Computer Runs Very Slow

Some variation is quite normal.

About NERO. Reports about its DVD skills are less than always happy. You may be adding to such.

1X on a DVD is about 1 hour. So 4X at 30 minutes could be just about right if any processing is occuring.

Bob

I am not sure what is going on totally with the computer but I have just burnt a DVD from an ISO file. The file was about 2500MB and it burnt in about 12 minutes. The Buffer Level stayed at about 95% constantly and the Used Read buffer stayed at 100%. I am now burning another DVD of about the same size and the buffer level is jumping all over the show and it is taking over 20 minutes. Something has to be wrong. I havent got any other processes running apart from what is already loaded up.
Any ideas?
Chris

But I don't use Nero. The length if time it takes to complete depends on the type of DVD I'm burning. My question, does the finished DVD work? If it is a movie, does it play? If is is data/photos, can you access it?

Yes they all play ok apart from now and again I have a few coasters but I think this is the norm. I am at the minute burning a music CD (On my tower) and it seems to me completely whacky. It says it is burning at 40x but it is taking upto 8 minutes to finish, I am sure this is not right. Also the read buffer is all over the place and the used read buffer goes from 100% to 0% and the disc pauses and then starts again. From discs I burn here on my laptop I know this is not right, it has a maximum of 24x and it burns a full disc in 5 mins (CD).....or my laptop runs differently.

Chris

Thirty minutes for a DVD is not. It does sound like something is wrong.

Nero's great stuff, but I see nothing wrong here. You ask a machine to work, it works.

Your complaint is how smooth it may do this. There is no error to tackle here, just perception.

Much like nailing jello to the wall or herding cats, it can't be done well.

Bob

I take aboard what you are saying about my system but it is just not normal. I am sat here with a laptop that has a 24 x CD burner in it. I can run Nero and it will burn a full CD in about 4 minutes. Now I go to my Tower and try and do the same thing and it is taking well over 7 minutes with stops and starts along the way. Before this tower I had exactly the same setup but with an older motherboard (Previously ASRock now ASRock KV7TA Pro). The memory is identical, the processor is identical and so are the hardrives although I may of had them configured a little differently. It was 10 times the speed of what I have now. If if ran smoothly before the only thing I can look at is the motherboard or the hard drive configuration or something is wrong with the software or operating system. Unfortunately I dont know where to look first.

1. Read http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/device/storage/IDE-DMA.mspx

It's a simple procedure. If you don't do this, please tell why.

2. XP, the install. What is not told to new Windows installers (people) is that Microsoft does not update your BIOS, motherboard drivers or much else. ALL THIS IS THE INSTALLERS responsibility. Many machines such as Dell or HP when new will have all this done for us. But your machine sounds like a homebrew or small shop item.

So far, there is nothing wrong here. You do not have duplicate machines to compare and you may not know about all the BIOS firmware updates, motherboard drivers and maybe a firmware update to the CD recorder in question.

I re-read this thread and don't see if you are doing all this.

Bob

Hi again, many thanks for your replies. I have looked at the Microsoft site in question and all is ok as far as DMA is concerned. I have installed all the drivers for my system from all of the vendors websites so they are all upto date. The only thing I havent done is updated the BIOS as I havent got a floppy installed but from what I have read on the website none of the BIOS version updates refer to my problems. As for the DVD/CD Writer it has a program that connects to the internet to check for a newer firmware update and all is ok.
I know that it seems to you that I am trying to weld fire to ice but from the small experience I have of building PC's (by no means extent) it is definately running very oddly. I close windows and they take over 10 seconds to disappear. I try to open an application after I have just been using another one and the new application takes over 10 seconds to load. I know this isnt a lot but it is significant when I have a laptop here that is older than my Tower with less specifications and it runs like a charm. Many thanks for any help.

I asked for WHY YOU DID NOT DO THE DMA PROCEDURE.

It's a simple thing, zero impact. You fell into the trap of looking but not doing.

WHY?

I dont want to sound rude but do I detect your a little hostile? I did try the DMA thing after reading it on the other thread where people were having problems with XP running slow before you suggested it. It hasnt done anything.......I changed it to PIO and rebooted then changed it back to DMA and rebooted and nothing.Its actually at Ultra DMA mode 5. Its still running slow or slower than I think it should be running.

A reboot was not called for in the procedure.

Your reply didn't just say "I did it" and now you didn't follow the procedure exactly.

It helps to know why you didn't follow the procedure as noted.

-> The issue here is that you can't rely on what is reported in that display. It's a bug in XP that I wish Microsoft would fix. It leads to dicussions where I ask for people to accomplish the procedure but they just look and say its fine.

Hope this explains why I have to keep asking.

Bob

I feel like I am in a role playing game at the moment but I am happy to keep going. If i didnt do the procedure correctly, how is one to do it? The website you directed me too didnt go into too much detail.

"To enable DMA mode using the Device Manager

1. Open Device Manager.

2. Double-click IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers to display the list of controllers and channels.

3. Right-click the icon for the channel to which the device is connected, select Properties, and then click the Advanced Settings tab.

4. In the Current Transfer Mode drop-down box, select DMA if Available if the current setting is "PIO Only."
If the drop-down box already shows "DMA if Available" but the current transfer mode is PIO, then the user must toggle the settings. That is:
? Change the selection from "DMA if available" to PIO only, and click OK.
? Then repeat the steps above to change the selection to DMA if Available."

I didn't create the issue with XP, and only hope you can understand the procedure as presented.

---------->>> Next up. Email me your HIJACKTHIS LOG from that machine if its still acting oddly.

And why did you keep this machine? That is, it's fairly new. What is the supplier saying about this?

Why I ask is that clues might be in those details.

Bob

Memory boosters were flighty 10 years ago and still are.

Your choice, but I wouldn't do that for a variety of reasons. One being that it could conflict and soak the CPU during intensive operations.

If this was my machine I'd fix the items noted by http://www.hijackthis.de/index.php

Bob