Sony DVD/CD Writer Model HL-DT-ST DVD+RW GSA-H21N Troubleshooting

Question

My Sony DVD writer was replaced in 2007, following a series of crashes/blue screens caused whenever I used the original drive, particularly when ejecting discs. This did not resolve the issue. I have, however, occasionally used the DVD Writer, making use of some information later gleaned from the Web and generally relying on the disabling of 'DLA'. It has always performed very sluggishly and has been a pain to use, so I have more or less abandoned it and have used a memory stick to back up essentials on my computer ( Dimension 5150, with Windows XP and all the updates.) It would now be useful if I could start using my DVD Writer properly and wonder if anyone could advise me how to go about sorting the thing out, once and for all. I have already attempted to update the Driver, using guidlines in Dell Support/Drivers etc but there does not appear to be a more up-to-date Driver available. Is there anything else I should be updating - 'Firmware' - whatever that is - for instance? Over the last couple of years, I have Googled DVD Troubleshooting and have tried using different brands of 'media' etc, all without success and at great expense! Any help/advice greatly appreciated!   Ian

osprey4 · Answer

Hi Ian, Refer to this site and check the transfer mode of your drive. This is a frequent cause of poor drive behavior and is easily fixed.

Ianlaw · Answer

Many thanks, Osprey and I will attempt to follow the instructions. I've had a look and they seem clear, if a little scary to a computer illiterate like me.

Meanwhile, I just happened to notice, when looking at the "Properties" of my DVD Writer/Drive, that the "DVD Region" is showing "Current Region = Not selected ".

Should I also do something about this - like selecting "United Kingdom", for instance?

Thanks again.

Ian

osprey4 · Answer

No, don't worry about the region. It should automatically select the correct region when you insert a disc.

Ianlaw · Answer

Osprey, I have followed the instructions as suggested to check for DMA status and there is no obvious sign of any problems there. All are showing "DMA if available". Do I need to have a DVD disc in the drive to carry out the DMA check?

Is there anything alse I need to look for now?

Many thanks.

Ian

osprey4 · Answer

Ian, 'DMA if available' is the setting. You need to check the Current transfer mode. You don't need a disc in the drive. The transfer mode is saved by Windows based on drive performance and error rate. Drives are normally running in DMA mode but too many errors will cause the OS to drop back to PIO mode, which is slower and will cause performance issues.

Storage, Drives & Media

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