LG GCE-8400B Enabling DMA Windows XP HELP!!!!

[krj]

Hey! Im new here. Ive been having problems with my setup and this seemed like the best place to post.

I recently upgraded from Windows 98SE to XP and when I did so my burner became awfully slow and began to use all resources while burning. I believed it to be a DMA setting problem and attempted to change the setting with no success. The setting remains on PIO Mode no matter what I try. I have tried deleting and reinstalling the controller, deleting the SlavedataID in the registry, switching b/w PIO Only and DMA, updating Chipset drivers and nothing works. I know that this drive is only supposed to support PIO Mode 4 and not UDMA 33 but shouldnt I still be able to set the drive to DMA. If not, what else could the problem be??? Before upgrading, I could burn a 700Mb cd in 2.5 mins or so and now its more like 10-12 mins.

PIII 866 384 Mb RAM LG-GEC-8400B Motherboard: CUV4X-E
OS: Windows XP Professional

HELP ME PLEASE!!

[krj]

Another symptom I noticed since upgrading is that the Buffer goes up and down all the time. I assume this is why it takes so long to burn, the underrun must reset and start (about 8-10secs each time). Even the "Time Remaining" in ECDC counts down from 2 Mins but actually takes 10 Mins or more. Hope this and the above info can help you in helping me!!

[Han]

The buffer is jumping up and down because you try to burn at max speed in PIO mode. This mode can handle up to 12x, which takes around 8 minutes for a full CD. Buffer underruns actually slow the burning process even more...

Your burner supports MultiWord DMA Mode 2. If there is really no way to enable this mode, try to put it on the same cable with a device that works in DMA mode.

[cfitz]

It sounds like you have read the FAQ on DMA problems in XP. That was a good start, and thanks. Have you tried using a different cable? Have you tried moving the drive to the other IDE channel? What is your BIOS setting for the transfer mode of your drive? What is your complete IDE setup, all devices on all channelsl?

cfitz

[krj]

Thanks for your reply. Actually the burner is on the same cable as my Asus DVD-ROM for which DMA is on. I still cant get the burner to change to DMA. This was never a problem before I upgraded to XP. I am trying to find a solution that would enable me to keep XP installed. Any other ideas would be appreciated.

I also noticed that in my BIOS, it will not allow me to set it to DMA. I do not remember if it did this before the upgrade. However I didnt think the OS upgrade would affect my BIOS settings.

[krj]

Yes I did check the FAQ for DMA in XP . I like to search around a lot before I bother people with a question, but this one really has me stumped. I havent tried changing any of the IDE (physical) setup because it worked perfectly last week on 98SE so I figured I should be able to get it to work in XP. I have 4 IDE devices on: Maxtor 20gig, WD 100gig, Asus DVD-ROM, and the LG GCE-8400B. The hard drives are together (maxtor is the master), and the cd drives are together (Asus is the master). My first step is trying to figure out the incompatibilty with XP. This, logically, should solve my problem. If I cannot figure out this problem then i will try different physical setups. Thanks again for your responses.

I have not called LG Cust. Serv. yet because the Canadian division is closed on weekends. Does anyone think they will be able or willing to help me? Luckily, I have not had to deal with them before, but I guess my luck is about to run out.