Not for the FAINT OF HEART!!

[Whysman]

Hello,

My Toshiba SD-R1002 Combo drive would appreciate having it's DMA enabled, however, this appears to be somewhat of a problem. The DMA checkbox is available in the Device Manager and when I check it and the system reboots it has vanished, a magic trick that I can repeat over and over and over ad infinitum or nauseam. Either way, I'm sick of not being able to locate the problem.

My BIOS auto detects the Toshiba as a CD-ROM and assigns it a PIO. As my ASUS A7V133 has ATA I have the Toshiba in the Primary Master IDE. I've tried switching it to the Secondary Master position with the same results. Now for the kicker...I'm also running a 50X CD-ROM (Secondary Master) which is also auto detected as a CD-ROM, however, it is assigned a DMA channel.

So, as I'm seeing it, I am coming out of the POST assigned a PIO. It would seem that the problem originates early on. In WinMe I do have the potential to enable the DMA (check box appears)but Windows is not able to enable. I told you at the outset that this is not for the faint of heart!!

What communicates with what? One dude at ASUS Tech-support commented that it might be the Toshiba Firmware. I have uncovered that there are 3 possible firmware versions for my Toshiba. Why would it be auto detected as a CD-ROM but not be assigned a DMA...where is this determination made? Would it be miscommunication between the Toshiba firmware and the BIOS? Why can I not override the auto detect in BIOS and go ahead and enable in Windows?

Any help from those daring to venture would be much appreciated!

Whyzman

[PostCode]

Windows is aquiring the mode of transfer from the BIOS. If the mode is setup as PIO-4 or PIO-3, then that's what Windows will use. If the drive can handle DMA-33 or DMA-66 but the BIOS isn't seeing it, then you need to either update the system BIOS (check for possible resolutions on Asus's site) or the firmware on the drive needs to be updated. Either way, the simple fact is Windows is getting the mode of transfer from the BIOS. If the BIOS tells Windows it's a PIO mode drive, then that's all your going to get.

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[BigBlue66]

Hey,

I read somewhere that if one component on an IDE channel is DMA enabled, then the whole channel is DMA enabled. You could try hooking up the Toshiba with the CD-ROM on the same channel and enable DMA for the CD-ROM.

However, as Postcode points out, if you're only getting a PIO mode transfer for the Toshiba, the above may be an exercise in futility, but it can't hurt.

Good luck.

Big Blue 66


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Yes Sir, Occifer!

[PostCode]

The BIOS will place the mode of transfer for either channel to the fastest attainable mode. If one device is ATA-100 and the other is PIO-4, then the fastest mode of transfer between the devices will be used, thus, PIO-4 will be used. No way around this. That's the fastest you’re going to get out of it. You can't get any faster then what the BIOS will see or use.

I checked the BIOS updates at Asus, but found nothing pertaining to your problem. I suspect the drive is a PIO-4 drive though. I own an 8X4X32X CDRW and its fasted speed is PIO-4. I checked Toshiba's site, but the information is vague. Its documentation doesn’t state what the drive will actually do. It states transfer modes, but doesn’t state what the drive is designed to do. Nor can I find any location on their site for details on firmware updates.
ugh...

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[Whysman]

Additional information that might help those who are not faint of heart! Toshiba Tech-support (I suspect they are using a third party Tech-support company running through scripted diagnostics and that they are not intimately aware of the nuances of the product) tells me that the Toshiba does support DMA and in fact is advisable for smooth DVD play.

Thanks for checking the ASUS site...I am running the latest BIOS upgrade v.1005A and I also have the latest 4in1 VIA drivers which has the BUS mastering driver and IDE controller.

I suspect this is one of those things where if you understood the process of communication you could simply go back to the point of breakdown and know who to point a finger at for the solution.

I'm gonna try ASUS Tech-support once again and perhaps will happen upon an all seeing all knowing omniscient supreme anal-retentive who perchance remembers a similar situation in the past...couldn't pass that one up! LOL

Thanks for your input fellow computer dudes! I'll report back what I find if anything...in the meantime keep those cards and letters coming!

MAY ALL YOUR DEALINGS BE WIN/WIN!

Whysman