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Windows 2000 - Activate the DMA mode to speed up the hard disk

November 28, 2013
Updated: December 6, 2021
Quick overview:

Windows leitet bei seinen Standardeinstellungen die Daten von der Festplatte oder des CD-ROM Laufwerkes über den Prozessor zum Arbeitsspeichr. Dies belastet den Prozessor, weil er nicht für diese Art von Rechnungen optimiert wurde und so verringert sich die Geschwindigkeit bei solchen Operationen (und das sind die meisten bei einem herkömmlichen Systemalltag) gewaltig. Neben geringen Übertragunszeiten ruckelt auch die Maus und das System kann instabil werden.

This is where the DMA mode (Direct Memory Access) comes in handy because, 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. Right-click on Workplace and select Properties from the context menu that appears.

2. Wechseln Sie ins Register Hardware und klicken Sie nun auf Geräte-Manager. Doppelklicken Sie hier erst auf IDE ATA/ATAPI Controller und dann auf Primärer IDE-Kanal - wechseln Sie nun in Erweiterte Einstellungen.

3. Stellen Sie nun unter Übertragungsmodus auf DMA, wenn verfügbar.

Starten Sie nun ihren Rechner neu und kontrollieren Sie die Einstellungen - falls diese nun wieder auf PIO Modus stehen, so ist ihre Festplatte nicht DMA kompatibel, was aber nur bei älteren Modellen der Fall ist.

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.

Founded Windows Tweaks as a teenager in 2001, his helpful PC tricks made it Germany's most visited Windows site (at the time Sandro looked like this). He then went on to write for international publications such as PC-Praxis, Computerbild, PCWorld in the USA, IMTEST.de and Hifi.de. Sandro's main job is as Global Product Marketing Lead and Consultant for various global tech companies, including Microsoft, AVG, Avast, Nero, TeamViewer, Swiss IT Security Group and now currently in the fintech sector for Gendigital. But he can't get rid of his passion and shares his tweaks here again. Privately, he enjoys traveling the world and loves Asia, especially Japan, Singapore and Korea, but also natural places like Iceland and the Nordics. You can reach Sandro via e-mail.

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