Quick overview:
With its standard settings, Windows routes the data from the hard disk or CD-ROM drive via the processor to the main memory. This puts a strain on the processor because it has not been optimized for this type of computing and so the speed of such operations (and these are the majority in a conventional everyday system) is greatly reduced. In addition to low transfer times, the mouse also jerks and the system can become unstable.
This is where the DMA mode (Direct Memory Access) comes in handy as, as the name suggests, it shovels the data directly into the main memory and thus largely bypasses the processor. This setting is often switched on, but on some systems Windows is not sure whether the drives support this mode, which is definitely the case with today's computers. I generally recommend checking or activating the DMA mode. And this is how you proceed:
1. Click with the right mouse button on Workplace and select the entry Properties.
2. Switch to the tab Hardware and now click on Device Manager. Double-click here first on IDE ATA/ATAPI Controller and then to Primary IDE channel - Now switch to Advanced settings.
3. Now set under Transfer mode on DMA, if available.
Now restart your computer and check the settings - if they are now set to PIO mode your hard disk is not DMA compatible, but this is only the case with older models.
NOTE FOR NEW PUBLICATION: This article was produced by Sandro Villinger and comes from the Windows Tweaks archive, which has been built up since the late 1990s.
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