Should I use PIO or DMA mode for protections?
 

I was wondering - would it be better to use PIO mode instead of UDMA mode for my Litey CD-RW? PIO is much slower, but since the data goes through CPU - maybe its more precise in a way?

The subtleties of PIO and (U)DMA are WAY beyond my scope :( , but this I have read:

"[...] DMA gives you CRC checking for data going over the IDE cable while PIO does not"

In other words, DMA is better if error-correction is what U want.

Besides, just because data goes though CPU doesn't mean PIO is more precise - CD-reader/burner accuracy still remains the same...

Furthermore, using PIO during a burning session implies putting more strain on CPU - this would tend to reduce data flow to the writer, causing buffer level to drop and burn-proof to activate, thereby seriously slowing down the writing process.

Hope this helps...

Well, due to terrible nFroce 2 drivers - I am forced to use PIO for my CD-RW :o . Still can make great working copies! :D

That's strange :confused:
I also have Nforce2, yet DMA is on for all 4 IDE devices according to Nero Infotool, and my reader & burner work perfectly.

Perhaps this depends on your OS AND Nforce2 drivers.

Try to update these, and may the Nforce be with you :D

I got ASUS A7N8X-Deluxe, revision 1.04, 1006 BIOS with enhanced SATA...
I tried the generic IDE drivers, and latest SW IDE drivers (optimized, latency, etc) and niether ones allow my DVD-ROM and CD-RW work in UDMA mode when they are on one cable...
I do not know why...
Oh well..

@Machina hope this helps-
www.nforcershq.com/forum
&
www.tech-report.com/forums/

ps:
see if u can change 2 ASUS A7N8X-Deluxe, revision 2.00..suppose 2 be better....

I'm at nForcersHQ for 6 months now, they do not have a clue...

Dark side of the Nforce ?
 

A silly question perhaps, but have U selected 'DMA if available' for the secondary IDE controller ?

No I'm sure U have, just leaving out the obvious first.

Yet there are a few things you should check out:

- Have U correctly set the master/slave jumpers for your CD drives ? (One should be on 'master', the other on 'slave') ? ;)

- Is your PRIMARY IDE channel (ie. your hard drives) using DMA or is it on PIO too ?

- Have U got any IRQ conflicts (eg. what are the primary and secondary IDE controlers' IRQs) ?

- Do U have APIC (not ACPI) enabled in the BIOS ? Was it enabled before and during Windows installation ? (APIC gives you more IRQs)

- Is your HAL (Hardware Abstraction Layer) set to 'Advanced ACPI' or just 'Standard PC' ?

- Am I asking too many questions ?

Blah, I checked all this, I know for 100% that its my DVD-ROM that causes the issue, since i tried using another CD-RW isntead of it (2CD-RWs on the same cable) - it works....

You are using generic drivers pal, and I use optimized (SW IDE).
I managed to fix it!! It would not work at UDMA-33, but it works at UDMA-25, which is UDMA 1!!

YEY!
I still do not have a clue why they made CD-ROMs UDMA 2 compatible, 52x = 7.2Mb transfer MAX, so even UDMA 0 (16Mb/sec) is overkill...

Not so fast
 

O O O not so fast dude

I don't know what U're talking about - "generic" drivers ? "optimized" drivers ?!? As far as I know I've only seen the official WHQL-certified nforce2 drivers - which include those for IDE controller & all the rest. I'm using the latest: version 2.45, and according to BIOS both my CD-RW and DVD-ROM are running at UDMA mode 2 hehe ;)

Anyways glad U solved the prob - except for the fact that for now U'll have to make do without DVD reading, so much 4 "optimized drivers".. :D

Simple & obvious - to allow for progress. With CD devices getting faster and faster, it won't be long till even UDMA mode 2 can't keep up..
Think of Windows 2000 for example: at the time it was developped, PCs with over 256 Mb RAM were scarce - yet Win2000 supports up to 4 Gb RAM!

No, no, what I meant is that if I remove my DVD-ROM and put another CD-RW instead - both CD-RWs will work at full UDMA 2 with optimized drivers.

If I leave DVD-ROM, I can do UDMA 1 which is 25Mb/sec which does not make any slower for me (hence 52x=7.2Mb).

Yes, with GENERIC drivers ALL you can choose is PIO or UDMA 2.
I cannot use UDMA 2 - therefore generic drivers would be even WORSE, since I would be FORCED to use PIO.
With optimized SW IDE drivers - I can choose PIO 0-4, MultiWord 02, and UDMA 0-2 :D . So much better than generic...

As far as 2.45 WHQL - erm, well, real PROs do not use PACKAGE versions. Your IDE drivers ARE generic form Microsoft.
nVidia released SW IDE drivers, (SW = SOFTWARE), which optmize the latency of the chipset, and make things a WHOLE lot faster. Currently these drivers have a few bugs, and are NOT official, they are in BETA stage. One of the bugs is that when you restart yoru PC - it shuts down your hard drive and you have to wait extra time for the hard drive to start spinning again.
Overall though, drivers are really good...

New set of OFFICIAL drivers will be released within 2 weeks or so, and WILL contain SW IDE drivers (so when you install it - it will ask if you want to install SW IDE - say YES).

Sorry for off-topic

OK now I get it thx 4 the tip :cool:

SW IDE drivers. Interesting... never heard of these before...

which means I shouldn't be using them either.. :D


Can't wait to try these SW drivers. Not for the wider choice in transfer modes (since Ill always choose UDMA mode 2 - the best) but the increase in performance - if this is true.
Problem is, as U said the only such SW drivers for now are in beta version. Now experience has taught me that this very word means "beware" - especially when it comes to beta BIOS, but also other stuff such as drivers. So I'll just wait till the "official" ones are released :o


Semper idem, sed aliter

Drivers were not beta when 2.41 package was released, but people had so many problems with them, that they had to pull the drivers back, which made them BAD BETA. I got an updated version BAD BETA, and they seem fine, except for the hard drive shut down bug.

Yeah I've heard too about the 2.41 drivers issue.

So-called official drivers crawling with bugs that make 'em more crappy than alpha releases, and beta versions that seem to outperform them...

Sacrebleu! Can't trust anyone these days .. :mad:

What is SACREBLEU and what do I eat it with?