Member Avatar for bigpoppapumpg

I have a WD 160 GB 7200 rpm hd on primary IDE channel set as master, its the only thing on that channel. an optical disk is on secondary ide channel.

looking in device manager, under ide ata/atpi controllers under primary ide channel advanced properties the transfer mode for both devices is set to 'DMA if available' but the primary HD is using ultra dma mode 2 as the 'current transfer mode'.

I have reinstalled win xp a bunch of times now, set jumpers on that hard drive to master, cs, slave etc and it simply won't run at its proper faster dma mode 5 ata100/133 speed.

looking in event viewer I get the following error which on the MS web site says it most likely related to a cable problem even though the actual error message says 'controller error'. It's a fairly new cable, but i believe in the past ive tried a few different ata100/133 cables on that same hard drive with no better results.

Event Type: Error
Event Source: Disk
Event Category: None
Event ID: 11
Date: 3/12/2005
Time: 3:03:34 PM
User: N/A
Computer:
Description:
The driver detected a controller error on \Device\Harddisk2\D.

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.

what the hell is going on, why can't i get this hd to use a faster IO mode? Thanks

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by Thong_Ispector

Dani AI

Generated

A short, practical diagnostic checklist and next steps based on the thread (expands on and ):

Windows will automatically step a drive down from a higher UDMA mode after repeated CRC/time‑out errors, and Event ID 11 usually means the controller/connection or the device itself is having I/O trouble. Those two facts explain why a drive can be stuck at a low UDMA setting even when the hardware nominally supports faster modes. (itprotoday.com)

Ordered checks to isolate the fault (do them in order):

  1. Back up critical data immediately.
  2. Run a vendor disk diagnostic (quick + extended) and read SMART — this identifies reallocated sectors, ECC errors, etc. Use the manufacturer utility if available (Western Digital’s Data Lifeguard is an example). ()
  3. Try the drive on a different controller or PC (or via a USB‑IDE adapter). If it runs at a higher UDMA there, the board/controller is suspect.
  4. Replace the cable and try the alternate IDE port or the other end of the cable (end connector vs middle). High‑speed UDMA above mode 2 requires a proper 80‑conductor cable and correct connector placement; damaged cables/pins still cause CRCs even when the cable looks new. (rigacci.org)
  5. If Windows shows reduced DMA, uninstall the IDE channel in Device Manager and reboot so Windows redetects the controller (this resets the transfer counters described in Microsoft guidance). (itprotoday.com)

If problems persist after those steps: update the motherboard BIOS/chipset drivers, inspect the motherboard IDE connector for bent pins, and consider testing with an add‑in ATA133/133 controller card. If diagnostics show SMART failures or bad sectors, replace the drive — don’t trust a drive that logs controller errors repeatedly.

This expands on suggestions already offered in the thread: try the minimal hardware swap/tests above before committing to a replacement; that sequence usually narrows the fault to cable, controller, or failing drive.

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Member Avatar for Coconut Monkey

Well, this might be a silly thing to ask, but what motherboard do you have there?

Is ATA133 properly set up in the BIOS (usually as "Auto"?)?

Are you sure you're using an 80 wire cable?

Have you installed the latest motherboard chipset drivers?

Member Avatar for bigpoppapumpg

Well, this might be a silly thing to ask, but what motherboard do you have there?

Is ATA133 properly set up in the BIOS (usually as "Auto"?)?

Are you sure you're using an 80 wire cable?

Have you installed the latest motherboard chipset drivers?

asus a7n8x-x, yes its set for auto, yes 80 wire cable, yes latest mobo chipset drivers.

Member Avatar for Coconut Monkey

Does the hard drive run at full speed in any other PCs?

Member Avatar for bigpoppapumpg

Does the hard drive run at full speed in any other PCs?

hmmm not sure, i only have 1 desktop. but i also just deleted my ide channel and thought maybe windowns would pick up true speed on reboot... it didn't.

on the bootup after the POST, when it detects ide devices, it comes up as ata33. in the bios it has the correct hd listed so im not sure why it won't run at full speed. I know for sure its a ata100/133 hd.

Member Avatar for Thong_Ispector

Try resetting the cmos to failsafe just to see if it changes anything...
There might be a setting or tweak that you just are not seeing in the config.
You seem to have covered everything else

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