USB 2.0 no longer working ?

Maybe not an Acronis issue, however maybe somebody with knowlegde can help me. Acronis used to make an image of 50Gb in a bit more than half an hour. Now it says it needs 3 hours. I am making the image file on an external hard disk. This connection used to be really fast with USB 2.0 and now I have the feeling it is working on USB 1.1 speed. I reinstalled Acronis 8.0 build 796 (the latest Dutch version) and this made no difference. I looked at the driver under Configuration > System and the VIA USB Enhanced host controller is said to function OK ! So I don't know what to do next.

 

Hello simon,

Thank you for your interest in Acronis Disk Backup Software.

Could you please describe when the time necessary to create the image increased? The possible reason may be serious changes in the partition (or disk) content or used space size. Please let us know what new software you have installed recently.

Thank you.
--
Ilya Toytman

 

I have used a trial version of Diskeeper (defragmentation program). However removed this program and don't use it anymore. Now using the build-in defragmentation of XP.
And I have installed software that came with a digital camera: Canon Powershot A95. This contains a driver for USB support because I bring the photos to my laptop with a cable between my laptop and the USB port. However I know this camera does not support USB 2.0..

 

little error in the previous posting: I mean an USB cable between my laptop and the camera.

 

Is the disk connected to the computer through an USB hub with USB 1.1 devices attached? Many USB hubs lacks the necessary hardware to run the ports at mixed speed and instead throtles down to USB 1.1 speed on all ports. It could be your camera that is slowing everything down.

 

Thanks for your suggestion. Well the camera is not attached when I make the image. I removed the software of the camera and removed a wireless mouse from the USB port and attached a PS/2 mouse and still no increase in spead of the USB port. No idea what the cause is.

Simon

 

Make sure the usb host controller is 2.0..Sounds like it got replaced someway..

 

Don't know wether this information helps:

I did a benchmark test of my internal hard disk en my external hard disk with FreshDiagnose:

External Hard Disk (connected with USB cable):
Write speed 9,27Mb/sec
Read speed 15,31Mb/sec

Internal Hard Disk
Write speed 3,52Mb/sec
Read speed 2,66Mb/sec

Is it correct to say that with a write speed of 9,27Mb/sec of my external hard disk I should be able to backup 33,4 Gigabyte per hour ? (=60x60x9,27).
This would be more or less according to my experiences because usually I make an image of 23 Gigabyte in 40 minutes. However I still don't understand why the USB transfer with True Image is so slow when this benchmark shows the opposite (and still a week ago it was fast).

 

Question: Does the above benchmark results mean my USB 2.0 is working properly?

 

Your numbers above would appear to point to the problem as being the very slow internal drive. These numbers appear to be slow by a factor of at least 10.

 

Hello Simon,

Could you please clarify whether you use USB hub or your USB port is built in the motherboard? Is your external drive connected to the port directly or with some intermediate cable/device?

Please try to uninstall your digital camera software temporary and install USB 2.0 drivers that should be available either on the CD of your motherboard or on the manufacturer web-site. After that pleasetry to create image once again and see whether the problem persists. Also please create some big file (for example, with WinZip or even an image with the help of Acronis True Image) and store it on your internal drive. After that please copy it to your external drive and see whether the speed of the process is low.

Thank you.
--
Ilya Toytman

 

My external hard disk is connected with a USB wire and I don’t use a hub which I think is an external device? I already removed the software for the camera. I don’t know wher to download drivers for USB 2.0 for my motherboard. Don’t you think I use the USB 2.0 drivers that come with XP ?

This is what I know about my motherboard. It did not come with a driver. However I downloaded the latest VIA 4in1 driver here on the site for my computer Targa Visionary XP-210 http://service.targa.de/faq.php?lan...0&artpic=VisionaryXPII140.jpg&serial=&func2=2

Motherboard Information
Motherboard Model 755CA3
Motherboard Vendor ACTEBIS:SAM
Motherboard Version 1.0
Motherboard Serial Number 00000000
Chipset Model Unknown
Chipset Vendor VIA Technologies Inc
BIOS Model AMIBIOS 070010
BIOS Vendor American Megatrends Inc.
BIOS Id 63-2000-009999-00101111-040201-VIA_K7-1ABNG000
BIOS Date 04/02/01, BIOS Version : 1.12A



And this is some further information about my USB host controllers:

Apparaateigenschappen:
Soort Besturingssoftware VIA USB Enhanced host-controller
Datum Besturingssoftware 1-6-2002
Versie Besturingssoftware 5.1.2600.0
Provider Besturingssoftware Microsoft
INF-Bestand usbport.inf
Hardware Identificatie PCI\VEN_1106&DEV_3104&SUBSYS_12121584&REV_82

USB-controllers:
USB-apparaat voor massaopslag 5.1.2600.0
USB-hoofdhub 5.1.2600.1106
USB-hoofdhub 5.1.2600.1106
USB-hoofdhub 5.1.2600.1106
USB-hoofdhub 5.1.2600.1106
VIA Rev 5 of later USB universele host-controller 5.1.2600.1106
VIA Rev 5 of later USB universele host-controller 5.1.2600.1106
VIA Rev 5 of later USB universele host-controller 5.1.2600.1106
VIA USB Enhanced host-controller 5.1.2600.0

 

The latest VIA 4in1 driver is not v4.49vp2, it's version 4.55vp1.

BTW: new name VIA 4in1 driver is VIA Hyperion Driver.

The version you have installed, 4.49, is well known as a trouble maker.

Instead of v4.49, you can try to install the newest Hyperion Driver v4.55vp1.

Download here.

Don't forget: this is very tricky and dangerous software to install.

BEFORE DOING ANYTHING; MAKE A FULL, INDEPENDENT IMAGE OF YOUR HD AND BE SURE THE IMAGE IS OK!!!!!

 

Thanks for your tip. I installed Hyperion Driver v4.55vp1 and the system seems to boot a bit faster. However still no USB 2.0 speed when making an image! On several forums I have seen the tip to remove the USB controllers under system and then reboot because then XP will reinstall the USB drivers. However I don't know how dangerous this is so I did not dare to do this. Is that an idea to try ?

 

Is correct, but first read this Microsoft article before doing anything: "General USB troubleshooting in Windows XP", you will find the article here.

And don't forget to make an image of your HD before remove the controllers, in case you destroy something you can put back the image.

 

Well I removed the USB controllers and they were automatically reinstalled by windows xpsp2 including the enhanced host controller. However still no progress on USB 2.0 speed. Very strange.

 

Hello Simon,

Please perform the test I mentioned previously, i.e. to copy big file from internal drive to external one. Also please try to create an image and store it to the internal drive. This will allow to conclude which drive is causes the low speed. After that please let us know the result.

Thank you.
--
Ilya Toytman

 

Are the BIOS settings OK?

 

Hi Simon,

I tend to agree with beenthereb4's observation at post #10 above. Unless you have a real ancient (read slow!!) internal HD, it seems the sustained transfer speed of the internal HD could be the problem not the USB 2/external HD link. Is the internal drive still functioning in DMA mode or has it dropped back to Int13?

Regards

 

Check the data transfer mode of the **internal** hard drive, which seems very slow.

Go to my computer, right-click properties, hardware, device manager, IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers, primary IDE channel, right-click properties, advanced tab. Pick the primary hard drive on that channel, usually called device 0. The current transfer rate should be something like ultra DMA mode 5 or 6 for a modern hard drive. If it is a lower DMA mode, or worse, PIO, then there is probably something wrong with the internal hard drive to internal disk controller setup, or you have an old controller or old disk (pre year 2000 or so).

I have heard that XP will automatically drop the DMA mode, if it senses communication problems, or read/write problems. The latter can be caused by bad spots on the disk, so be sure to run CHKDSK C: /R, reboot, and wait a while for it to thoroughly check/fix the file system. Also, for the faster DMA modes, XP requires an 80-pin IDE cable. A 40-pin cable will not normally work with XP, although it usually will work with win98.

 

I both directions it takes approx. half an hour to copy a file of 5 Gigabyte. So it does not seem to depend on the direction.

 

The primary IDE-channel works in PIO Modus and the secundairy IDE-channel in Ultra DMAMode 2. And then there is a VIA Bus Master IDE controller and this doesn't state in which mode it works.

Information about the hard disk of my laptop gathered with Everest Home Edition:

ATA Apparaat-eigenschappen:
Model ID TOSHIBA MK6021GAS
Serienummer 63J51388S
Revisie GA024A
Parameters 116280 cylinders, 16 koppen, 63 sectoren per track, 512 bytes per sector
LBA Sectoren 117210240
Buffer Onbekend
Meervoudige Sectoren 16
ECC Bytes 46
Maximale PIO Overdrachtmodus PIO 4
Maximale UDMA Overdrachtmodus UDMA 5 (ATA-100)
Actieve UDMA Overdrachtmodus UDMA 5 (ATA-100)
Ongeformatteerde Capaciteit 57232 MB


I have run chkdsk and that took a long time. It worked in 5 stages and this morning I found out it had finished. I rebooted and found out the hard disk still works in PIO modus.

This is info on the site of Toshiba about my hard disk:
http://www.toshiba-europe.com/stora...=product&ptype=&frame=content&model=MK6021GAS

 

Well, finally there is progress !!! Thanks to you all! I am very gratefull to you all. I did some reading here:
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=817472
And used the workaround solution. Just removed the driver of the IDE Channel 1. Then rebooted. Now the primary IDE channel works in Ultra DMA Mode 5. Don't know wether I should try the same procedure with the secundary IDE channel or is Ultra DMA Mode 2 (it's setting) OK?
Anyway, repeated the benchmark test of the internal hard disk and now it says. Write 6,5Mb/s and read 12,83Mb/s. So that is much better. Then I started True Image and saw a much better estimation while it started for the time it would need to create the image file. Before this action it said 4 or 3 hours. And now ... 45 minutes. I cancelled the process. However I think that is the normal estimation when I start.

So it seems fixed although I still don't understand fully why these settings can change so suddenly. Im am affraid it will happen again. And I would like your opinion wether I need to remove the driver and reboot for the secundairy IDE channel as well?

Again, I want to thank you all for your help and good thinking ! Now I will make an image file first!

 

It actually made the image file of 24,8Gigabyte in 36 minutes. That's the usual speed again! Great !

 

Hi again Simon,

Pleased that you managed to fix the problem

The Microsoft hotfix and registry edit should prevent the driver progressively reducing the transfer mode of the IDE controller. However, it wont cure the original cause of the problem (excessive timeouts or CRC errors). Therefore, if there is an impending problem with your hardware it will probably show up in some other way (e.g. read and/or write errors).

Do you have a CD or DVD connected to the secondary IDE channel? If so then a notebook CD/DVD isn't the fastest device in the world and I would say DMA mode 2 is about right.

Regards