Slow read speeds on DW1655 BCIB

CD, DVD and (Ultra HD) Blu-ray Writers BenQ / Philips Writer
#1

I have a DW1655 with BCIB firmware. I was running with HB for some time, and then the drive read speeds while using DVDFab or other ripping tools began to slow significantly. Ripping a movie used to take 6-8 minutes, while now it can take upwards of 20. Transfer rates hover between 2-5mb/s. The drive used to speed up to 16x to do the read, and now will occasionally start up at 16x, but then slow down to the slower read rate.

Thought the new IB firmware would clear things up, but still getting slow reads. The slowness is apparent in both old (produced several years ago) DVDs and new DVDs, so it’s not related to encryption.

Burns can sometimes be slower than normal, but will still burn at 16x. The read/rip time is what’s lengthening.

CD burning (mp3 or CD audio burns) are unaffected, although I have noticed that the read speed has noticeably decreased.

Can anyone think or suggest ways to troubleshoot this?

Running:
XP Pro SP2
AMD Athlon64 X2 4400+
4GB PC3200 Patriot RAM
EVGA 8800GTSC
WD 320GB SATA 3.0 HDD
Ultra DMA 2 - Ultra 33 is enabled. Drive is Master on Primary Channel (Parallel ATA)

#2

Hi [B]tankshagswell[/B], welcome to CDFreaks! :slight_smile:

Your reading problem probably doesn’t have anything to do with firmware, but it could be a problem with DMA mode reverting to PIO.

I suggest you read this thread:

[B]Troubleshooting: Enabling/Checking DMA in Windows Vista, XP, 2000, Me, 9x[/B]

and also this article:

[B]DMA reverts to PIO[/B]

It’s also possible that the laser lens needs cleaning or that your drive is simply wearing out .

#3

Hey DrageMaster, I had checked out those DMA-related threads prior to posting and DMA is enabled:

Ultra DMA 2 - Ultra 33 is enabled. Drive is Master on Primary Channel (Parallel ATA)

I’ve been burning copious amounts of DVDs and CDs since I got the drive, which is now almost about 2 years old. I suppose I could clean the lens, but not too sure how to do that. I’m assuming that means cracking open the drive, or would it only necessitate the use of one of those cleaning discs?

What’s the usual life of a burner?

Thanks again.

#4

Try a lens clean using a, reputable brand, brush type lens cleaning disc. I use an AF lens cleaner disc once a month on all of my drives.

#5

I’ll give the cleaning suggestion a try. Any thoughts on why the read speed for audio CD ripping isn’t affected, and only DVD reading is impacted? The drive functions fine during gaming. There are no noticeable hiccups. It’s only when I’m ripping that the slow read speed is apparent. Thanks again.