Is there a tool for seeing what Win2k is actually doing with my devices?

[troubledshooter]

I have been trying to get DMA enabled on my secondary IDE chain on my Abit KT7 for some time. I have a plexwriter 12x10x32A and a 12x Toshiba DVD drive there, and despite all my efforts, win2k still reports that they are using "PIO Mode".

I was curious if anyone knew of a more comprehensive tool for viewing this kind of information and perhaps IRQ settings all at once.

thanks

And or does anyone know how to get that DMA enabled?

__________________
Win2k SP1 with all MS updates installed minus newest windows media player

Abit KT7 motherboard-newest VIA 4-in-1, bios
AMD Thunderbird 950
256 Micron pc133 RAM
12x DVD toshiba
12x10x32A plexwriter-firmware 1.07
eVGA geforce2 MX-5.32 Nvidia win2k drivers
20.5 GB 7200 RPM Western Digital HD

 

[fkloster]

Firmware on the 12/10/32a is only up to 1.02 Not 1.07 Whats up?

 

[Dennis Travis]

Go to the administrative Tools menu. Click on Computer Management. It's under System Information/ Hardware Resources.

 

[troubledshooter]

Quite right, I am using 1.02.

Still no DMA though

 

[AngelOfDeath]

I know that my plextor can't use dma in win2k, but my Toshiba 12x is using dma. If you go to device manager you should be able to see the mode they use. Don't know if the new 12x10x32 plextor are able to use dma. But after I choose 'UDMA if available' it showed PIO mode for my Plextor. Don't know a solution to this. But on Plextors homepage is says that it's a PIO mode.

AoD

 

[troubledshooter]

Did you do anything special toget DMA enabled on your tosh dvd?

thanks

 

[AngelOfDeath]

Yes...Go to the Device Manager and double-click on IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers. Double-Click on primary IDE channel. Choose the advanced tab, and choose 'UDMA mode if available'. Do that for all devices and also for the Secondary IDE channel. Restart and now all the devices that support UDMA is activated.

AoD

 

[troubledshooter]

All that done but.... you said "Do that for all devices and also for the Secondary IDE channel." Do you mean that all your EIDE devices appear under IDE ATA/ATAPI menu? For me I just see:

Primary IDE Channel
Secondary IDE Channel
VIA Bus Master IDE channel

In the properties for each of these, I have enabled DMA for all devices, yet 2 devices of which I am 100% sure support DMA continue to read:

Transfer Mode: DMA if avail
Current Transfer Mode: PIO

My primary chain automatically asigned UDMA to my HD.

I am COMPLETELY puzzled.

oh well, thanks again

 

[AngelOfDeath]

Just do it for the primary and secondary channel. If that's done already then the DVD should have DMA enabled . just look at the branch you put it on and it should say UDMA in the grey box right under the choose-box.

AoD



<< Do you mean that all your EIDE devices appear under IDE ATA/ATAPI menu? >>

Yes, unless you have a pci-ATA controller installed.

 

[troubledshooter]

I know what it SHOULD say..I also know what it says:

PIO Mode



thanks though