Can't change HD from PIO to UDMA

[Nick Zaglanikis]

Hello everyone.

You guys and gals are my last hope.

One fine day my PC started responding very slow. Even menus would take
seconds before poping up. Soon I realised that it was my hard drive.

I have checked the IDE ATA/ATAPI controler and it's correctly stating that
it's using the Intel's appropriate driver which I installed myself when I
assembled the PC.

When checking the Primary and IDE channels I see that device 0 (which is my
primary HD) is set to "DMA if available" yet the current mode is "PIO Mode".
Device 1 (my DVD Drive) is also set to "DMA if available" and its current
mode is "UDMA 2".

The Secondary IDE Channels are also set to "DMA if available" and device 0
(my DVD Recorder) uses PIO Mode while device 1 (my old HD) uses "UDMA 4".

I have checked my BIOS setup and everything is set to auto and according to
its manual it should use UDMA if available.

I have bought brand new cables and I replaced the old ones but my main hard
disk is still very slow.
I have downloaded all kinds of checking utilities including those from the
HD vendor and they are reporting that both my HDs are in good working
condition.

I am getting a little dissappointed because I have tried everything I could
think off. I have even uninstalled almost everything I could, cleaned the
registry, defragmented the HDs and ran Scandisk. I have checked for viri and
malware (dialers/cookies/younameit). Nothing.

From a vendor's site (I believe it was MS knowledge base but I honestly
dont' remember) I remember reading that if there is over a number of CRC
errors (6 I think) Windows will downgrade the HD mode. Whatever the case my
main HD is running in PIO mode when DMA is available.

Any ideas why is that? What can I do make my main HD run in UDMA mode as it
should?

Best Regards
Nick

PS
I have also checked the jumper settings (slave/master etc etc)

PS2
Are there any programs which check what transfer modes are available to a
PCs devices?

 

[Larry(LJL269)]

SEE 'Primary IDE usung PIO not DMA' in progress

Lets not make these helpful folks repeat thenselves.

HTH-Larry

On Wed, 22 Dec 2004 21:59:48 +0200, "Nick Zaglanikis"

|Hello everyone.
|
|You guys and gals are my last hope.
|
|One fine day my PC started responding very slow. Even menus would take
|seconds before poping up. Soon I realised that it was my hard drive.
|
|I have checked the IDE ATA/ATAPI controler and it's correctly stating that
|it's using the Intel's appropriate driver which I installed myself when I
|assembled the PC.
|
|When checking the Primary and IDE channels I see that device 0 (which is my
|primary HD) is set to "DMA if available" yet the current mode is "PIO Mode".
|Device 1 (my DVD Drive) is also set to "DMA if available" and its current
|mode is "UDMA 2".
|
|The Secondary IDE Channels are also set to "DMA if available" and device 0
|(my DVD Recorder) uses PIO Mode while device 1 (my old HD) uses "UDMA 4".
|
|I have checked my BIOS setup and everything is set to auto and according to
|its manual it should use UDMA if available.
|
|I have bought brand new cables and I replaced the old ones but my main hard
|disk is still very slow.
|I have downloaded all kinds of checking utilities including those from the
|HD vendor and they are reporting that both my HDs are in good working
|condition.
|
|I am getting a little dissappointed because I have tried everything I could
|think off. I have even uninstalled almost everything I could, cleaned the
|registry, defragmented the HDs and ran Scandisk. I have checked for viri and
|malware (dialers/cookies/younameit). Nothing.
|
|From a vendor's site (I believe it was MS knowledge base but I honestly
|dont' remember) I remember reading that if there is over a number of CRC
|errors (6 I think) Windows will downgrade the HD mode. Whatever the case my
|main HD is running in PIO mode when DMA is available.
|
|Any ideas why is that? What can I do make my main HD run in UDMA mode as it
|should?
|
|Best Regards
|Nick
|
|PS
| I have also checked the jumper settings (slave/master etc etc)
|
|PS2
| Are there any programs which check what transfer modes are available to a
|PCs devices?
|

Any advise is my attempt to contribute more than I have received but I can only assure you that it works on my PC. GOOD LUCK.

 

[Nick Zaglanikis]

Thank you for the directions!

Best Regards
Nick

 

[Larry(LJL269)]

On Wed, 22 Dec 2004 22:20:28 +0200, "Nick Zaglanikis"

|Thank you for the directions!
|
|Best Regards
|Nick

Alex's post worked 4 me & I hope 4 u.

HH-Larry
Any advise is my attempt to contribute more than I have received but I can only assure you that it works on my PC. GOOD LUCK.

 

[Alex Nichol]

I have checked the IDE ATA/ATAPI controler and it's correctly stating that
it's using the Intel's appropriate driver which I installed myself when I
assembled the PC.

When checking the Primary and IDE channels I see that device 0 (which is my
primary HD) is set to "DMA if available" yet the current mode is "PIO Mode".
Device 1 (my DVD Drive) is also set to "DMA if available" and its current
mode is "UDMA 2".

This happens if there has been an unacceptable rate of errors on the
device: the system falls back on PIO and sticks, even if the cause has
been removed.

Check the cabling; you need a proper 80 wire UDMA cable; and the drive
must be on the end socket, with the middle one unused (otherwise you
have an unterminated length of cable merrily reflecting signals back
and interfering).

Then in Device Manager, select the master level controller, above
Primary Channel, Action - Remove, and OK out to reboot and let PnP try
again