Message-ID: <3A8A8327.BF3B2805@compuserve.de> Date: Wed, 14 Feb 2001 14:07:51 +0100 From: Utz Zarwell X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.7 [de]C-CCK-MCD CSO 1.0 (Win98; I) X-Accept-Language: de,en MIME-Version: 1.0 To: opendos AT delorie DOT com Subject: Re: prob audio CD on 2nd CD-ROM with NWCDEX Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Reply-To: opendos AT delorie DOT com Patrick Moran wrote on Tue, 13 Feb 2001: >First off, I would like to say this: IDE sucks. [issuing compatbility hassels with IDE and EIDE] Indeed, youre right. I usally tried to buy _mainstream_ hardware. Because of wide spreading it was tested _best_ . So if I didnt hear bad things about chances are thats not too bad. Of course that philosophy didnt work well :-) Anyway, this is the system I do have. I have to fight with. >CDROM writes slow the system way way down >when they are burning a CD. Ok, thats why I wouldnt touch my system burning a CD. But writing CD happens (very) seldom, so I dont see a problem. >So before I would blame it on NWCDEX, install MSCDEX and >rem out NWCDEX, then play with the drives until you can >find a configuration that will work. >>On Mon, 05 Feb 2001 Utz Zarwell wrote: >>Using MSCDEX its all ok. I normally used NWCDEX. At first sight I blamed the cd players not doing their job with 2nd CD-drive. (Obviously its a hard job regarding all above mentioned incompatibilities and not well documented APIs) Then I substituted NWCDEX with MSCDEX and it worked. Alright, thats no sure proof. But with all the testing, it seems very likely to me that NWCDEX makes the difference. Thats why I would like to hear if anyone else having two CD drives is able to play audio cds or not. >Personally I don't see why you would need to put it >with the fast hard drive. They are slow to begin with. Because it reads with 24x max. >I believe they only have 1mbs maximum burn rate anyway. >That is the same as a 2.88 floppy drive. >I know that you can use them through a USB port and not >lose any speed and that has a maximum of 1mbs or 1.5mbs >for burning. For playback you could lose some speed, >depending on the playback speed of the drive. Since you >got an IDE drive, I am not aware of any IDE adapters for >USB like there is for SCSI. SCSI, USB, floppy? Sorry I cannot follow. >You may wind up just having to remove the other CDROM drive. This means you advise to remove a CDROM drive ?? >It may be purely a hardware problem. Less likely. Despite of the IDE issue there is more evidence beeing a API or _protocoll_ problem. At which level remains open... >Someone mentioned something about using the secondary controller >for IDE drives and the Primary for EIDE drives. I mentioned to put the fast HDD and the CDRW to the onboard EIDE controller which is _first_ in system and to cable the slow HDD and the CDROM to the on board IDE channel. I do not see alternatives. I am aware that usage of HDD and CDRW at the same cable is often said to be a risk. (Not for SCSI.) But bandwith together with hardware caches IMHO should give lower risk. All the best, Utz