putting tape over it just makes meddlers curious.
Well, honestly I didn't have much time to go through all posts here but I just want to share what little I have gathered going through various articles on Dell Media Direct.
Upto a certain point of time and a specific version, Dell Media Direct was installed in a hidden area known as "Host Protected Area" (HPA) - which cannot be deleted or erased/wiped by conventional partitioning/Format/erase utilities, for this HPA is neither visible to the BIOS nor the OS.
That makes it all the more difficult to get rid of it.
To get it completely wiped and annex it to the rest of the HDD, there are many tools - about which again I have little knowledge of.
But the following articles should be of interest to any one trying to wipe and get rid of any pest which is otherwise indesructible.
This thread and the links therein may also be of interest.
If Media Direct is indeed in the HPA, that has to be killed before any clean install ( That is if one wants to do a clean install and get rid of Media Direct.).
