For starters, run chkdsk to see if there are any errors on the HD.
Click start>run
Type in: chkdsk c:/f
Click OK

It will respond that it can't lock the HD and ask permission to queue chkdsk for the next time you boot. Press Y [enter]. Reboot and chkdsk will run before XP loads again. You may also want to defrag your HD after running chkdsk.

If that doesn't fix the problem, boot to the Dell Utilities on your HD and run a full test. Keep track of any error messages and report them to Dell.

Ron

I have run all the diagnostics and chkdsk options I could find and there were no reported errors

Go into device manager and look at the properties under IDE for the primary IDE channel. Make sure it's set to 'DMA if available' on the Advanced Settings tab, and in the box below it should say 'Ultra DMA mode' followed by a number.

Ron

Mysteriously,  my problem has gone away for now.   I didn't do anything after I ran all the diagnostics which have all come up clean.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed.  (The only thing I might have done is a clean up of my hard drive where all temp files and stuff were deleted.   This may have rearranged things on the actual disk and therefore I am avoiding the "bad" area??? who knows??)

Mine says PIO mode.... 

Try setting the IDE to "DMA if available" and reboot. Check to see that it's now using DMA, stays that way, and if the problem comes back. Other 3000 users found their IDE running under PIO instead of DMA and were advised to download/run piotodma.exe to fix this. It's available from Dell on this page: http://ftp1.us.dell.com/fixes/

Here's a thread where piotodma.exe was discussed:
http://forums.us.dell.com/supportforums/board/message?board.id=dim_audio&message.id=60815&view=by_date_ascending&page=2

Ron

Message Edited by RoHe on 10-21-2005 09:58 AM

You could try uninstalling the IDE ultra ATA controller and Primary IDE in device manager and then reboot to allow XP to reinstall them.

Don't know if piotodma.exe forces it to DMA, but I suspect it might. If reinstalling the drivers doesn't fix it, you could then set a manual restore point and run piotodma. If the errors come back, just use that restore point to undo it.

If the HD is running in PIO, then it's going to be slow and that probably causes the other problems.

Ron

Message Edited by RoHe on 10-21-2005 04:50 PM

I did what you said.  I uninstalled the IDE controllers and Windows re-installed them.  I am now running in DMA mode.   So far things are not timing out.   I'll keep you posted if my problems return.   I am still confused whether I am having an actual hardware failure here, or if it is some windows software thing.

Thanks for you help,

Marcie

Glad that seems to have fixed it. Most likely it's just a Windows issue. Switching to PIO mode had been a problem in XP but it was supposed to have been fixed in service pack 2. Lots of 3000 users have encountered this same problem with the IDE channel in PIO mode, possibly because there's a problem with the way Dell configures XP on this model.

Ron

:)

I have had the same problems, but the pushdma utility only works for a short time, then reverts back to PIO mode. I originally experienced this problem on two of my Dimension 3000 systems, but eventually found this happens with ALL 5 of my Dimension 3000 systems! I think there is a design flaw, but Dell has yet to provide a proper solution. I have been in contact with a "Resolutions Expert" Tim Droemer who is slow to provide answers and does not return emails or calls. I want to let other people know they are not alone and Dell NEEDS to do something to fix this problem now. Here is the original message I sent him two weeks ago:

I am a network administrator, with many years of professional experience. At our main store, we have two Dell Dimension 3000 systems running retail point of sale software. Nothing else fancy is installed on the system and the computers are about ½ year old. Both systems often become sluggish or unresponsive for many minutes. Event ID 51 and Event ID 9 are logged in the Event Viewer. After much troubleshooting, it seems to be a problem with the IDE controller card and/or software. The IDE controller should be in UDMA mode 5, but keeps reverting to PIO mode. When in UDMA mode, the systems work fine, but when in PIO mode, the systems are slow, sluggish, or even hang for many minutes, at least every other day.



Other Dell Dimension 3000 owners are reporting the EXACT same problem with their systems:



http://search.dell.com/results.aspx?subcat=&s=gen&c=us&l=en&cs=&k=Source%3A+Disk%2C+Event+ID%3A+51%2C+An



http://forums.us.dell.com/supportforums/board/message?board.id=sw_winxp&message.id=159516&c=us&l=en&cs=&s=gen



I have tried these solutions on both systems with no results:

New IDE drivers (newest from Dell or Intel are dated 2003)
Full Dell diagnostics = pass
Samsung HDD diagnostics = pass
SpinRite HDD diagnostics = pass
Uninstalling any extra unnecessary software (not much as I left the systems clean)
Disabling UDMA modem in bios (suggested in the Dell forums)
Uninstalling & re-installing IDE drivers
Spyware scans = clean
Virus scans = clean
PUSHDMA2.EXE file available from Dell to force UDMA mode. Works for about a day, but no longer than a week.


I doubt it is a component failure because the likelihood of both 3000 systems having the exact same problem is rare. A design flaw maybe. I also would rule out our retail software because we have three Dell Inspiron D510 notebooks that run the exact same setup and those systems have ran flawlessly.



The last Dell technician I talked to recommended some of what I already tried, then said to re-install Windows. I do not believe this is a proper fix. These are computers we are using in a retail environment and can not afford to take them down for a solution that may or may not work. Even if this does fix the problem, why are so many other 3000 owners experiencing the exact same problems? It is as if it is a design flaw with the Dimension 3000 systems. I want a verified proven solution to this problem, or a different system, such as an Optiplex that is free from defects that I can migrate to without downtime, then sending the Dimension 3000 systems back.

Jason,
I responded to you in your other post.

BTW: It's against the Forum's rules to include the name of a Dell employee in posts. The Moderator has the right to delete your postings unless you edit out the names.

Ron