DVD R/RW Drive Performance Issues

[ragtop70]

I have an I/O Magic 16X DVD +-R +-RW Dual Format Double Layer Drive (Model IDVD16DD) that is not working properly. It will only read at 1.5X and it writes at .5X-.9X. It takes over an hour to read a disc and almost 2 hours to write one. It also makes a lot of bad discs, about 25 out of the last 100. I've checked I/O Magic's website for drivers, but there are none. Can anyone help? I just added an NEC drive to the other bay of this computer and it works properly, so I know my computer can support it: 2.4 ghz Pentium 4, 1 gb ram, Windows XP.

[m6oo]

Make sure the drive is still set to DMA mode. If you ever had a hiccup with that drive like trying to read a scratched disc or something, the drive can get set to PIO mode and sometimes won't snap out of it. Usually the symptom of this is that when you try to play a DVD movie off of the drive, the playback will stutter.

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;310751

[Maklershed]

I used to have a problem like that when I got my first burner drive and the answer that m6oo gave was the answer to the problem I had.

[ragtop70]

I checked the link provided by m6oo. My controller is set to "DMA if Available", but it is in PIO mode. Is there a fix or am I screwed?

[m6oo]

Come on, do a little googling...

http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/device/storage/IDE-DMA.mspx

[m6oo]

Ooops, sometimes it's not as simple to reset this as described in the MS article above.

It looks like sometimes just flipping the PIO/DMA setting isn't enough to get it reset.

It seems that there are various ways to do this, but one simple way is to:

1. Uninstall the offending IDE Channel (usually secondary) from the hardware manager.

2. Reboot

3. The removed IDE Channel should automatically reinstall itself. Go back to the hardware manager and set the IDE Channel to "DMA if available"

4. Reboot

That should do it.

[ragtop70]

Thanks for the help so far, but the problem persists. Google here I come. I never use Google so I wouldn't have thought of it if you hadn't mentioned it.
I'm wondering if unplugging the drive and using the computer a few times, then plugging the drive back in would reset it to DMA.

[b0bx13]

I had the same problem and simply reflashed the firmware.

[CokeCola]

You don't have Starforce (http://www.glop.org/starforce/detect.php), do you?

[ragtop70]

No starforce. I don't have and don't know where to get the firmware to flash it. I've checked their site and they don't even have drivers, let alone firmware.

[m6oo]

Thanks for the help so far, but the problem persists. Google here I come. I never use Google so I wouldn't have thought of it if you hadn't mentioned it.
I'm wondering if unplugging the drive and using the computer a few times, then plugging the drive back in would reset it to DMA.

Wow...you went through the steps I laid out and it still didn't come back? Make sure the drive is empty when you do this. If the drive has a scratched disc in it, it may just throw it back into PIO mode.

For the firmware, what does the Device manager say about the drive? Again, if you had Googled for your drive, you would see that some of these drives are rebranded BTC 1016IM drives. It's an I/O Magic drive, but they OEM it from somebody else. If you pull the drive, the real make/model may be printed on the drive someplace.

If it is the BTC 1016IM, try here:

http://forum.rpc1.org/dl_firmware.php?download_id=1913

Or...

The drive may just be going bad.

If you have a drive that you know is good, you can try swapping that one in and see if you can get it set to DMA mode. That will rule out anything other than the drive causing this.

[Maklershed]

Is the problem that the drive continually resets to PIO? I had that problem too and I contacted Dell customer service and they sent me a file that fixed that. I could try to find it to send to you if you'd like. But I'm not sure if thats your problem or not.

[ragtop70]

I did a live chat with a guy at I/O Magic and got the firmware updated. The problem persists.
Maklershed: It's not reverting to PIO because I can't get it to go to DMA at all. However, I'm using a Dell, so the file may be of assistance.
I found an executable file on google to reset all ATA controllers and that didn't fix it either.
As much as I hate to, I'm going to open it up tomorrow after I get some canned air. I'll blow it out and try switching IDE cables. I have a new 16X NEC burner on the primary IDE controller that's working fine. Should I leave that one alone and try the empty IDE cable or try the one I know is working properly? The second IDE cable off the Primary IDE controller is empty. Is there anything wrong with running both burners off the Primary controller?

[ITDEFX]

I get this problem from those CDs that come with those computer books (for example after effects tutorials). Although its great to have, when I put it to my system, I prey it will read, but guess what? I can hear the disc scratching, slushing, spin up , spin down, and finally lock my system. If it doesn't lock my system I do get the chance to read the directory but little to no chance of pulling the files. If I am able to pull the files, windows takes forever to pull it to the hard drive. This is not just a problem relating to my current drive, but to previous drives I have had. When I hear that scratch sound, im like oh fuck. I wonder if these publishers use some cheap replicator plant to push out there cds.

Any suggestions on how to get around this?

[CappyCobra]

I get this problem from those CDs that come with those computer books (for example after effects tutorials). Although its great to have, when I put it to my system, I prey it will read, but guess what? I can hear the disc scratching, slushing, spin up , spin down, and finally lock my system. If it doesn't lock my system I do get the chance to read the directory but little to no chance of pulling the files. If I am able to pull the files, windows takes forever to pull it to the hard drive. This is not just a problem relating to my current drive, but to previous drives I have had. When I hear that scratch sound, im like oh fuck. I wonder if these publishers use some cheap replicator plant to push out there cds.

Any suggestions on how to get around this?
Sounds like the CD is poorly pressed causing it to be unbalanced. You may want to try racheting the speed down with Nero Drive Speed.
http://www.webattack.com/get/nerodrivespeed.html

[m6oo]

As much as I hate to, I'm going to open it up tomorrow after I get some canned air. I'll blow it out and try switching IDE cables. I have a new 16X NEC burner on the primary IDE controller that's working fine. Should I leave that one alone and try the empty IDE cable or try the one I know is working properly? The second IDE cable off the Primary IDE controller is empty. Is there anything wrong with running both burners off the Primary controller?

Huh? Where's the HD hooked up in all of this?

For maximum performance your HD(s) should be on their own IDE cable and your optical (and other slow) drives on the other cable. Like this:


Primary IDE ------------------------+-------------+
| |
Other HD Boot HD
slave master

Secondary IDE ----------------------+-------------+
| |
Optical Drive Optical Drive
slave master


If you mix a HD and an optical drive on the same IDE cable, the throughput of your HD will throttle down to cooperate with the optical drive when you're using both. Since you're ALWAYS using the HD, this means an extra slowdown anytime you access the optical drive.

Anyway, I'd keep the same cables in place at first. Put the HD at the end of the primary cable by itself (set the jumper on the HD to single). Put the NEC DVD at the end of the secondary cable by itself (set the jumper to master). Then see if you can set DMA mode for the NEC drive.

[ragtop70]

You're right, the hard drive is the only drive on the primary IDE cable. Bothe burners are on the secondary cable. When I hooked the I/O Magic drive to the end of the cable, it worked in DMA. It was the only one connected and it was jumpered as cable select. I then moved it back to the middle of the cable and put the NEC back on the end and the I/O immediately reverted to PIO. This is with both jumpered as cable select. I didn't try with the NEC in the middle because this would require moving all my drives.
I didn't notice until right now that you said to master the one on the end and slave the middle. I'm going to change the jumpers right now. If that doesn't fix it, do I definitely have a bad cable?

[ragtop70]

Got the jumpers changed but it's still PIO. I don't understand how both ends of the cable could be good, but the middle bad. However, changing the cable is my next step unless someone says different.
Thanks for all the help. I now know that the drive is capable of DMA and, therefore, higher speeds. It didn't do 16X, but it read at up to 8X. Next year m6oo gets my Cheapy Awards vote for CAG hero.

[m6oo]

So....

The IO magic alone at the end of the cable as master works w/DMA, right?

The NEC alone at the end of the cable as master works w/DMA, right?

When you make the IO magic as slave in the middle and NEC master at the end, the IO magic is PIO, but the NEC is still DMA, right?

Did you try NEC as slave in the middle and IO magic as master at the end???

You can also put the IO magic alone as master on the middle connector with nothing connected at the end and try that too. This is also a valid configuration, just not "traditional." I'd also try the NEC as master alone on the middle connector as well just to be complete.

With all of this data collected, you should be able to have a good feeling about whether that middle IDE connector is bad or not. If it is, then replace the cable.

[ragtop70]

First I swapped cables and nohting changed. Then I checked and discovered the following: Either drive as master by itself on the middle connector works in DMA. Either drive as master by itself on the end connector works in DMA. The problem seems to be getting my computer to support 2 drives on the same IDE connector in DMA mode. So my computer is the problem? I'm thinking Dell must have encountered this problem before and created a patch to allow 2 optical drives on the same IDE cable to operate in DMA mode.

[m6oo]

It still could be any number of things. You tried both cables, so that tends to rule out the cabling. It could be the controller, but I doubt it. It still could be one of the optical drives not wanting to play nice in a dual drive configuration, either by failing hardware or a faulty design.

Here's the link to the Dell force DMA program:

http://ftp.us.dell.com/fixes/PIOtoDMA.exe

The next thing I would try is to throw another good DVD drive into the mix to see if either of your existing drives will play nice with it.

[ragtop70]

I chatted with 2 different Dell agents last night. The first one had me download a BIOS update. The file required a floppy drive to update the BIOS. Dell's cheaper PCs don't come with floppy drives or even a bracket to install one. I soon discovered that I couldn't boot the computer from my USB floppy so that was all for naught. The second person directed me to the PushDMA2 file you just provided the link for. The file does work, but I have to use it each time I reboot. No problem there. I'm finally in DMA!
However, my old drive still isn't performing. I made the same DVD on each drive. The I/O Magic took 41 minutes longer than the NEC. I think it's time to ditch this drive and buy the $20 Lite-On DVD ROM drive I've been watching on NewEgg.