OMG, PLEASE tell me that I'm not stuck with PIO mode 4 hd?!?!

[RSI]

I've had this 20GB 7200rpm Quantum HD for a long time now, and it's always been running at UDMA, but set to ATA33, not ATA66 like it could be - cause I had the old Socket 7 mobo. But now I have a new mobo and K7-1.3, and I'm stuck in PIO mode 4!! It detects it as ATA66 and I have the ATA66 cable, but no DMA! It lags like a BITCH when I install stuff! It's HORRIBLE.

The bios detects the hd as pio mode 4.. if I set it manually to pio mode 5, hte next screen still says pio mode 4 and in windows it still says pio mode instead of DMA, even though DMA if available is checked...

No, I can't flash the BIOS (unable to, "flash part not available" apparently).

Yes, I have checked the BIOS to see if PIO mode is at the highest level or on AUTO. I have tried switching primary/secondary drives, tried with only the HD, tried with different ATA33 and ATA33 cables. Same result every time. PIO mode 4. Same result in windows, PIO mode, even though "DMA if available" is selected.

There MUST be something I can do!?

-RSI

 

[JC]

Try the Quantum HD diagnosis software. Maybe it will let you change the setting on the HD like Western Digital's software.

JC

 

[klein297]

I always thought PIO mode 4 was ATA66 and PIO mode 5 was ATA100. If you're using ATA 33 cables thats exactly what you are going to get, ATA33. You have to use ATA 66 or ATA100 cables to get your harddrive to run at 66 or 100.

 

[RSI]

<< I always thought PIO mode 4 was ATA66 and PIO mode 5 was ATA100. If you're using ATA 33 cables thats exactly what you are going to get, ATA33. You have to use ATA 66 or ATA100 cables to get your harddrive to run at 66 or 100. >>

Ok, what the ??? I don't know HOW you got that from what I typed.

It is stuck not using DMA at all. You can not download the Quantum software anymore, and although Maxtor claims that their software works with Quantums, it doesn't for me.

I am using an ATA66 cable for an ATA66 drive and it shows up as ATA66 in the BIOS. That is NOT the problem. It is simply staying in PIO mode instead of DMA! But why? The BIOS thinks it should be like that! But it shouldn't!

-RSI

 

[mschell]

You say the drive was "set" to ATA/33. Was that done with Quantums firmware mod that allowed the then new ATA/66 drives to run on older systems. If so then you have to use the firmware mod again to restore the drive to ATA/66 operation. Another thing to check in the BIOS is Block Mode enable but if it is set as disabled then you might want to backup the drive before you change it as modifying it can corrupt all the data on the drive. As a last resort try a different IDE cable, preferably a 80pin type if it will fit.

 

[Adul]

try going into windows and forcing DMA one. also are you using the via 4-1 drivers?

 

[zephyrprime]

What mobo do you have?

also,
klein297: no PIO mode is equivalent to a DMA mode. PIO 4 has half the throughput of Ultra33.

The DMA modes have their own numbering scheme:

I think it's:

Ultra33 = DMA mode 3
Ultra66 = DMA mode 4
Ultra100 = DMA mode 5
Ultra133 = DMA mode 6

Modes 1&2 also exists. The were made before the "Ultra" moniker was adopted. I believe that mode 1 ran at 12MBps (maybe) and mode 2 ran at 16.67MBps (definitely).

 

[JC]

RSI- I have some version of the Quantum software, LMK I could upload it so you could download it. Remember I'm not positive if it lets you set the transfer mode.

JC

 

[RSI]

Ugh.
The comment on older systems... it's nothing to do with using 33 instead of 66 for older systems!! 66 is assbackwards compatible. so if you have an ATA66 drive and ATA66 cable, (or ata100 for that matter), it will work perfectly w/a mobo that only supports 33. it will just run at 33! that's not my problem at all.

Liferboy: via 4-in-1's? I have an ECS K7S5A.

-RSI

 

[Insane3D]

RSI -

On the CD that comes with your ECS motherboard, there is a reg hack program that will force UDMA on your HD. I had the same problem with a recent customer build. It would show the 60GXP 40gb drive in the post screen as "UDMA Mode 5", but in Win2K it would always say PIO mode. I am at work now, but I believe the file is in the Sis\SisIDE(or something)\Win2K folder. Double click that program and reboot...it should now be running in UDMA mode..

If you have trouble finding the file, PM me and I will try to help further from here...

 

[RSI]

<< RSI -

On the CD that comes with your ECS motherboard, there is a reg hack program that will force UDMA on your HD. I had the same problem with a recent customer build. It would show the 60GXP 40gb drive in the post screen as "UDMA Mode 5", but in Win2K it would always say PIO mode. I am at work now, but I believe the file is in the Sis\SisIDE(or something)\Win2K folder. Double click that program and reboot...it should now be running in UDMA mode..

If you have trouble finding the file, PM me and I will try to help further from here... >>

There's a difference, though. In your case it says udma5. In my case it DOES NOT. It says PIO mode 4. :|

I'm afraid to try to "force" it. and last time I installed IDE drivers that weren't automatically loaded, the comp would not boot, it got ugly.

-RSI

 

[RSI]

btw, i found the utility. and guess what it says in the readme?

"For SiS530/620/630/540,"

My chipset is the SiS735.

-RSI

 

[Insane3D]

The bios always says PIO mode 4 in the setup screen, but when it posts it says "UDMA 66" right? The utility will work...trust me...I've done it on two customer builds already and it works everytime...

 

[aka1nas]

Also, not only is PIO slower than UDMA, it also uses your CPU(Hence Programmed Input/Ouput). Thats a big part of the lag factor as it slows down the rest of your machine when you do file transfers.

 

[RSI]

Ok, I'm alright with it still SAYING PIO in the post screen... but it's USING it. And the force dma utility on the cd, says it's for OTHER chipsets, NOT the SiS735 which the K7S5A uses. Are you CERTAIN that you have SUCCESSFULLY used that particular file on the K7S5A?

-RSI

 

[RSI]

OK I tried the utility and it works! thanks a lot!

shows Ultra DMA in win2k now... *phew*.

now i'm trying to make a bootable cd... ahhhhhhck.

-RSI

 

[RSI]

I tried... I'm unable to. It says flash chip/part not available. Anyway, I fixed my problem, WITHOUT a bios update, so that's good.

-RSI

 

[mschell]

RSI
If you review your history you will remember that Quantum was one of the first to release a UDMA/66 drive. Although UDMA/66 was susposed to be backwards compatible with UDMA/33 and prior, certain motherboard using Intel TX chipsets and Intel busmaster controllers would run with very slow transfer rates or corrupt data in the worst case. To fix this Quantum released a utility to cap the drives transfer rate to UDMA/33.
Now fast foward to the present - I made the suggestion based on the belief that a modern day chipset might incorrectly identify an older drive with modified firmware and assign it a transfer rate below UDMA/33, just a guess really as most people nowadays pair a modern drive with a modern motherboard but I'm glad you got your problem fixed.