You may think a system using IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics) drives
runs its CD-ROM drive in DMA (Direct Memory Access) mode -- there's a
good chance that it isn't. To check your CD-ROM's mode, right-click on
the My Computer icon and choose "Manage." When the Computer Management
window opens, click Device Manager. Now, double-click the IDE/ATA/ATAPI
Controllers icon on the right pane of the window.
Assuming your CD-ROM drive is attached to the secondary IDE channel,
double-click the Secondary IDE Channel icon. When the dialog box opens,
select the Advanced Settings tab. A drop down menu labeled "Transfer
Mode" sets the mode near the top of the window. If it's already set to
DMA, then you can close all the dialog boxes and continue using Windows
2000. If the CD-ROM drive is set to PIO (Programmed Input/Output) mode
though, then click the arrow and select 'DMA if available' from the
Click OK to close the Properties dialog box and restart the computer.
When the computer restarts, you can follow the above procedure to
confirm that your CD-ROM drive is running in DMA mode.
Next Week: The Power of NT undergoes a transformation!
Beginning next week, The Power of NT will change its title to Windows
SysAdmin Tips. The new title better describes the content and broadens
the newsletter's scope to cover current and future Windows platforms
such as NT, 2000, XP, and beyond.