Tell DMA or PIO mode with external 1394/USB ?

[Beemer Biker]

I have a number of external boxes, both Oxford and Prolific chipset and one even has both.

Was wondering how to tell what mode the hard drive is in. UDMA2 ... UDMA5 or even if it is in PIO mode. All I see using Nero Infotool is a description of the chipset eg: "Oxford Semi... IEEE 1394 SBP2 Device, Auto On" The other devices (cd or disk) Nero indicates whether DMA is on or off.

XP System device manager indicates UDMA or PIO levels for the IDE controllers, more info than Nero's tool, but does not provide any more info on the firewire (or usb for that matter)

I googled around and didnt see much. I did read where Steve Jobs wanted to charge $1 per port for the right to use firewire. Never knew that. Not sure what happened as I have been paying $5 with shipping for a 4 port device. Someone is losing money.

When I got a cdburner in pio mode (it happens) you can easily tell because the real time buffer fluctuate wildly and the estimated time like 5 minutes, streatches into 15 or more. Enableing UDMA fixes the problem. This was spotted thru Nero. I assume roxio provides similar functionality. This can also happen when the hard drive itself is in pio mode and the burner in udma.

Anyway, my problem: I noticed that same funky real time buffer fluctuation on my new cdburner I just got. I even upgraded the bios. So far, I have not had any problem burning a cd or a label (lightscribe burner) using nero, but I see that fluctuating buffer that is a symptom if PIO mode. It is in a prolific external box. The box is old, but has the lastest firmware from prolific. So I was wondering if there was a tool to tell me what mode the chipset was running in?

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Beemer Biker (e-mail address removed)
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[Rod Speed]

I have a number of external boxes, both Oxford
and Prolific chipset and one even has both.

Was wondering how to tell what mode the hard drive is in.
UDMA2 ... UDMA5 or even if it is in PIO mode.

Short story is that you cant, but it doesnt matter with a bridge,
basically because you arent sharing the cpu with anything else,
its just doing disk IO. You cant run apps on the bridge cpu.

All I see using Nero Infotool is a description of the chipset
eg: "Oxford Semi... IEEE 1394 SBP2 Device, Auto On"
The other devices (cd or disk) Nero indicates whether DMA is on or off.

Because the bridge cpu cant do anything but disk ops.

XP System device manager indicates UDMA or PIO levels for
the IDE controllers, more info than Nero's tool, but does not
provide any more info on the firewire (or usb for that matter)

Thats the firewire or usb controller in the PC, not the bridge in the box.

I googled around and didnt see much. I did read where Steve Jobs
wanted to charge $1 per port for the right to use firewire. Never
knew that. Not sure what happened as I have been paying $5
with shipping for a 4 port device. Someone is losing money.

When I got a cdburner in pio mode (it happens) you can easily tell
because the real time buffer fluctuate wildly and the estimated time
like 5 minutes, streatches into 15 or more. Enableing UDMA fixes
the problem. This was spotted thru Nero. I assume roxio provides
similar functionality. This can also happen when the hard drive
itself is in pio mode and the burner in udma.

Anyway, my problem: I noticed that same funky real time buffer
fluctuation on my new cdburner I just got. I even upgraded the
bios. So far, I have not had any problem burning a cd or a label
(lightscribe burner) using nero, but I see that fluctuating buffer
that is a symptom if PIO mode. It is in a prolific external box.
The box is old, but has the lastest firmware from prolific.
So I was wondering if there was a tool to tell me what
mode the chipset was running in?

You're barking up the wrong tree.

 

[Arno Wagner]

I have a number of external boxes, both Oxford and Prolific chipset
and one even has both.

Was wondering how to tell what mode the hard drive is in. UDMA2
... UDMA5 or even if it is in PIO mode. All I see using Nero Infotool
is a description of the chipset eg: "Oxford Semi... IEEE 1394 SBP2
Device, Auto On" The other devices (cd or disk) Nero indicates whether
DMA is on or off.

1.) You cannot tell
2.) You need not tell

The FireWire effectively decouples the internal IDE bus of the
external disk from your computer and it does not matter what mode
it is in.

Arno

 

[Folkert Rienstra]

1.) You cannot tell

Have fun explaing the ATA timing and control registers in the 1394 Tailgate.

2.) You need not tell

The FireWire effectively decouples the internal IDE bus of the
external disk from your computer

and it does not matter what mode it is in.

Ignorant fool babbles once again. Utterly clueless, as always.

A device in PIO won't do anymore than 8-10MB/s, whether that's
on an ordinary IDE controller or on a bridge device.