burner in PIO mode, tech help reply?

[vinniedub]

Hi all, got myself a shiny new laptop and have spent a LOT of time setting it up. Burned a couple of DVD's and noticed it took ages, checked the settings and noticed the burner is in PIO mode only. I deleted the drive and re-booted to no avail, burner is still in PIO mode.
Tech help reply suggested 'ruling out' a software problem by returning the machine to factory settings ie using the boot disc, meaning all the work I've already done will be lost, this seems a bit far fetched and too much of a standard reply as well as a lazy *** way of fault finding.
My question is, how likely is it that a software issue could be causing this?
I have absolutely no intention of losing all the work I've done setting the machine up

[BlackDiamondJr]

Not enough information provided.

What model laptop?
What model DVD burner?

[vinniedub]

Laptop is Acer Aspire 3634WLMi fitted with Phillips DVD SDVD 8441 firmware version P646

[BlackDiamondJr]

Try deleting both the drive AND the pertaining IDE Controller in Device Manager.

Often the problem lies not with the drive but with the IDE Controller.

http://forum.lgsoftwareinnovations.com/showthread.php?t=12662

[handyguy]

There is a registry hack around if you want to search for it.

It could also be your dvd media that is causing it.

[Roger The Shrubber]

It could also be your dvd media that is causing it.

No it can't. DVD media has nothing to do with DMA or PIO mode. that is a hardware function. Have you tried to manually set it to DMA mode?

[Van Nugent]

It could also be your dvd media that is causing it.It's possible because when the drive has hard time to read the media, the system will switch to the next lower mode as it assumes that the current mode is not supported. Removing the IDE controllers then rebooting the system will fix the problem in this case. If this doesn't fix the problem then bad media was not the cause, we'll need to check for driver/BIOS updates for the mobo.

This problem often happens on mobos with Intel and VIA chipsets.

[BlackDiamondJr]

A drive's ability to properly calculate the proper write speed for any given media is entirely dependent on the firmware. Based upon media identification (MID CODES) the burnware extracts the information embedded in the firmware and adjust the write parameters accordingly. This includes available write strategies and OPC (Optimum Power Control) or laser calibration.

If a drive cannot properly ascertain media identification, then the firmware instructs the burnware to access the "default write strategy" which is the lowest available write speed. The burn process may yet fail if proper laser calibration for this media cannot be achieved.

This does not switch device interface modes from DMA to PIO.

Windows XP has long been known to sometimes have issues setting the proper device transfer mode for some devices and as mentioned above, there is a Registry hack that forces Windows XP to set the transfer mode to DMA.

However, this should only be exploited when all else has failed.

My troubleshooting would first start at the source.
I'd first check the BIOS to ensure that the settings support that transfer mode.
Next, I would uninstall both the drive and the offending IDE Controller in Device Manager and force redetection by rebooting.

It is also possible that these efforts could be futile if hardware problems exist or faulty connecting cables are playing a role here.

[vinniedub]

Thanks for the interest and replies, followed BlacDiamondJr's first piece of advice and deleted BOTH device and controller. This seems to have sorted the problem. I'll get it checked by burning a DVD and get back. Meanwhile tech help from ACER continues to insist the problem is more likely to be software related and that my first step should be to reinstall back to the factory settings.

[vinniedub]

Burned a DVD, everything as it should be. Checked and burner is still in DMA mode after the burn. Thanks to all. Off now to give the ACER tech an earful lol

[Van Nugent]

Thanks for the interest and replies, followed BlacDiamondJr's first piece of advice and deleted BOTH device and controller. This seems to have sorted the problem.That meant the drive once had a difficult time to READ some media so the system had switched to the lower transfer mode regardless of the WRITE strategy in the firmware :). As I said above, this happens more often with Intel and VIA chipsets.