Problems with PIO, Maxtor 160Gb and A7A266 with Ali chipset

[panther]

Hi,
I'm an unhappy owner of a Maxtor 160Gb hard drive (6L160P0). I'm
unhappy because I'm not able to make it use the UltraDMA mode, but only
the slow PIO4 mode. I have WinXP Pro sp2.
My motherboard is an Asus A7A266 with Alimagik1 chipset (North bridge
Ali M1647, South bridge Ali M1535D+) with the latest BIOS (1013 beta).
I also have a Samsung 40Gb hard disk that works perfectly in UDMA5.

I tried uninstalling and reinstalling IDE channels from device manager,
but I still have PIO4.
I checked BIOS, setting either "Auto" or "Manual" in HD configuration
(manual udma6, udma5 etc...). No way.

I downloaded Ali/Uli integrated drivers v2.096, then I enabled mini-IDE
driver (v1.5.10) modifying the "install.ini" file and installed it. No
success, hd still uses PIO.
Now in device manager under the IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers I have "Ali
M5229 PCI Bus Master IDE Controller".
I tried forcing UDMA changing "MasterDeviceTimingModeAllowed" and
"MasterDeviceTimingMode" keys in registry (ffffffff and 10010), nothing
to do.

I tried downloading and installing the old Ali UltraIDE driver
v4.0.0.8, which simulates SCSI drives using IDE units. IT WORKS! But:
standby/hibernate function doesn't work anymore and my DVD unit cannot
read disks (it returns I/O errors). Plus I read from other people that
there are many problems with CD/DVD recording.

Hardware is OK, cables are 80 pin, all settings are perfect.

I think I'm not the only one who has these problems, I'd like to know
if there is a solution to this. Will Ali distribute new drivers to
solve this problem? And when? I purchased this Maxtor HD to work with
video, but in PIO mode there's no way to do it. It's almost useless!!!

Thanks all.

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

IDE ATA and ATAPI disks use PIO mode after multiple time-out or CRC errors occur
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;817472
--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows XP - Shell/User
Microsoft Newsgroups

Get Windows XP Service Pack 2 with Advanced Security Technologies:
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/protect/windowsxp/choose.mspx

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"panther" wrote:

| Hi,
| I'm an unhappy owner of a Maxtor 160Gb hard drive (6L160P0). I'm
| unhappy because I'm not able to make it use the UltraDMA mode, but only
| the slow PIO4 mode. I have WinXP Pro sp2.
| My motherboard is an Asus A7A266 with Alimagik1 chipset (North bridge
| Ali M1647, South bridge Ali M1535D+) with the latest BIOS (1013 beta).
| I also have a Samsung 40Gb hard disk that works perfectly in UDMA5.
|
| I tried uninstalling and reinstalling IDE channels from device manager,
| but I still have PIO4.
| I checked BIOS, setting either "Auto" or "Manual" in HD configuration
| (manual udma6, udma5 etc...). No way.
|
| I downloaded Ali/Uli integrated drivers v2.096, then I enabled mini-IDE
| driver (v1.5.10) modifying the "install.ini" file and installed it. No
| success, hd still uses PIO.
| Now in device manager under the IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers I have "Ali
| M5229 PCI Bus Master IDE Controller".
| I tried forcing UDMA changing "MasterDeviceTimingModeAllowed" and
| "MasterDeviceTimingMode" keys in registry (ffffffff and 10010), nothing
| to do.
|
| I tried downloading and installing the old Ali UltraIDE driver
| v4.0.0.8, which simulates SCSI drives using IDE units. IT WORKS! But:
| standby/hibernate function doesn't work anymore and my DVD unit cannot
| read disks (it returns I/O errors). Plus I read from other people that
| there are many problems with CD/DVD recording.
|
| Hardware is OK, cables are 80 pin, all settings are perfect.
|
| I think I'm not the only one who has these problems, I'd like to know
| if there is a solution to this. Will Ali distribute new drivers to
| solve this problem? And when? I purchased this Maxtor HD to work with
| video, but in PIO mode there's no way to do it. It's almost useless!!!
|
| Thanks all.

[Peter]

Hi,

I would think the 160GB Maxtor HDD is connected as slave and the small Hdd
is the master.
Make sure both Hdds are set to cable select and ensure you are using a 40
Pin 80 wires IDE cable. If in doubt, buy a new IDE cable as it is very cheap.
Ensure DMA mode are enabled in BIOS for both IDE channels.
--
Peter

Post by panther
Hi,
I'm an unhappy owner of a Maxtor 160Gb hard drive (6L160P0). I'm
unhappy because I'm not able to make it use the UltraDMA mode, but only
the slow PIO4 mode. I have WinXP Pro sp2.
My motherboard is an Asus A7A266 with Alimagik1 chipset (North bridge
Ali M1647, South bridge Ali M1535D+) with the latest BIOS (1013 beta).
I also have a Samsung 40Gb hard disk that works perfectly in UDMA5.
I tried uninstalling and reinstalling IDE channels from device manager,
but I still have PIO4.
I checked BIOS, setting either "Auto" or "Manual" in HD configuration
(manual udma6, udma5 etc...). No way.
I downloaded Ali/Uli integrated drivers v2.096, then I enabled mini-IDE
driver (v1.5.10) modifying the "install.ini" file and installed it. No
success, hd still uses PIO.
Now in device manager under the IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers I have "Ali
M5229 PCI Bus Master IDE Controller".
I tried forcing UDMA changing "MasterDeviceTimingModeAllowed" and
"MasterDeviceTimingMode" keys in registry (ffffffff and 10010), nothing
to do.
I tried downloading and installing the old Ali UltraIDE driver
standby/hibernate function doesn't work anymore and my DVD unit cannot
read disks (it returns I/O errors). Plus I read from other people that
there are many problems with CD/DVD recording.
Hardware is OK, cables are 80 pin, all settings are perfect.
I think I'm not the only one who has these problems, I'd like to know
if there is a solution to this. Will Ali distribute new drivers to
solve this problem? And when? I purchased this Maxtor HD to work with
video, but in PIO mode there's no way to do it. It's almost useless!!!
Thanks all.

[Richard Urban]

Do you have "all" of the M/B drivers installed - the latest version of each?
--
Regards,

Richard Urban

aka Crusty (-: Old ***@stard :-)

If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!

Post by panther
Hi,
I'm an unhappy owner of a Maxtor 160Gb hard drive (6L160P0). I'm
unhappy because I'm not able to make it use the UltraDMA mode, but only
the slow PIO4 mode. I have WinXP Pro sp2.
My motherboard is an Asus A7A266 with Alimagik1 chipset (North bridge
Ali M1647, South bridge Ali M1535D+) with the latest BIOS (1013 beta).
I also have a Samsung 40Gb hard disk that works perfectly in UDMA5.
I tried uninstalling and reinstalling IDE channels from device manager,
but I still have PIO4.
I checked BIOS, setting either "Auto" or "Manual" in HD configuration
(manual udma6, udma5 etc...). No way.
I downloaded Ali/Uli integrated drivers v2.096, then I enabled mini-IDE
driver (v1.5.10) modifying the "install.ini" file and installed it. No
success, hd still uses PIO.
Now in device manager under the IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers I have "Ali
M5229 PCI Bus Master IDE Controller".
I tried forcing UDMA changing "MasterDeviceTimingModeAllowed" and
"MasterDeviceTimingMode" keys in registry (ffffffff and 10010), nothing
to do.
I tried downloading and installing the old Ali UltraIDE driver
standby/hibernate function doesn't work anymore and my DVD unit cannot
read disks (it returns I/O errors). Plus I read from other people that
there are many problems with CD/DVD recording.
Hardware is OK, cables are 80 pin, all settings are perfect.
I think I'm not the only one who has these problems, I'd like to know
if there is a solution to this. Will Ali distribute new drivers to
solve this problem? And when? I purchased this Maxtor HD to work with
video, but in PIO mode there's no way to do it. It's almost useless!!!
Thanks all.

[panther]

Post by Carey Frisch [MVP]
IDE ATA and ATAPI disks use PIO mode after multiple time-out or CRC errors
occur
http://support.microsoft.com/d­efault.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;8174­72

Thanks, but I already know this. I tried uninstalling and reinstalling
ide port with no success. Thanks anyway!

Post by Carey Frisch [MVP]
I would think the 160GB Maxtor HDD is connected as slave and the small Hdd
is the master.
Make sure both Hdds are set to cable select and ensure you are using a 40
Pin 80 wires IDE cable. If in doubt, buy a new IDE cable as it is very cheap.
Ensure DMA mode are enabled in BIOS for both IDE channels.

Maxtor 160Gb is connected as master, I removed the slave but nothing
changes.
I use a 80 wires ide cable (the same i use for the 40Gb hd that uses
UDMA5).
Dma modes are enabled in bios for both channels. Your suggestions are
appreciated.

Post by Carey Frisch [MVP]
Do you have "all" of the M/B drivers installed - the latest version of each?

I installed the latest Ali integrated drivers (which are v2.0.96). As
far as I know there aren't newer drivers. I'm waiting for them, because
I think it's a driver problem; in fact, as I wrote, there are old Ali
drivers (ultraIDE v4.0.0.8) which make the HD run at UDMA speed, but
cause many many problems to the system. So I think cables are ok,
config is ok, only driver is not ok. sigh.
Thanks for your suggestion.

[Kerry Brown]

Post by panther
Hi,
I'm an unhappy owner of a Maxtor 160Gb hard drive (6L160P0). I'm
unhappy because I'm not able to make it use the UltraDMA mode, but only
the slow PIO4 mode. I have WinXP Pro sp2.
My motherboard is an Asus A7A266 with Alimagik1 chipset (North bridge
Ali M1647, South bridge Ali M1535D+) with the latest BIOS (1013 beta).
I also have a Samsung 40Gb hard disk that works perfectly in UDMA5.
I tried uninstalling and reinstalling IDE channels from device manager,
but I still have PIO4.
I checked BIOS, setting either "Auto" or "Manual" in HD configuration
(manual udma6, udma5 etc...). No way.
I downloaded Ali/Uli integrated drivers v2.096, then I enabled mini-IDE
driver (v1.5.10) modifying the "install.ini" file and installed it. No
success, hd still uses PIO.
Now in device manager under the IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers I have "Ali
M5229 PCI Bus Master IDE Controller".
I tried forcing UDMA changing "MasterDeviceTimingModeAllowed" and
"MasterDeviceTimingMode" keys in registry (ffffffff and 10010), nothing
to do.
I tried downloading and installing the old Ali UltraIDE driver
standby/hibernate function doesn't work anymore and my DVD unit cannot
read disks (it returns I/O errors). Plus I read from other people that
there are many problems with CD/DVD recording.
Hardware is OK, cables are 80 pin, all settings are perfect.
I think I'm not the only one who has these problems, I'd like to know
if there is a solution to this. Will Ali distribute new drivers to
solve this problem? And when? I purchased this Maxtor HD to work with
video, but in PIO mode there's no way to do it. It's almost useless!!!
Thanks all.

Download the Powermax diagnostic utility from www.maxtor.com and test the
drive. The drive may be defective or the smart data may be corrupted. In any
case you will find out if the drive is good or not. If it is defective get
it replaced on warranty. If it's good then check with whomever you purchased
the motherboard from for support. Another thing to try is a different cable
and plugging the drive into the secondary IDE port instead of the primary
port.

Kerry

[Jetro]

Add UserMasterDeviceTimingModeAllowed 0xFFFFFFFF and
UserSlaveDeviceTimingModeAllowed 0xFFFFFFFF.

If the drive performance is unstable, OS locks it in one of the lower DMA
modes or in the PIO mode at all. The values "User...ModeAllowed" should
overcome this default behaviour.

Uninstall ALi IDE controller, clean the registry and disk from ALi remnants,
and reboot.

[panther]

Post by Kerry Brown
Download the Powermax diagnostic utility from www.maxtor.com and test the
drive. The drive may be defective or the smart data may be corrupted. In any
case you will find out if the drive is good or not. If it is defective get
it replaced on warranty. If it's good then check with whomever you purchased
the motherboard from for support. Another thing to try is a different cable
and plugging the drive into the secondary IDE port instead of the primary
port.

I already checked the disk and it works perfectly.
I have two IDE ports, but only the first supports UDMA transfer, so I
think that connecting to the second port would have no effect. Thanks

Post by Kerry Brown
Add UserMasterDeviceTimingModeAllo­wed 0xFFFFFFFF and
UserSlaveDeviceTimingModeAllow­ed 0xFFFFFFFF.
If the drive performance is unstable, OS locks it in one of the lower DMA
modes or in the PIO mode at all. The values "User...ModeAllowed" should
overcome this default behaviour.
Uninstall ALi IDE controller, clean the registry and disk from ALi remnants,
and reboot.

I formatted and reinstalled WinXP at least 15 times. Changing these
registry keys had no effects (the system restores them to 0000001f).

Now I'm using Ali UltraIDE v4.0.0.8, the problem with the DVD reader is
partially solved (I set DMA transfer for this unit). Hibernation and
standby are still unusable, but my HD works at 133Mb speed (udma6)
simulating a SCSI unit. I have to try to record a CD, if this work I'll
be quite happy.
I hope that Ali will soon release new drivers.....

Thanks for your help! ;)

[Kerry Brown]

Post by panther
I already checked the disk and it works perfectly.
I have two IDE ports, but only the first supports UDMA transfer, so I
think that connecting to the second port would have no effect. Thanks

Both ports support UDMA with that motherboard. If they don't something is
wrong with the motherboard.

Kerry

[Jetro]

Does native Windows driver support UDMA properly? BTW, how does BIOS report
about the mode?

;************ALI IDE Controller ******************************
PCI\VEN_10B9&DEV_5215=%SystemRoot%\inf\Mshdc.inf
PCI\VEN_10B9&DEV_5219=%SystemRoot%\inf\Mshdc.inf
PCI\VEN_10B9&DEV_5229=%SystemRoot%\inf\Mshdc.inf
;****************************************************************

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\CriticalDeviceDatabase\pci#ven_10b9&dev_5215]
"ClassGUID"="{4D36E96A-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}"
"Service"="pciide"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\CriticalDeviceDatabase\pci#ven_10b9&dev_5219]
"ClassGUID"="{4D36E96A-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}"
"Service"="pciide"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\CriticalDeviceDatabase\pci#ven_10b9&dev_5229]
"ClassGUID"="{4D36E96A-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}"
"Service"="pciide"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\PCIIde]
"ErrorControl"=dword:00000001
"Group"="System Bus Extender"
"Start"=dword:00000000
"Tag"=dword:00000003
"Type"=dword:00000001
"ImagePath"=hex(2):53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,00,44,00,\
52,00,49,00,56,00,45,00,52,00,53,00,5c,00,70,00,63,00,69,00,69,00,64,00,65,\
00,2e,00,73,00,79,00,73,00,00,00

[fsm103]

Have a read of this: http://wwwcsif.cs.ucdavis.edu/~leeey/a7a266

--
fsm10
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
fsm103's Profile: http://www.highdots.com/forums/member.php?userid=23
View this thread: http://www.highdots.com/forums/showthread.php?t=145585

[panther]

Thanks all for your help.
Finally I managed how to solve my problem.

To activate Hibernation/Standby functions with UltraIDE v4.0.0.8
driver, I changed the following key NAME in the registry:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SYSTEM/CurrentControlSet/Services/alihdd/Parameters/PnpInterface/5

The NAME of this value must be changed from "5" to "1" and hibernation
works again!

[Spannerman]

Post by panther
Thanks all for your help.
Finally I managed how to solve my problem.
To activate Hibernation/Standby functions with UltraIDE
v4.0.0.8
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SYSTEM/CurrentControlSet/Services/alihdd/Pa
rameters/PnpInterface/5
The NAME of this value must be changed from "5" to "1" and
hibernation
works again!

I would just like to say that I have the same motherboard and hard
drive combination, and have experienced exactly the same problem with
being forced into PIO mode. The problem is with service packs 1 and 2.
If you run xp with out the service packs the transfer mode uses UDMA
as it should. I know this is an issue caused by the service packs as I
am also running Windows 2000 service pack 4 on another partition of
the same hard drive and that is fine!
However, I have downloaded the driver that can be obtained from the
update section from the link given by fsm103 and my drive is now
running as a SCSI drive and SP2 isn’t slow anymore.

[cquirke (MVP Windows shell/user)]

On 20 Jun 2005 15:35:41 -0400, Spannerman

Post by Spannerman
I would just like to say that I have the same motherboard and hard
drive combination, and have experienced exactly the same problem with
being forced into PIO mode. The problem is with service packs 1 and 2.

Be careful what you wish for.

XP can fallback from UDMA to PIO in response to errors that indicate a
risk of data loss, and having done so, it won't fall forward again.
If this protective behaviour was added in a SP, it won't be there on
older versions; you'd just start losing data instead.

Check out these things that can affect data transfer quality:
- 80-pin UIDE cable, correctly connected and jumpered
- not using HD brackets or data cable extensions
- motherboard capacitors not bulging/leaking
- system RAM and CPU speed OK
- HD surface and SMART OK
- not overclocking the PCI

Post by Spannerman
------------ ----- ---- --- -- - - - -

Our senses are our UI to reality

Post by Spannerman
------------ ----- ---- --- -- - - - -

[TinManR]

Hey,

I'm now suffering from the same thing. I have an A7A266 and a new
WD3200JB that didn't work fine. I had the symptoms described at:
http://wwwcsif.cs.ucdavis.edu/~leeey/a7a266/.
I followed the steps (well, some of them). Flashed my BIOS, updated
to ALi's UltraIDE Controller. I already have SP2 installed.
My problem is described in your second bulletin: "running any HD
benchmark utility I see that, doing the Read test, from MB 131072, the
computer slows down and transfer rate goes down to 2.5mb/s (exactly the
same conditions that when using PIO mode)."

The problem disturbs me as I suffer from "jumps" when watching
movies.

Did you have any progress with the issue?
Does anyone have any suggestions?

"Spannerman" wrote:-
I would just like to say that I have the same motherboard and
hard drive combination, and have experienced exactly the same
problem with being forced into PIO mode. The problem is with
service packs 1 and 2. If you run xp with out the service
packs the transfer mode uses UDMA as it should. I know this is
an issue caused by the service packs as I am also running
Windows 2000 service pack 4 on another partition of the same
hard drive and that is fine!
However, I have downloaded the driver that can be obtained
from the update section from the link given by fsm103 and my
drive is now running as a SCSI drive and SP2 isn't slow
anymore.-
Hi,
I would like to say that IŽm having this very same problem too.
I have a Samsung HD 160GB SP1614N, and an ASUS A7A-266E motherboard.
Installing the Ultra-IDE drivers (v4.0.0.8) in
http://wwwcsif.cs.ucdavis.edu/~leeey/a7a266/
solved the PIO problems (I didnŽt try to burn any cds yet, IŽm
crossing my fingers), but IŽve noticed some strange behaviour...
1) There is no way of uninstalling the ALI drivers from my computer.
Not that I wanted to do so, given that they work, but I would prefer
to be able to...
2) More bothering, running any HD benchmark utility
(http://tinyurl.com/2hfzg
)
(http://www.hdtune.com/
)
I see that, doing the Read test, from MB 131072, the computer slows
down and transfer rate goes down to 2.5mb/s (exactly the same
conditions that when using PIO mode). Are you experiencing this same
behaviour?
3) I canŽt create any FAT32 partition bigger than 32GB. IŽm pretty
sure I could before...
This already stole my weekend... Any ideas?

[ntl]

I cant thank you enough
see new extra hdd boots in pio mode
It works for me too, although mine worked with bios update 1012.

the item under update 6 did it for me


once again Thanks

[palpas]

Hi,
I would like to say that IŽm having this very same problem
too.
I have a Samsung HD 160GB SP1614N, and an ASUS A7A-266E
motherboard.
Installing the Ultra-IDE drivers (v4.0.0.8) in
[url]http://wwwcsif.cs.ucdavis.edu/~leeey/a7a266/[/url] solved
the PIO problems (I didnŽt try to burn any cds yet, IŽm
crossing my fingers), but IŽve noticed some strange
behaviour...
1) There is no way of uninstalling the ALI drivers from my
computer. Not that I wanted to do so, given that they work,
but I would prefer to be able to...
2) More bothering, running any HD benchmark utility
([url]http://www.simplisoftware.com/Public/index.php?request=HdTach[/url])
([url]http://www.hdtune.com/[/url])
I see that, doing the Read test, from MB 131072, the computer
slows down and transfer rate goes down to 2.5mb/s (exactly the
same conditions that when using PIO mode). Are you
experiencing this same behaviour?
3) I canŽt create any FAT32 partition bigger than 32GB. IŽm
pretty sure I could before...
This already stole my weekend... Any ideas?

Sorry, I found out that not creating FAT32 partitions bigger than 32GB
is standard behaviour in Windows XP SP2.

But it still can read them, that’s the reason I thought I could create
them before (I could, but when I had a version prior to SP2).

[Bob I]

Post by palpas
Sorry, I found out that not creating FAT32 partitions bigger than 32GB
is standard behaviour in Windows XP SP2.
But it still can read them, that’s the reason I thought I could create
them before (I could, but when I had a version prior to SP2).

NO version of Windows XP creates FAT32 partitions greater than 32 GB,
SP2 or otherwise.

[Anna]

Post by palpas
Sorry, I found out that not creating FAT32 partitions bigger than 32GB
is standard behaviour in Windows XP SP2.
But it still can read them, that’s the reason I thought I could create
them before (I could, but when I had a version prior to SP2).

NO version of Windows XP creates FAT32 partitions greater than 32 GB, SP2
or otherwise.

palpas & Bob:
There is a rather simple & straightforward way to *format* existing
partitions FAT32 from within XP. The process involves using a
Linux-developed file to format a partition in FAT32 of any size. Note that
this program cannot *create* partitions, only format existing ones. So if
this is of any interest to you or anyone else, please so indicate and I'll
detail the process.
Anna

[Bob I]

Sorry Anna, it's not a case of not being able to create >32GB
partitions, its correcting a misconception that XP could do it before SP2.

Post by Anna

Post by palpas
Sorry, I found out that not creating FAT32 partitions bigger than 32GB
is standard behaviour in Windows XP SP2.
But it still can read them, that’s the reason I thought I could create
them before (I could, but when I had a version prior to SP2).

NO version of Windows XP creates FAT32 partitions greater than 32 GB, SP2
or otherwise.

There is a rather simple & straightforward way to *format* existing
partitions FAT32 from within XP. The process involves using a
Linux-developed file to format a partition in FAT32 of any size. Note that
this program cannot *create* partitions, only format existing ones. So if
this is of any interest to you or anyone else, please so indicate and I'll
detail the process.
Anna

[Anna]

Post by Anna

Post by palpas
Sorry, I found out that not creating FAT32 partitions bigger than 32GB
is standard behaviour in Windows XP SP2.
But it still can read them, that’s the reason I thought I could create
them before (I could, but when I had a version prior to SP2).

NO version of Windows XP creates FAT32 partitions greater than 32 GB, SP2
or otherwise.

There is a rather simple & straightforward way to *format* existing
partitions FAT32 from within XP. The process involves using a
Linux-developed file to format a partition in FAT32 of any size. Note
that this program cannot *create* partitions, only format existing ones.
So if this is of any interest to you or anyone else, please so indicate
and I'll detail the process.
Anna

Sorry Anna, it's not a case of not being able to create >32GB partitions,
its correcting a misconception that XP could do it before SP2.

Bob:
Yes, I fully understand the OP was under the mistaken impression that prior
to SP2, XP could create FAT32 partitions > 32 GB. I would guess that most
users are aware that the FAT32 partition limitation has *always* existed in
XP. However, since the subject of creating FAT32 partitions > 32 GB in an XP
environment *did* come up, I thought it might be useful to those users to be
aware of a process that allows one to format FAT32 partitions > 32 GB from
*within* XP using the program I mentioned above.
Anna

[P12]

Post by panther
Hi,
I'm an unhappy owner of a Maxtor 160Gb hard drive (6L160P0). I'm
unhappy because I'm not able to make it use the UltraDMA mode, but only
the slow PIO4 mode. I have WinXP Pro sp2.
My motherboard is an Asus A7A266 with Alimagik1 chipset (North bridge
Ali M1647, South bridge Ali M1535D+) with the latest BIOS (1013 beta).
I also have a Samsung 40Gb hard disk that works perfectly in UDMA5.
I tried uninstalling and reinstalling IDE channels from device manager,
but I still have PIO4.
I checked BIOS, setting either "Auto" or "Manual" in HD configuration
(manual udma6, udma5 etc...). No way.
I downloaded Ali/Uli integrated drivers v2.096, then I enabled mini-IDE
driver (v1.5.10) modifying the "install.ini" file and installed it. No
success, hd still uses PIO.
Now in device manager under the IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers I have "Ali
M5229 PCI Bus Master IDE Controller".
I tried forcing UDMA changing "MasterDeviceTimingModeAllowed" and
"MasterDeviceTimingMode" keys in registry (ffffffff and 10010), nothing
to do.
I tried downloading and installing the old Ali UltraIDE driver
standby/hibernate function doesn't work anymore and my DVD unit cannot
read disks (it returns I/O errors). Plus I read from other people that
there are many problems with CD/DVD recording.
Hardware is OK, cables are 80 pin, all settings are perfect.
I think I'm not the only one who has these problems, I'd like to know
if there is a solution to this. Will Ali distribute new drivers to
solve this problem? And when? I purchased this Maxtor HD to work with
video, but in PIO mode there's no way to do it. It's almost useless!!!
Thanks all.

Hey I have the same problem as you. I still haven't found a resolve
after much troubleshooting.

I have and A7A266 with a 200GB drive running in PIO mode. I have a
second Maxtor 40GB drive which runs in DMA5 without any problems.

Some things I learned along the way. The Asus drivers provided by ALI
are pretty crappy. They recognize the devices as SCSI and I could
not burn CD's no matter what I tried. The ALI web site says to just
use the default XP drivers. These install as M5229 but do work even
though my IDE is M1535D+. The ASUS supplied drivers are bitch to
uninstall though. I had to alternate my hard drive and remove the
unoccupied devices before I could do an uninstall without my system
hanging.

I tracked my problem to the Event log which says this at bootup five
times:
Event Type: Error
Event Source: atapi
Event Category: None
Event ID: 9
Description:
The device, \Device\Ide\IdePort0, did not respond within the timeout
period.

Then concludes with this error:
Event Type: Error
Event Source: atapi
Event Category: None
Event ID: 11
Description:
The driver detected a controller error on \Device\Ide\IdePort0.

I looked those up and they point to stuff like failing controller or
bad cables. Except in my case I can use the same controller and cable
from my second working hard drive and I still end up in PIO mode.

The issue here is there are 6 errors at bootup so XP falls back to PIO
mode and will stay there until you edit this key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\
Class\{4D36E96A-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}\0001x

And remove one of these depending on whether your x is 1(primary) or
2(secondary).
* MasterIdDataChecksum
* SlaveIdDataChecksum

In PIO mode the errors don't show up in the event log. Once I delete
those keys my system then tries to run in DMA mode again and the
errors call the fallback. I am at a loss as to what might be causing
this. I tried setting my bios to DMA2 but even that didn't work. I
am going to ask MS or Maxtor what is going on but probably won't here
back until after the holidays. MS has a patch to stop the fallback
behavior upon request. But that won't help if there really is a
hardware issue. On the other hand I suspect a replacement hard drive
won't fix the problem either.

[DougCuk]

I have also been battling a problem with XP SP2 showing sporadic IDE
Hardisk errors in the system log and also falling back from UDMA to PIO
mode. The System Event Log shows the following error:

The driver detected a controller error on \Device\Harddisk0\DR0

Also occasionally the following errors:
An error was detected on device \Device\Harddisk0\DR0 during a paging
operation
\Device\Ide\IdePort0, did not respond within the timeout period
Various "Delayed Write Failed" errors

After a long process of testing I think I have found the root of the
problem.

I was attempting to run two ATA UDMA6 drives on the same IDE cable -
Master drive: Samsung 40Gb SP04011N
Slave drive: Maxtor 80Gb Diamond Max 9 (also tested a new Maxtor
250Gb)

With both drives set to UDMA6 the Samsung reports sporadic UDMA CRC
errors recorded by the drives SMART system and XP records sporadic
bursts of Disk conroller errors in the System Event Log. The HD's SMART
data can be viewed in Windows using various utilities - I used SpeedFan.
After a while XP implements a protective UDMA fallback for the affected
drive and ends up at PIO mode.

To eliminate possible driver problems I tested the drive and cable
setup using using the SpinRite HD testing program from Gibson Research
(www.grc.com) - this runs from pure DOS but can test NTFS formatted
disks - so if the problem still appears its not caused by Windows
drivers or registry settings. SpinRite reported sporadic UDMA CRC
errors (cabling errors) from the Samsung HD with the BIOS set to UDMA6.


I tested an identical Samsung HD, and tried many different IDE cables
without success. Finally I tested the Samsung HD on its own without the
Maxtor on the cable - the fault vanished. I then restricted the Samsung
to UDMA5 in the BIOS and retested the dual drive configuration - the
fault had vanished. The Samsung runs fault free at UDMA6 as long as it
is alone on the cable - but tests with two different UDMA6 Maxtor
drives as Slave devices always caused the Samsung to become unstable at
UDMA6 - reducing the BIOS setting for the Samsung to UDMA5 restores
stability.

It appears the two drives have some kind of conflict that causes a
corruption of the UDMA data when attempting to run at the full UDMA6
speeds. The errors are at a very low density and do not generally cause
any data corruption - they just cause the drives and Windows to
sporadically record controller errors. Unfortunately the standard
registry settings in XP SP2 trigger a UDMA speed fallback after 6
cumulative errors - often resulting in a rapid drop back to PIO mode
from a single burst of controller errors.

Having eliminated all other causes and being able to switch the fault
on and off at will - I am forced to accept that the Samsung will not
run at UDMA6 when paired with a Maxtor UDMA6 drive. The final test
would be to try testing it paired with another Samsung drive and see if
it works in that configuration.

Note: As a safety measure XP blocks all attempts to reset UDMA for the
affected drive to protect data integrity. And until you have eliminated
the cause of the errors it will after a short period just revert back to
PIO mode each time you reset the required registry settings.

Once the controller errors have been eliminated you have to deleted the
affected IDE controller in Device Manager and reboot to reinstall a
clean copy of the registry settings. Or you can hack the registry as
stated in the previous forum post to reset back to UDMA mode but its
more hassle.

Hope this lengthy report is of some assistance to others with a similar
type of problem.

[Jaymon]

UDMA mode 5 for HD's is pretty common as is UDMA mode 2 for optical devices..
In the bios the drives should be set to auto configure and should have worked
on the same IDE channel showing UDMA mode 5 for both drives. If you manually
set them to UDMA mode 6, there en lies the problem..
j;-j

Post by DougCuk
I have also been battling a problem with XP SP2 showing sporadic IDE
Hardisk errors in the system log and also falling back from UDMA to PIO
The driver detected a controller error on \Device\Harddisk0\DR0
An error was detected on device \Device\Harddisk0\DR0 during a paging
operation
\Device\Ide\IdePort0, did not respond within the timeout period
Various "Delayed Write Failed" errors
After a long process of testing I think I have found the root of the
problem.
I was attempting to run two ATA UDMA6 drives on the same IDE cable -
Master drive: Samsung 40Gb SP04011N
Slave drive: Maxtor 80Gb Diamond Max 9 (also tested a new Maxtor
250Gb)
With both drives set to UDMA6 the Samsung reports sporadic UDMA CRC
errors recorded by the drives SMART system and XP records sporadic
bursts of Disk conroller errors in the System Event Log. The HD's SMART
data can be viewed in Windows using various utilities - I used SpeedFan.
After a while XP implements a protective UDMA fallback for the affected
drive and ends up at PIO mode.
To eliminate possible driver problems I tested the drive and cable
setup using using the SpinRite HD testing program from Gibson Research
(www.grc.com) - this runs from pure DOS but can test NTFS formatted
disks - so if the problem still appears its not caused by Windows
drivers or registry settings. SpinRite reported sporadic UDMA CRC
errors (cabling errors) from the Samsung HD with the BIOS set to UDMA6.
I tested an identical Samsung HD, and tried many different IDE cables
without success. Finally I tested the Samsung HD on its own without the
Maxtor on the cable - the fault vanished. I then restricted the Samsung
to UDMA5 in the BIOS and retested the dual drive configuration - the
fault had vanished. The Samsung runs fault free at UDMA6 as long as it
is alone on the cable - but tests with two different UDMA6 Maxtor
drives as Slave devices always caused the Samsung to become unstable at
UDMA6 - reducing the BIOS setting for the Samsung to UDMA5 restores
stability.
It appears the two drives have some kind of conflict that causes a
corruption of the UDMA data when attempting to run at the full UDMA6
speeds. The errors are at a very low density and do not generally cause
any data corruption - they just cause the drives and Windows to
sporadically record controller errors. Unfortunately the standard
registry settings in XP SP2 trigger a UDMA speed fallback after 6
cumulative errors - often resulting in a rapid drop back to PIO mode
from a single burst of controller errors.
Having eliminated all other causes and being able to switch the fault
on and off at will - I am forced to accept that the Samsung will not
run at UDMA6 when paired with a Maxtor UDMA6 drive. The final test
would be to try testing it paired with another Samsung drive and see if
it works in that configuration.
Note: As a safety measure XP blocks all attempts to reset UDMA for the
affected drive to protect data integrity. And until you have eliminated
the cause of the errors it will after a short period just revert back to
PIO mode each time you reset the required registry settings.
Once the controller errors have been eliminated you have to deleted the
affected IDE controller in Device Manager and reboot to reinstall a
clean copy of the registry settings. Or you can hack the registry as
stated in the previous forum post to reset back to UDMA mode but its
more hassle.
Hope this lengthy report is of some assistance to others with a similar
type of problem.
--
DougCuk
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[DougCuk]

Both these drives are UDMA 6 (ATA133) and autoconfigure as such - an
run error free when run as single drives. The point of my post was tha
when run in a dual drive config on the same cable they exhibit a
unstable interaction which causes symptoms similar to those describe
throughout this thread

--
DougCu
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[Jaymon]

After checking with my motherboards (Intel Silver Reef D845PESV)
manual it seems to support UDMA mode 5 (ATA100) only..Sorry for my
confusion.. Aida32 reports both Maxtor drives ATA Device Properties as:
Model ID Maxtor 6Y200P0
Serial Number Y64EN41E
Revision YAR41BW0
Parameters 395136 cylinders, 16 heads, 63 sectors per track, 512 bytes per
sector
LBA Sectors 398297088
Buffer 7936 KB (Dual Ported, Read Ahead)
Multiple Sectors 16
ECC Bytes 57
Max. PIO Transfer Mode PIO 4
Max. UDMA Transfer Mode UDMA 6 (ATA-133)
Active UDMA Transfer Mode UDMA 5 (ATA-100)
Unformatted Capacity 194481 MB

ATA Device Features
SMART Supported
Security Mode Supported
Power Management Supported
Advanced Power Management Supported
Write Cache Supported
Host Protected Area Supported
Power-Up In Standby Not Supported
Automatic Acoustic Management Supported
48-bit LBA Supported
Device Configuration Overlay Supported

ATA Device Physical Info
Manufacturer Maxtor
Hard Disk Family DiamondMax Plus 9
Form Factor 3.5"
Formatted Capacity 200 GB
Disks 3
Recording Surfaces 5
Physical Dimensions 146.1 x 101.6 x 26.1 mm
Max. Weight 630 g
Average Rotational Latency 4.17 ms
Rotational Speed 7200 RPM
Interface Ultra-ATA/133
Buffer-to-Host Data Rate 133 MB/s
Buffer Size 8 MB

ATA Device Manufacturer
Company Name Maxtor Corporation
Product Information http://www.maxtor.com/en/products/

Model ID Maxtor 6B250R0
Serial Number B60FP6RH
Revision BAH41B10
Parameters 486344 cylinders, 16 heads, 63 sectors per track, 512 bytes per
sector
LBA Sectors 490234752
Buffer 16 MB (Dual Ported, Read Ahead)
Multiple Sectors 16
ECC Bytes 57
Max. PIO Transfer Mode PIO 4
Max. UDMA Transfer Mode UDMA 6 (ATA-133)
Active UDMA Transfer Mode UDMA 5 (ATA-100)
Unformatted Capacity 239372 MB

ATA Device Features
SMART Supported
Security Mode Supported
Power Management Supported
Advanced Power Management Supported
Write Cache Supported
Host Protected Area Supported
Power-Up In Standby Not Supported
Automatic Acoustic Management Supported
48-bit LBA Supported
Device Configuration Overlay Supported

ATA Device Manufacturer
Company Name Maxtor Corporation
Product Information http://www.maxtor.com/en/products/
Check it out here..
http://aumha.net/downloads/aida32.zip
If this is your mainboard it only supports UDMA/33/66/100 PIO 3/4 support??
http://www.ocworkbench.com/hardware/asus/a7a266/a7a266reviewp2.htm
j;-/

Both these drives are UDMA 6 (ATA133) and autoconfigure as such - and
run error free when run as single drives. The point of my post was that
when run in a dual drive config on the same cable they exhibit an
unstable interaction which causes symptoms similar to those described
throughout this thread.
--
DougCuk
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