Average CD/DVD reading time?

Question

Hi,

I have Inspiron XPS with 8x CD/DVD burner (NEC DVD+RW ND-6100) with double-layer write capability. This CD/DVD drive is working fine but takes lots of time to read any media (CD as well as DVD). Sometimes as long as six minutes! I also feel that gradually it is taking more time to read the content. My notebook is only 6 months old and all drivers are updated. Except Miscosoft Bundled software, I have dell media experience and Sonic Record Now/my DVD software (provided by DELL). The system RAM is 1 GB. Is this delay normal in case of CD/DVD combo, or something is wrong with my system? Any suggestions?

Thanks

Dibyendu Kumar

bacillus · Answer

It sounds like your drive is using PIO mode instead of DMA transfers.
You can check by going in to device manager> IDE controllers> secondary controller> properties and under advanced settings ensure that the driver is set to use DMA is possible and in the box below that for current transfer mode you have something with DMA and not PIO mode.

dibyendukumar · Answer

Hi there,

This is in response to Bacillus’s reply. Thanks for the prompt response!

I checked the secondary IDE channel as suggested. In its properties/advanced setting tab, two devices are listed, “Device 0” and “device 1”. For device 0 the transfer mode is “DMA if available” and current transfer Mode is “Ultra DMA Mode 2”, while for device 1 the transfer mode is “DMA if available” and current transfer Mode is “not applicable”. I can change the setting for the transfer mode (can shift to 'PIO only'), but cannot make any change in “current transfer mode”. There is one more box “Device Type”. In both devices it is showing Auto Detection.

I occasionally use USB storage drive for transfer of files from notebook to my PC.

Thanks!

Dibyendu Kumar

bacillus · Answer

Well all seems correct for your drive so I can't explain why you're getting this problem. What optical drive is it and have you tried looking for an updated firmware?

RichardLusignan · Answer

Hi,

Note that copying a full CD at 24x drive speed can take up to 6 minutes. I think that behavior is "normal" for 24x drives, as my 2 different model laptops with 24x drives will take about 5-6 minutes to copy a full CD to the HDD.

There are software that can measure your cd / dvd read/write speeds, I know that Nero CDSpeed does it. You may want to check your drive with it, and maybe check it will Dell's diagnostics CD also, in case there's a defect in the drive itself. Or maybe the lens need cleaning, just a thought.

Best regards,

Rick

dibyendukumar · Answer

Hi,

The optical drive I am using is provided by Dell, the company name is not written on it. In my invoice it is written as 8X DVD+RW Combo Drive. Where do I check the firmware version?

Hi Rick,

My CD/DVD takes 5-6 minutes just to recognize the media, this does not include copying time.

Thanks for your concern

Kumar

bacillus · Answer

Look in device manager and you will see the make and model of your optical drive.

RichardLusignan · Answer

Hi Kumar,

May I suggest that you return the apparently defective cd unit then ?

You mention that the laptop is only 6 months old, now standard warranty on Dell's laptop are 1 year minimum. It might save you from wasting any more time with the drive itself (although to get a new one you'll have to spend a little time on the phone...) Just a thought, as I've had good past experiences with Dell Support regarding apparanetly defective hardware.

Best regards,

Rick

Storage, Drives & Media

Average CD/DVD reading time?

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