Cool. Thanks for the reply man. Just been hearing so much trouble with the 1100 and so fourth. Anyway, seems your configuration is pretty similar to mine, except you have more RAM.
By the way, do you have Norton Firewall intalled, and if so did you turn off the windows firewall?
Well, I do not have Norton Firewall installed, but Norton Utility program. I just have Windows Firewall turned on as recommanded. And I have NAV program for the issue of protection from virus threats.
Thanks.
Peter
Message Edited by CephasRock on 09-13-2004 11:42 PM
Did a complete XP SP2 clean install on my main (non games) partition from a slipstreamed CD. All OK for a while but then all seems to have slowed down. Worst is boot which is around 2 minutes - really! - and for some time the hard drive light is on with no flickering or drive noises (this on the black screen Windows XP on it).
Driving me mad and don't know what to do. Do not want to re-install a 2nd time :(
Yeah dude, makes me wonder if its really worth installing it at all??
Seriously, do we need SP2? My 8500 runs fine as it is, and I regularly maintain my software firewall as well as my Anti Virus. I don't use peer to peer downloading services and am cautious online.
So do I need it? Well, I do like to keep my XP PRO OS up to date with the lastest Microsoft updates. My worry is that without SP2 I'm cutting my self off from future improvements and updates?????
Well, waddya know? I have been convinced all my recent problems were HDD related but could not see why they did not surface straight after SP2 was installed. Well, finally I checked the first thing you should if you suspect the HDD - the DMA setting! It was PIO . Now, I know it had been UDMA5 so how it suddenly went PIO I don't know - it's a relatively clean install with no viruses or spyware. Also my Nvidia properties page has gone AWOL long with the custom TV-out settings I use so I'm just about to de-install & re-install those drivers.
Is it SP2 that junked them or just one of those things? We'll never know but pass the word round that a sloooooooow boot and slooooooooow system may just be DMA. I should add that it wasn't reappliable through Device Manager: I had to uninstall the Intel ATA controller through Device Manager and reboot. Then XP finds all the drives, IDE channels etc. all over again, adds an ATA controller from it's own driver store, forces another reboot and voila!
Ok, sorry man, you've lost me. I know its a hassle but could you've just explain to me what you've just said?
Mainly what is PIO and DMA, and where are those settings kept, the BIOS steup?
Is it just a case of changing those settings back to UDMA5 or do I have to uninstall my graphics card? Is it only the graphics card I have to this on, and can I do it through the Windows remove hardware interface?
One more question, once the graphics card is removed, do I just re-install it by rebooting my system?
Sorry for all the questions, would really be very appreciative of any help
If PC is slow go into Device Manager (windows key & r to get run box then type devmgmt.msc into box and push OK). Open IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers. There are 3 entries on an 8500 - the Intel (R) 8280 1DBM controller and the primary & secondary IDE channels. Each disk goes on a channel and is controlled by the controller. If a disk is in PIO mode then things go real slow. A hard disk can run UDMA mode 5 and most of the DVD drives UDMA2. Don't worry what they mean, you just need it! Go into the primary IDE channel and look under advanced settings. The first drive should be set for DMA when available and be running UDMA mode 5. Next one down is blank as only the hard drive is on the primary channel. If you see disk is in PIO mode then you are in trouble. Select DMA if available and reboot. Repeat the process for the secondary IDE channel which is where the DVD/CD drive is attached and you want UDMA2 and not PIO. If you see,or set, these to UDMA you are sorted. If they are on it already (they should be) then this is not the cause of a slowdown but is one thing ticked off as OK.
In my case, the hard drive had gone to PIO but could not be set UDMA. So, I opened up the Intel (R) 8280 1DBM controller, selected the driver tab and uninstalled the controller and rebooted when commanded. The PC then 'finds' the controller, IDE channels and disc drives all over again and sets UDMA as required - a quick look in Device Manager confirmed all was fine.
I've rebooted a few times since and all is fine. Don't know where my UDMA went!
My graphics problem is not in any way related to this and just a minor mystery easily solved by uninstalling the Nvidia drivers through add/remove, rebooting, installing latest dell drivers and rebooting.
cool, thanks dude, that makes much more sense! I always seem to be one step behind, where do you guys find out all this stuff????
As for GeForce drivers, someone was saying the dell ones were pretty old and I should go to a website with modded drivers, as nvidia.com only provided drivers for non-mobile cards, which we do not have. Do u agree?
If you just do serious stuff then stick with the Dell drivers. For gaming performance and compatability more recent ones are best. If you spend long enough at this site http://www.laptopvideo2go.com/ you will find out exactly how to put later ones in. I am using 61.77's with no problems. I'll be hours typing it all out here but the site is great and it's associated forum stocked full of help also.
CephasRock
64 Posts
0
September 13th, 2004 06:00
Good Luck!
Peter
Inspiron 8500;
P4-M 2.2GHz, WSXGA+ 15.4" Samsung, 768 MB PC2100 DDR Memory, 40GB IDE HD Hitach 5.4K rpm, CRW/DVD Combo 24x, GeForce 4 4200 Go 64MB DDR w/Driver Version 4.4.0.3, WindowsXP Pro SP2.
geek or unique
46 Posts
0
September 13th, 2004 08:00
Cool. Thanks for the reply man. Just been hearing so much trouble with the 1100 and so fourth. Anyway, seems your configuration is pretty similar to mine, except you have more RAM.
By the way, do you have Norton Firewall intalled, and if so did you turn off the windows firewall?
Thanks for the post back
CephasRock
64 Posts
0
September 14th, 2004 04:00
Thanks.
Peter
Message Edited by CephasRock on 09-13-2004 11:42 PM
RV4 Guy
130 Posts
0
September 14th, 2004 14:00
Did a complete XP SP2 clean install on my main (non games) partition from a slipstreamed CD. All OK for a while but then all seems to have slowed down. Worst is boot which is around 2 minutes - really! - and for some time the hard drive light is on with no flickering or drive noises (this on the black screen Windows XP on it).
Driving me mad and don't know what to do. Do not want to re-install a 2nd time :(
geek or unique
46 Posts
0
September 14th, 2004 16:00
Yeah dude, makes me wonder if its really worth installing it at all??
Seriously, do we need SP2? My 8500 runs fine as it is, and I regularly maintain my software firewall as well as my Anti Virus. I don't use peer to peer downloading services and am cautious online.
So do I need it? Well, I do like to keep my XP PRO OS up to date with the lastest Microsoft updates. My worry is that without SP2 I'm cutting my self off from future improvements and updates?????
Do I really have an options?
RV4 Guy
130 Posts
0
September 14th, 2004 18:00
Well, waddya know? I have been convinced all my recent problems were HDD related but could not see why they did not surface straight after SP2 was installed. Well, finally I checked the first thing you should if you suspect the HDD - the DMA setting! It was PIO
. Now, I know it had been UDMA5 so how it suddenly went PIO I don't know - it's a relatively clean install with no viruses or spyware. Also my Nvidia properties page has gone AWOL long with the custom TV-out settings I use so I'm just about to de-install & re-install those drivers.
Is it SP2 that junked them or just one of those things? We'll never know but pass the word round that a sloooooooow boot and slooooooooow system may just be DMA. I should add that it wasn't reappliable through Device Manager: I had to uninstall the Intel ATA controller through Device Manager and reboot. Then XP finds all the drives, IDE channels etc. all over again, adds an ATA controller from it's own driver store, forces another reboot and voila!
Phew
geek or unique
46 Posts
0
September 15th, 2004 08:00
Ok, sorry man, you've lost me. I know its a hassle but could you've just explain to me what you've just said?
Mainly what is PIO and DMA, and where are those settings kept, the BIOS steup?
Is it just a case of changing those settings back to UDMA5 or do I have to uninstall my graphics card? Is it only the graphics card I have to this on, and can I do it through the Windows remove hardware interface?
One more question, once the graphics card is removed, do I just re-install it by rebooting my system?
Sorry for all the questions, would really be very appreciative of any help
thanks
andy
RV4 Guy
130 Posts
0
September 15th, 2004 10:00
If PC is slow go into Device Manager (windows key & r to get run box then type devmgmt.msc into box and push OK). Open IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers. There are 3 entries on an 8500 - the Intel (R) 8280 1DBM controller and the primary & secondary IDE channels. Each disk goes on a channel and is controlled by the controller. If a disk is in PIO mode then things go real slow. A hard disk can run UDMA mode 5 and most of the DVD drives UDMA2. Don't worry what they mean, you just need it! Go into the primary IDE channel and look under advanced settings. The first drive should be set for DMA when available and be running UDMA mode 5. Next one down is blank as only the hard drive is on the primary channel. If you see disk is in PIO mode then you are in trouble. Select DMA if available and reboot. Repeat the process for the secondary IDE channel which is where the DVD/CD drive is attached and you want UDMA2 and not PIO. If you see,or set, these to UDMA you are sorted. If they are on it already (they should be) then this is not the cause of a slowdown but is one thing ticked off as OK.
In my case, the hard drive had gone to PIO but could not be set UDMA. So, I opened up the Intel (R) 8280 1DBM controller, selected the driver tab and uninstalled the controller and rebooted when commanded. The PC then 'finds' the controller, IDE channels and disc drives all over again and sets UDMA as required - a quick look in Device Manager confirmed all was fine.
I've rebooted a few times since and all is fine. Don't know where my UDMA went!
My graphics problem is not in any way related to this and just a minor mystery easily solved by uninstalling the Nvidia drivers through add/remove, rebooting, installing latest dell drivers and rebooting.
Message Edited by RV4 Guy on 09-15-2004 12:31 PM
geek or unique
46 Posts
0
September 15th, 2004 11:00
cool, thanks dude, that makes much more sense! I always seem to be one step behind, where do you guys find out all this stuff????
As for GeForce drivers, someone was saying the dell ones were pretty old and I should go to a website with modded drivers, as nvidia.com only provided drivers for non-mobile cards, which we do not have. Do u agree?
andy
RV4 Guy
130 Posts
0
September 15th, 2004 17:00
Andy,
Just picked it up over the years...
If you just do serious stuff then stick with the Dell drivers. For gaming performance and compatability more recent ones are best. If you spend long enough at this site http://www.laptopvideo2go.com/ you will find out exactly how to put later ones in. I am using 61.77's with no problems. I'll be hours typing it all out here but the site is great and it's associated forum stocked full of help also.
Cheers & good luck!
geek or unique
46 Posts
0
September 16th, 2004 08:00
perfect!
Thanks for your help, I'll check it out
andy