Just to clarify:

Unless you just changed the exact same board type.

Point being that that software will only run on a Dell computer.

Dell motherboard + Dell XP.

Yes, I used the Dell XP CD that came with the computer to reinstall the OS if that's what was meant by Dell recovery.

The board was an exact replacement, and is identified as a Dell in the BIOS.

OK. That was what I wanted to clarify.

I do see this note on another thread:

I have followed Dell's online instructions on re-loading the DME (Dell Media Experience) which appears to be attached to the MBR and has separate minimum 2Gig partition.

Anyway perhaps Dan will have further ideas.

If I stumble across anything new will pass it on.

I've seen another thread that appears to corroborate the fact that DME is installed to a "hidden" partition.

It also states the pre-requisite of .NET Framework. (Windows Update).

Originally Posted by jephree

I've seen another thread that appears to corroborate the fact that DME is installed to a "hidden" partition.

It also states the pre-requisite of .NET Framework. (Windows Update).

I do have .NET Framework, but the hidden partition could be tough. When I reinstalled XP I put it one one big NTFS partition. On the original install it was on a separate FAT32.

Well, an update, and I've had success. I reinstalled XP on a spare IDE drive using the Dell SP1 disc, then installed the drivers, then DME, and it worked! I wish I knew what conclusions to draw from this, but I'm not sure what made the difference.

One thing that caught my eye was that when I installed the Intel chipset drivers, they were already there from the OS disc. I opted to overwrite. Perhaps there were specific drivers on the drivers disc that enable the installation of DME? I'm only guessing at this point.

So a big thank you for caring about my problem and helping me through it!

"Perhaps there were specific drivers on the drivers disc that enable the installation of DME?"

Drivers for proprietary machines are sometimes "tweaked" or altered to run with their hardware. ie; Dell may use a generic bare-bones board, add a "Brand_Name" bios which has been changed to run with that machine. Drivers follow suit.

Your conclusion is most likely correct. Whenever possible, you should run proprietary drivers on a proprietary machine.

It also looks like it's a combination of software. I put my other drive back in, the one that I couldn't install DME on, and tried to install the chipset drivers from my 4600 disc, no go. It seems like Dell has made sure that no one will install the proprietary stuff except on the original machine by making it so the OS and Drivers discs need to be used together.

Correct. Most cases; proprietary = protected.