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Strange Optical drive issue.

Clams

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I'm only posting it here because AnyDVD is involved more in the solution than the problem.
I'm not sure what I did wrong, but since putting an SSD in my PC with a clean install of Windows 10 Pro (Ver. 1511), my optical drives are behaving strangely. They hang on data disks and blanks - throwing "bad block" errors in Event Viewer. In severe cases I need to use the reset button to reboot the PC - it's that hung up.
All hardware issues were double checked using an identical PC, swapping drives, cables, controllers etc.
This is clearly positively a SOFT problem. (FYI - Autoplay settings the same on both PC's)
Yes - I've uninstalled and re-intalled everything imaginable hard and soft (short of a total wipe and clean Windows install) Please trust me that I've done ALL the obvious things, and tests, and much more.

All I have to do to get the drives performing (almost) normally, is to start AnyDVD!
(Ya, I know it defaults to auto-start - but we're remember we're testing here.)
I say "almost" because they still hang on burned data disks I made.
Same drives when placed in other PC do not hang any in way at all at any time.
Also - even with this issue - the drive behave normally (with or without AnyDVD) when they see a DVD movie (commercial or burned)

So attached is a logfile to see if "the Wise" (tm JRR Tolkien) can see something astray??
I smell a clean windows install in my near future I think. (sigh)

-W
 

Attachments

  • AnyDVD_8.0.8.0_Info_F_DVD_VIDEO.ziplog
    145.2 KB · Views: 4
What's your motherboard model and which drives are hooked up to which sata ports?
 
Yes....
It's an ASUS Maximus VII Hero (Intel Z97) in both PC's.
CPU is the venerable Intel 4790K (socket 1150 top end)
Drives in both identical PC's are as follows.
On the six provided Intel Z97 SATA controllers:
Sata 1 SSD Boot Drive C: (boot and software)
Sata 2 500GB Spinner E: (rip movies to only)
Sata 3 3tb Storage D: (shrink movies to and save)
Sata 4 (unused)
Sata 5 Optiarc AD-7260S F:
Sata 6 Optiarc AD-7260S G:

The 4 provided "extra" ASUS SATA controllers are not used.
(but tested with them - same issues)

I'll note that I have 4 other PC's built with the Maximus VII Hero with lowly Celerons in them.
Similar drive setups - but only 1 SSD, 1 optical, and 1 spinner.
They are also behaving normally.
Of course it would be my PERSONAL PC that's acting up. (sigh)

-W

For comparison - here's a logfile from the other PC - same disk. (Spiderman)
 

Attachments

  • AnyDVD_8.0.8.0_Info_F_DVD_VIDEO.ziplog
    145.2 KB · Views: 0
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The CPU is irrelevant at this point. ok. so 1,2 & 3 are harddrives? 5&6 optical. That board has 8 sata ports. (not 10 as you seem to imply, there is no 4 extra ones and there is no such thing as an asus sata controller. Do me favor. Snap an image of the Sata ports with your phone or something and label each cable to what drive it connects. I need to know the EXACT cable configuration. I think i may have an idea but i can't be sure until i know the exact cable layout.
 
The CPU is irrelevant at this point. ok. so 1,2 & 3 are harddrives? 5&6 optical. That board has 8 sata ports. (not 10 as you seem to imply, there is no 4 extra ones and there is no such thing as an asus sata controller. Do me favor. Snap an image of the Sata ports with your phone or something and label each cable to what drive it connects. I need to know the EXACT cable configuration. I think i may have an idea but i can't be sure until i know the exact cable layout.

Machine is currently together - but I can use the ASUS Manual pic and label those pretty easily.
Note that both boards are connected the same though.... one is fine.
ASUS provides 4 additional SATA ports on the back of the board. they may still "piggyback" off the Intel controler but I'm *not* using those at all.
I'll get back to this ASAP - work intrudes now for the day - thanks!
-W
 
ya don't have to disassable it lol. Just a quick pic and lines with MSPaint or so :) i know the manual. I need to know the IRL situation :)
 
I mean it's in the case - in the cubby - in the desk. Ripping DVD's LOL.
I'll get back on this.. Tuesday is movie day. :)
Oh - and my mistake. THIS one is a Formula - the other 5 are hero's.
And I know you know the Formula - LOL.
That said... the 6 Intel ports are used the same on both of the big ones.
(EDIT: It was re-reading the above line that I saw my error!)
-W
 
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PS:
I might see the problem.
I did the drive cables on the Formula identical to the Hero's (physically).
And that's INCORRECT based on the manual pics from both.
After the first 4 on the right - the formula uses the SATA connectors in a different manner than the Hero.
Is this kinda what you were thinking I did??
I'll do them over after the movies rip - and do the (new) pic at the same time.
-W
 
Hero 7 has got 8 ports on the main sata section on the bottom left corner. The 2 left ones are ASMedia controllers and then 6 Intel ones. If you hooked the optical drives up to the left most 2, then you hooked them up to the ASMedia ones. That controller doesn't like optical ones and it's even specified in the manual to use data drives only (aka hard drives). That even applies to my Maximus VIII. If you want your drives to operate at max speed and properly you need to hook the optical drives to intel ports. Some boards even "mandate" to connect SSD's to certain ports.

your hero 7 has 2 asmedia on top then the other 6 are intel. My Formula is different although it has 8 standard sata ports and 2 on the left for sata express. That's something different.

They go 4x intel, 2x ASMedia,2X intel.

Your Formula 7 is similar but has a very unusual layout. The BOTTOM ports are on intel controllers, the TOP ones are ASMedia ones. Pull your manual on pages 1-36 and 1-37 (here it is specifically said: "These SATA ports are for data drives only."

in other words. If you want your optical drives to behave nicely and everything operate at maximum efficiency you need to hook your drives up as follow

RIGHTMOST 4 ports (SATA6G_1-4) intel controllers: so doesn't really matter (ssd/hdd/optical, it's all fair game)
LEFTMOST SECTION (4+2smaller sata express) is where it gets tricky. The TOP 2 SATA are ASMedia => DATA DRIVES ONLY (SSD/HDD), the BOTTOM 2 are INTEL controllers (SATA6G_5-6). If you hooked your OPTICAL Drives up to that section they NEED to be connected to the BOTTOM 2 sata ports.

Anyway i'm moving this to the hardware section as this section is reserved for DVD issues only and yours isn't a DVD issue. Its likely misconfigured hardware connectors causing the issue.

I don't know why, but ASmedia doesn't like optical drives on the ASMedia controller.
 
Yes... It's the ASmeda controllers I referred to as "extra" in my top posts(s).
WTF are they for exactly? And what controller controls them and why?
Anyway.............
By wiring the Formula as if it was a Hero - that's likely the problem right there.
(when I had 4 drives in each as opposed to 5 - it was not an issue as the 1st 4 on the right are the same on both boards)
I'll be able to re-wire in a couple hours. And I'll report back.
-W
 
Sata express: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SATA_Express (the smaller ones)
ASMedia: http://www.asmedia.com.tw/eng/e_show_products.php?item=118 & http://pcpartpicker.com/forums/topi...and-need-to-know-wich-plug-to-use-on-the-mobo. They'r not your standard sata controller, there's structural differences between them because they hook into the Sata express ports (the 2 small ones) and intel ones. For example ASMedia ports cannot be used for boot drives (which optical drives are often used for with bootable media, it just won't work if they're hooked up to asmedia ports)
 
in other words. If you want your optical drives to behave nicely and everything operate at maximum efficiency you need to hook your drives up as follow

RIGHTMOST 4 ports (SATA6G_1-4) intel controllers: so doesn't really matter (ssd/hdd/optical, it's all fair game)
LEFTMOST SECTION (4+2smaller sata express) is where it gets tricky. The TOP 2 SATA are ASMedia => DATA DRIVES ONLY (SSD/HDD), the BOTTOM 2 are INTEL controllers (SATA6G_5-6). If you hooked your OPTICAL Drives up to that section they NEED to be connected to the BOTTOM 2 sata ports.

YEP! That seemed to be it.
By wiring the drives as if it was a Hero, I was OK on the RIGHTMOST 4 posts (3 with HDD one open).
However I moved the optical drives to the NEXT pair on the left (the MIDDLE set. Those two are both ASmedia top and bottom - so....
I pulled the optical drives out of those and put them in the BOTTOM 2 ports to the left of that (Sata6G_5-6) - it fixed.
For whatever reason - AnyDVD when active "fixed" the drives while connected to the ASmedia ports. (This hid the issue from me for a couple weeks.)
Thanks for making me think a bit more....
It was you asking for pics that made me look at my "mental snapshot" of the inside of the case - then I realized it was a Formula in there not a Hero.
(I meant to build 6 Hero's - but I got the Formula nearly free on Ebay)
Of course a quick trip to the Formula manual was all it took....
-W
 
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Glad I was able to help. And to paraphrase you from the first post. I smell the os staying just as it is, no clean install.
 
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And to paraphrase you from the first post. I smell the os staying just as it is, no clean install.

Oddly enough - I did the clean install to the SSD from a DVD - that was indeed connected to the ASMedia port at the time.
I wonder who was sniffing glue when they laid out the Formula SATA3 ports?
The Hero was "bad enough" in that the the ports read from right to left -as opposed to left to right.
The Formula however is "way out there".
-W
 
Well they fixed that in formula 8 forestay. 4x Intel on the left (1-4), 2x asmedia above each other (5-6), 2x Intel (7-8). Abs the asmedia ones are in a different shade of the same color.

Sent from my Nexus 6P with Tapatalk.
 
While you're here... I'm gonna start a new thread here about audio.
-W
 
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