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Thread ID: 76953 2007-02-21 22:22:00 CD Writer: drivers or hardware or ? Strommer (42) Press F1
Post ID Timestamp Content User
527000 2007-02-22 19:30:00 Have you made sure DMA is enabled on the CD device?

Jen, how do I do this?
Strommer (42)
527001 2007-02-22 19:48:00 Jen, how do I do this?

Go into the BIOS and see if the CD (whatever IDE connection its on) is on DMA something. Press enter to go into its settings.

Or device manager / IDE ATA / Atapi adaptors / Primary/Sec IDE Channel (whatever the burner is on). Advanced settings..

Under current transfer mode, does it say something like DMA 2,3,4,5? Under Device 0 or 1 (again depending on what IDE connection its on (Primary or Secondary).

Or an easier way, if Nero Infotool is installed run it. Configuration tab, click on the burner under DVD's/CD's.

It'll say whether its on DMA or PIO too.
Speedy Gonzales (78)
527002 2007-02-23 03:19:00 Thanks Speedy (and Jen). It may have to wait until Monday morning but I have printed your instructions and will get back with the results.

FWIW, another problem arose. All was fine with the upgraded pc at home so set it up in the office, 1 km away. All seemed fine until Shut Down - it did shut down but only to restart again. Went into Display >>> Power Mgmnt, and did a fiddle but still it would not shut down and stay off. Ran Norton System Works' WinDoc which found heaps of errors and that seemed to fix it. Also FWIW, the pc is clean and fast when doing normal things like opening folders, tranferring files, word processing. Then one of the staff printed 20 - 30 photos using WinXP Photo Printing Wizard; it did OK but I noticed a slow down, a lag, that stayed until the Printing Wizard was closed (and all photos printed). I guess this is to be expected with onboard shared graphics and 512 RAM. No big problem, and all in all I am very pleased with the upgraded pc - it is a rewarding feeling that surely many PF1ers know about.
Strommer (42)
527003 2007-02-27 04:43:00 Go into the BIOS and see if the CD (whatever IDE connection its on) is on DMA something . Press enter to go into its settings .

Or device manager / IDE ATA / Atapi adaptors / Primary/Sec IDE Channel (whatever the burner is on) . Advanced settings . .

Under current transfer mode, does it say something like DMA 2,3,4,5? Under Device 0 or 1 (again depending on what IDE connection its on (Primary or Secondary) .

Or an easier way, if Nero Infotool is installed run it . Configuration tab, click on the burner under DVD's/CD's .

It'll say whether its on DMA or PIO too .


OK, finally did the above . Yes, the CD writer is on DMA (found via Nero Info Tool and BIOS) .

In the BIOS it says: "Secondary Slave Ultra DMA: AUTO (not "disabled") .
So should I "disable" it ?

Also in BIOS: IDE Secondary Slave PIO" AUTO (not on "Mode 0, 1,2,3, or 4) .
. . . and . . .
IDE DMA transfer access: ENABLED

:confused:
Strommer (42)
527004 2007-02-27 05:54:00 Just as long as both are in DMA mode they're ok . You'll know when its in PIO .

The system takes twice as long doing something (leg: like booting into Windows if a hdd is in PIO) .

Nah leave the cd entry in the BIOS as is .

Check the disk drives entries (under the hdd) in Nero Infotool, if it also says DMA something, thats fine . So, it maybe the brand of cd you're using like u said why its having probs . Altho a firmware update may or may not fix this too .

So, it supports more blank media .
Speedy Gonzales (78)
527005 2007-02-27 07:48:00 Yep, Nero and the BIOS both say DMA for all. I thought maybe DMA screws up writing a CD and it needed disabling, so I will leave it as is. A firmware update is worth a try.

Thanks.
Strommer (42)
527006 2007-02-27 08:26:00 Yep, Nero and the BIOS both say DMA for all . I thought maybe DMA screws up writing a CD and it needed disabling, so I will leave it as is . A firmware update is worth a try .

Thanks .

Good!

Ah no as stated here ( . wikipedia . org/wiki/Direct_memory_access" target="_blank">en . wikipedia . org)

Computers that have DMA channels can transfer data to and from devices with much less CPU overhead than computers without a DMA channel .

OTOH if something is running in PIO mode:

Without DMA, using programmed input/output (PIO) mode, the CPU typically has to be occupied for the entire time it's performing a transfer .

With DMA, the CPU would initiate the transfer, do other operations while the transfer is in progress, and receive an interrupt from the DMA controller once the operation has been done .

This is especially useful in real-time computing applications where not stalling behind concurrent operations is critical .
Speedy Gonzales (78)
527007 2007-02-27 10:29:00 Amazing what can be found on Wikipedia. A good read.

OK, I will leave the DMA settings as is. Thanks.
Strommer (42)
527008 2007-02-28 10:03:00 FWIW, another problem arose. All was fine with the upgraded pc at home so set it up in the office, 1 km away. All seemed fine until Shut Down - it did shut down but only to restart again.

Is the computer on a network or a dial-up modem, it may have WOL ( Wake On Lan ), or WOR ( Wake On Ring ) turned on in the BIOS.
But if you've sorted it, sweet...:D
feersumendjinn (64)
527009 2007-02-28 20:00:00 Is the computer on a network or a dial-up modem, it may have WOL ( Wake On Lan ), or WOR ( Wake On Ring ) turned on in the BIOS.
But if you've sorted it, sweet...:D

No, it is not connected to a LAN and it is not on the Net at all.

But there is something in the BIOS about 'Wake', and maybe this could be stuffing things up especially with the other bigger problem - see my other thread here: pressf1.pcworld.co.nz

So thanks, I will go back to the BIOS and change the 'Wake' thing.
Strommer (42)
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