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Windows 2000 and XP can recognize a DMA capable device, and will detect and
activate DMA mode by default whenever one is connected. Most drives manufactured
in the last few years support DMA, and most modern motherboards’ chipsets detect this.
You can check or change your settings by opening Device Manager (right-click on My
Computer, select “Properties”, then select the “Hardware” tab and click “Device
Manager”. Expand the list by clicking on the plus sign next to “IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers”
and right-click on “Primary Controller”. Select “Properties”, then go to the “Advanced
Settings” tab. Transfer mode should be set to “DMA if available” (not PIO) and Device
Type to “Auto Detection”. Repeat for “Secondary Controller”.
A small few motherboards, especially some VIA chipsets, do not always auto-detect
DMA. If you so not see options for the above settings, you may need to update the
motherboard’s BIOS or install specific drivers. Check the motherboard manufacturer’s
website for info and downloads.
Also remember to make sure your DMA drives are connected with 80-wire ATA ribbon
cables, rather than the older 40-wire ones. Newer UDMA66 and UDMA100 drives require
them but even older UDMA33 drives, which only need 40-wire cables to operate, benefit
from the increased shielding the unused wires provide.
Separate Drives – How and Where
No doc on optimization would be complete without mentioning the value of separate
drives for applications and audio. Dave’s article covered most of the aspects of SCSI
Figure 14 – Checking DMA Transfer Mode