nd 3520 dma = no pio = ok but slow

[snafu099]

Just bought two nec nd 3520a 16x dual format, dual layer burners.
replaced a nd1300a internal with new 3520a and the other in usb-2 box
internal installed as master on ide-2

with ide-2 channel set to use dma if available, the drive is reconized with connection of ultra dma mode 2, BUT then it will not reconize ANY media

if I change ide to pio only, the drive is reconized and reads/writes media but very slow. fujifilm 8x +r only burned at 1.7x using Nero 6.6.05 with registry mod to show actual burn speed. 25 minutes for 3.5g

Drive in usb burns same media at 4x 12.10 min for same data
same results with two other brands of media

Compaq Pressio s6010v
winxp home sp1
compaq support had me flash the bios, no change
did full un-install/re-install of nero
redid aspi using forceaspi (uses ver 4.60 instead of 4.71)
burning data from ide-1 slave, 120g ata100 dma on
hdd defraged, virus free
same burn times from iso file

spec sheet for burn lists interface type as ide pio dma33
interface mode as atpi3

I have searched and read for solution or a clue for what is wrong to no avail. Realize I could be having senior moment/day/week, but it is frustrating to say the least.

Other posts "imply" using dma but then drive does not "see" any media
Don't know/understant how to translate usb-2 transfer speeds to equate to burn speeds

usb burn, nero infotool says 8x media capable of 16x but then drops to 4x burn. ? limit of usb or drive/media ?

[redwudz]

One thing to check: Make sure your IDE cable to the burner is an 80 conductor.

With USB, the slow speed may be caused by the interface. No easy answer there.

[snafu099]

Thanks for reply.
Yes, both internal ide cables are 80 wire

cables in usb-2 boxes unknown
a 120g western dig in usb with removeable caddy tests at 20mb/s with hd-tune

internal drives test at 50+ mb/s max, 24-27 mb/s lowest and 40+ avg

from drive spec sheet:
transfer write 16x = 9-22 MBytes/s
8x = 11 MBytes/s
4x = 5.5MBytes/s

interface = ide /atapi
burst transfer rate pio mode 4 / ultra dma 33

both interanl hdd are on ide 1 and burner is on ide 2/master

[handyguy]

Is it listed in the bios right? Start there.

[nic2k4]

The blue end of the IDE cable goes to the motherboard and a drive must be connected to the black end (preferably the master). The drive must be detected by the BIOS. If it's not the only drive on the cable, try un-plugging the other one (power off), don't forget to change the setting in the BIOS. If things improve, try swaping the master/slave assignment.

[snafu099]

Thanks again.

all ide slots in bios are set to auto, yes it is detected correctly
dma in bios is set to auto and is detected also.

ide ribbens have blue end at Mb. Tried master, slave and cable select.
if i put a spare 120g as ide 2 slave it tests at 55mb/s max, 36 lowest

currently isntalling xp pro sp1 on an old sys and will test on that with with clean instal and only nero added.

[snafu099]

Completed a clean install of win xp pro
updated drives for onboard chips (downloaded from Compaq)
installed Nero ver 6.6.05
dma enabled in bios
by default xp device manager sets ide channels to dma on
hdd are mode 5
dvd reader and nec 3530a show dma mode 2
dvd rom reader works ok
nec 3520a will not reconize any media
nero infotool reports it incorrectly as -r burning only
will not reconize ANY type media

if changed to pio only
all media reconized
nero infotool properly reconizes drive ability and different media, BUT then burns at less than 2x

If you have this burner and use Nero, what version are you using ?
Do you have dma enabled ?
I only have dialup and nero downloas is large.
Have cd for 6.3.?? from another burner and 5.5x versions also

[snafu099]

An update for those that tried to help and any others that may read with simular issue.

Problem solved even if I don't understand the inner workings of why.

Nec 3520a was installed along with a dvd-rom reader set to use dma.
In all my trouble shooting I only dis-connected to power to the reader and not the ide (80 wire) ribbon.

When I completely removed the reader (physically) then the nec 3520a worked fine.

Compaq tech support was great, even replaced the motherboard but they did not catch or know of this in-compatability