WinXP and DMA mode

[Mikele]

I've installed a Compaq/Pioneer 116 DVD drive, and I can't get WinXP to use DMA mode with it, it always defaults to PIO mode. It's set as slave on the secondary IDE channel, the master is a Western Digital HD, which is working correctly in Ultra DMA mode 4. I don't know if it has something to do with WinXP or with the drive. Anybody had the same problem?
TIA.

[Milkman Dan]

Well first, you should always put CD-ROM type devices on a separate chain from your hard disks. Most burners (like Plextor) don't work as well if they aren't the Master in a chain. Further, this can slow down your hard disks, although I believe that varies.

It should work anyway though, so I'm not sure. but Try moving jus to see.

[Mikele]

It looks like the problem is my Western Digital. If I set it to master, it doesn't allow the slave DVD-ROM to work in DMA mode. If I set it to slave, the bios doesn't recognize any drive in that IDE channel. Weird.

[sommersby]

Well, milkman is right, move it off your hard drive ide or it will slow down your hard drive, Use it on the ide bus and see what happens.

[Mikele]

I've flashed the drive with a RPC1 firmware and now XP has turned DMA mode on. It's working great now... maybe the original firmware was defective and it was telling the OS that no DMA mode was possible.

[sommersby]

could be, or it could be XP wanted the latest firmware, your not the first to need a firmware upgrade with XP....*S*