It’s amazing how many computers I’ve used that do not have DMA enabled. "DMA (also referred to as bus mastering) is a technique that some components and devices use to transfer data directly to and from memory without passing through the Central Processing Unit (CPU). DMA reduces CPU overhead by providing a mechanism for data transfers that do not require monitoring by the CPU. The number associated with DMA indicates the direct memory access channel that the component or device uses to transfer data to and from memory.*" In other words it keeps your CPU from getting caught up with other processes that would otherwise take up resources, thus improving your computers speed.
1. Go to ‘Start’
2. Right-click on ‘My Computer’, from the drop down select ‘Manage’
3. When the ‘Computer Management’ window opens, click on ‘Device Manager’
4. Expand ‘IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers’ and right-click, select ‘Properties’ from the menu
5. When the ‘Properties’ windows opens, select the ‘Advanced Settings’ tab
6. Make sure that ‘DMA if available’ is selected under ‘Current Transfer Mode’ [only change this if >PIO Only< is selected]
*DMA Definition via Microsofts Website.
