Is there anyway to get UDMA transfer mode back on Sata Drives?

[Mark Timerding]

System is a Asus K8V motherboard, AMD 3400 64 bit
cpu, running Windows XP Pro with SP2. I have 4 internal
harddrives, 2 on VIA Sata and 2 on IDE.

I have recently installed Iolo's System Mechanic 5, apparently
the defrag routine of it has killed my UDMA mode on my two
Sata drives.

Since trying the defrag, (which didnt work very well by the way)
Everest Home reports that UDMA mode on the two sata drives
is NOT available.

Sisoft Sandra reports they are UDMA 3 (3? on Sata? ... one
Raptor, and one Seagate 80 gig)

So far, the IDE drives still report UDMA5.

I tried doing a sfc /scannow to replace any missing files,
but it kept stopping every few seconds and telling me to
'Insert Windows XP Pro ......" (the cd was indeed already
in the drive)

I don't know what is going on. SP2 was installed, by doing
a fresh install of XP using a SLIPSTREAMED disc. (which
is what I also tried doing the SFC from) But maybe, slipstream
discs dont work for SFC?

At any rate, my HD performance is now pretty bad, for the first
time even PC Pitstop rates me at 'Unusually low disk performance'
(saying I am at 25 pct of normal)

I see no way to enable/change anything to do with UDMA on the
Sata drives in Windows. (like you can on IDE's)

So far, no response from IOLO Tech about what System Mech 5 has
done to my computer ... and no ideas received from the ASUS motherboard
group.

In short, HELP?

 

[Eric]

I would try changing the IDE drivers to the standard
Windows ones and then install the latest IDE busmaster
drivers from the motherboard's site.

Eric,
http://www.pcbuyerbeware.co.uk/
http://www.sharedbirthday.co.uk/

 

[Mark Timerding]

would try changing the IDE drivers to the standard

I dont understand. (excuse my perhaps stupidy) but,
the problems per my orig post or on the SATA drives. The
Ide's still say UDMA5

Also, I do have the most current IDE busmaster driver
installed.

 

[R. McCarty]

The drives themselves report their parameters including operating mode
to the controller. Have you checked the System Event log to see if any
errors have been logged against the SATA controller ? Perhaps, the
same "Step-Back" functionality on IDE/ATAPI devices applies to SATA.
If so, then maybe removing the drives from Device Manager and doing
a reboot will allow them to be re-detected at their max operating mode(s).

 

[Mark Timerding]

Have you checked the System Event log to see if any
errors have been logged against the SATA controller ?

Except for the usual ton of 'DHCP', 'BROWSER' and other
networking errors (since the install of SP2) ... there are no
errors in the event viewer.