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General discussion

DVD Writer slowing down suddenly...help!

Nov 28, 2004 1:02AM PST

I have the Plextor 708A/ XP (SP2)/Powerspec 8705/ 40GB/Nero 6 DVD software

For a year the Plextor has performed magnificently. The DVDs it writes tend to be perfect. It writes at 4x with no problems.
Lately I am finding that the buffer rate fluctuates during the writing phase (it used to remain near maximum), and the entire phase takes twice or 3 times as long as it used to--a normally 14-minute burn now can take as long as 45 min! I have not changed media or any settings. I did move recently and the PC was of course shut down completely--but the Plextor performed normally the first few times I used it after the move. It seems that something has gone wrong and I can't figure out what. I checked the DMA options for the IDE controls and they are all on --except for channel 2, which does not let me change it from PIO (??). Can this be the problem?
I think the Plextor is seen as device "0" by the computer, if that matters

This seems to be a DVD-only issue, CD writing has been normal.

Thanks for any and all info

JM

Discussion is locked

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Re: DVD Writer slowing down suddenly...help!
Nov 28, 2004 1:15AM PST

That's a lot of data to move on PIO mode.

To resolve that I usually change the IDE cable from 40 conductor to 80. Then rejumper to the new settings (cable select). Then I make sure...

1. The BIOS is current.
2. The motherboard drivers are latest.
3. No spyware is present.
4. I retry the DMA mode.

Some will not do all this work "because it worked before" and for those I have to let them stew longer until they get a little more tender to move out and do the changes.

In closing my very expensive Pioneer did similar at one year. It died totally a few months later and a new Teac 8X drive was 49 bucks so I don't feel too bad.

Bob

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Re: DVD Writer slowing down suddenly...help!
Nov 28, 2004 7:03AM PST

Thanks Bob

How do I go about changing that IDE cable? Does it require going into the computer 'box'?

How do I update BIOS?

Thanks for the help
JM

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Re: DVD Writer slowing down suddenly...help!
Nov 28, 2004 7:19AM PST

IDE cables are easy to work with and for me the last 80 conductor cable was all of 2 bucks on my last mail order...

http://www.duxcw.com/digest/Howto/cdrom/index.html shows some pictures of what to expect.

Updating the BIOS and its steps are very specific to your machine. I can't know this or share any specific steps, but it's usually at the machine maker's web site.

And yes, we always like to open the box. If nothing else than to remove the dust bunnies that keep the machine too warm.

Bob

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Here's the easy solution!
Dec 3, 2004 9:16PM PST

Just to let y'all know. As you know, the secondary IDE channel needs to be set to DMA, but it was locked into PIO mode. I was told that this channel can be deleted very simply with a right click on it. Then you restart the computer and the channel is back with DMA enabled! The DVD writer is back up to original speed and all appears to be well. No need to uninstall the burner, or change cables.
I was also told on the Microsoft site that this happens if the writer encounters 6 problematic situations reading a disc, Windows will "permanently" downgrade to PIO mode. But with this easy fix it can be remedied.

Thanks again for all your input
JM

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And how to reduce errors...
Dec 3, 2004 10:30PM PST