Plextor 40x12x40A always under PIO Mode?!
I just noticed a few hours ago that my Plextor is running under PIO Mode. (Device Manager/IDE/ATAPI Controllers/Secondary IDE Channel) I thought the solution was simple, tell it to use DMA if available.
I just noticed a few hours ago that my Plextor is running under PIO Mode. (Device Manager/IDE/ATAPI Controllers/Secondary IDE Channel)
I thought the solution was simple, tell it to use DMA if available. Didn't work. Next I went to the hardward side of things and made sure I was not using the DMA jumper. I also double-checked to see if I was using a DMA33 cable. I even tried removing my LS120 off of the cable to see if that would fix it.
So I'm out of ideas as to what may be causing my troubles... anyone have any suggestions?
I thought the solution was simple, tell it to use DMA if available. Didn't work. Next I went to the hardward side of things and made sure I was not using the DMA jumper. I also double-checked to see if I was using a DMA33 cable. I even tried removing my LS120 off of the cable to see if that would fix it.
So I'm out of ideas as to what may be causing my troubles... anyone have any suggestions?
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If your Plextor could burn a CD without crashing, it is probably set to PIO 4. Slow but it should continue to work
You've probably already done this, but it never hurts to mention it. Make sure that the Plextor is the master and your LS210 is the slave on the secondary IDE channel. You set this through the jumper at the back of each drive. Undoubtably, you've done this since you were so thorough to this point.
So, next -- this drive is reputed to have a difficult time with XP. You shouldn't install the plextor software. Make sure that the firmware is the most recent. (1.04 I think).
Looked at your "Click here to see the rest" - you have a number of devices DVD, CDrom competing for DMA, are you using your primary IDE for the DVD and CDrom and the hard drives through SCSI? Have you thought of putting the LS120 on with the DVD and combining the CdRom with the Plextor?
You've probably already done this, but it never hurts to mention it. Make sure that the Plextor is the master and your LS210 is the slave on the secondary IDE channel. You set this through the jumper at the back of each drive. Undoubtably, you've done this since you were so thorough to this point.
So, next -- this drive is reputed to have a difficult time with XP. You shouldn't install the plextor software. Make sure that the firmware is the most recent. (1.04 I think).
Looked at your "Click here to see the rest" - you have a number of devices DVD, CDrom competing for DMA, are you using your primary IDE for the DVD and CDrom and the hard drives through SCSI? Have you thought of putting the LS120 on with the DVD and combining the CdRom with the Plextor?
It burns fine, except that it has to use the BurnProof about 18 times per disc. If I don't use my computer while it burns, BurnProof won't kick-in.
I would just like to get it working under DMA, since it consumes less resources, burns faster, and doesn't active BurnProof a dozen times.
I had tried to set the drive as the only IDE device in my sytem, and that didn't do it. My LS-120 or the two 1200BB/JB hard drives are not to blame. (Everything else is SCSI)
I did not install the Plextor software, no need for it. However, the firmware is the most recent.
DVD and my CD-ROM are both SCSI, null-point.
I emailed Plextor support, and here's what the guy said:
Quote:I think the problem is with the EIDE controller or the motherboard BIOS.Windows XP doesn't provide you with any automatic updates for the EIDE
controller driver, you must download and install that from your motherboard
manufacturer's website.
Plextor Support Team - Paul
Just seems like horse**** to me. i860 is fully supported by WinXP. As for the BIOS, I have the CD-RW set to Auto...
I would just like to get it working under DMA, since it consumes less resources, burns faster, and doesn't active BurnProof a dozen times.
I had tried to set the drive as the only IDE device in my sytem, and that didn't do it. My LS-120 or the two 1200BB/JB hard drives are not to blame. (Everything else is SCSI)
I did not install the Plextor software, no need for it. However, the firmware is the most recent.
DVD and my CD-ROM are both SCSI, null-point.
I emailed Plextor support, and here's what the guy said:
Quote:I think the problem is with the EIDE controller or the motherboard BIOS.Windows XP doesn't provide you with any automatic updates for the EIDE
controller driver, you must download and install that from your motherboard
manufacturer's website.
Plextor Support Team - Paul
Just seems like horse**** to me. i860 is fully supported by WinXP. As for the BIOS, I have the CD-RW set to Auto...
One of my CD ROMs mysteriously fell back to PIO mode a couple of weeks ago. I had trouble getting it back to DMA, but I think what did it was that I set it to DMA, rebooted, set it to PIO, rebooted, set it to DMA again, rebooted, and then it finally stayed. I'm not sure if this is exactly what I did, but you get the idea.
Quote:
OK, So, the Primary IDE has two hard disks and the Secondary IDE has both the Plextor and LS-120? The rest is SCSI. Is this how you have it all connected? If so, do the Hard disks get DMA support? Just asking to see if there is the controller card issue in relation to XP.
Yes, the two 1200BB/JBs are on the primary IDE controller, and they are using UDMA. The secondary controller has the Plextor as the master, and the LS-120 as the slave. Even when the LS-120 isn't connected, the Plextor doesn't show as UDMA. (I know there have been a lot of issues with LS-120s, but this isn't one of them)
OK, So, the Primary IDE has two hard disks and the Secondary IDE has both the Plextor and LS-120? The rest is SCSI. Is this how you have it all connected? If so, do the Hard disks get DMA support? Just asking to see if there is the controller card issue in relation to XP.
Yes, the two 1200BB/JBs are on the primary IDE controller, and they are using UDMA. The secondary controller has the Plextor as the master, and the LS-120 as the slave. Even when the LS-120 isn't connected, the Plextor doesn't show as UDMA. (I know there have been a lot of issues with LS-120s, but this isn't one of them)
Quote:
One of my CD ROMs mysteriously fell back to PIO mode a couple of weeks ago. I had trouble getting it back to DMA, but I think what did it was that I set it to DMA, rebooted, set it to PIO, rebooted, set it to DMA again, rebooted, and then it finally stayed. I'm not sure if this is exactly what I did, but you get the idea.
Thanks for the suggestion, unfortunately it didn't work. I tried setting it to PIO, rebooted, set it to UDMA, rebooted. Didn't show as DMA, so I set it back to PIO, rebooted, then set it to DMA, rebooted. Still no DMA after the 4th reboot.
One of my CD ROMs mysteriously fell back to PIO mode a couple of weeks ago. I had trouble getting it back to DMA, but I think what did it was that I set it to DMA, rebooted, set it to PIO, rebooted, set it to DMA again, rebooted, and then it finally stayed. I'm not sure if this is exactly what I did, but you get the idea.
Thanks for the suggestion, unfortunately it didn't work. I tried setting it to PIO, rebooted, set it to UDMA, rebooted. Didn't show as DMA, so I set it back to PIO, rebooted, then set it to DMA, rebooted. Still no DMA after the 4th reboot.
Here's Plextor following remark:
Quote:Yes, but EIDE controller drivers will handle non hard drive ATAPI devicesdifferently than hard drives. I highly recommend you try up[censored] that
controller driver. Without doing that we will not be able to at least
eliiminate that as the source of the trouble. It is our experience that
often this is the root of problems like yours.
Plextor Support Team - Paul
Quote:Yes, but EIDE controller drivers will handle non hard drive ATAPI devicesdifferently than hard drives. I highly recommend you try up[censored] that
controller driver. Without doing that we will not be able to at least
eliiminate that as the source of the trouble. It is our experience that
often this is the root of problems like yours.
Plextor Support Team - Paul
Well, I made the assumption that Plextor was talking about the Intel Application Accelerator. AKA. Intel Ultra ATA Storage Driver. After rebooting, the IAA handles all the UDMA assignments, and gave the Plextor UDMA 2. Problem solved using this. I'm still left wondering why the default WinXP drivers did not assign UDMA to a CD drive that supported it...
