Ali 8-port FireWire/USB 2.0 PCI: poor performance common?

Posted: 03-02-2004, 02:40 AM

Mike Paul

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Seemed like a good idea: instead of paying $60 for a combo USB
2.0/Firewire card, I bought a semi-generic Ali 8-port FireWire/USB 2.0
PCI card for $26, and now I'm wondering if they all are slow or if
it's a bad interaction with my motherboard or something.

It works, but Firewire can't play back my DVDs from a burner I have in
an external box. The 120GB hard disk in a Belkin USB 2.0/Firewire
enclosure only works well under USB and only when I plug it in and
reboot, and took almost an hour to copy a 4GB file onto the external
drive. Way slower than I expected from USB 2.0.

While composing this, I tried the hard disk via Firewire again, and
the whole system locked up until I pulled the plug. I guess it was
slowly accessing the hard disk, and it was taking a while.

I disabled the P3V4X motherboard's onboard USB 1.1 as best I could,
but don't see any improvement.

I used the supplied USB 2.0 driver, then tried running without it. No
change.

Any ideas, other than buying a more expensive card (came up with that
one myself)?...

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Responses to "Ali 8-port FireWire/USB 2.0 PCI: poor performance common?"

JEM

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Ali 8-port FireWire/USB 2.0 PCI: poor performance common?

Posted: 03-02-2004, 03:15 AM

Try putting in a different PCI slot if it's available.
Sounds like IQR sharing issue.... Had the same problems
with ATA controllers, firewire, TV tuners... Usually the
case. Check the MB manual, WEB site, or forum for your
board.

>-----Original Message-----
>Seemed like a good idea: instead of paying $60 for a

combo USB

>2.0/Firewire card, I bought a semi-generic Ali 8-port

FireWire/USB 2.0

>PCI card for $26, and now I'm wondering if they all are

slow or if

>it's a bad interaction with my motherboard or something.
>
>It works, but Firewire can't play back my DVDs from a

burner I have in

>an external box. The 120GB hard disk in a Belkin USB

2.0/Firewire

>enclosure only works well under USB and only when I plug

it in and

>reboot, and took almost an hour to copy a 4GB file onto

the external

>drive. Way slower than I expected from USB 2.0.
>
>While composing this, I tried the hard disk via Firewire

again, and

>the whole system locked up until I pulled the plug. I

guess it was

>slowly accessing the hard disk, and it was taking a

while.

>
>I disabled the P3V4X motherboard's onboard USB 1.1 as

best I could,

>but don't see any improvement.
>
>I used the supplied USB 2.0 driver, then tried running

without it. No

>change.
>
>Any ideas, other than buying a more expensive card (came

up with that

>one myself)?...
>.
>

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Mike Paul

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Posts: n/a

Re: Ali 8-port FireWire/USB 2.0 PCI: poor performance common?

Posted: 03-03-2004, 01:56 PM

"JEM" <anonymous@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message news:<4fbd01c40004$976c1a90$a001280a@phx.gbl>...

> Try putting in a different PCI slot if it's available.
> Sounds like IQR sharing issue.... Had the same problems
> with ATA controllers, firewire, TV tuners... Usually the
> case. Check the MB manual, WEB site, or forum for your
> board.

Well, swapping the board around did get the Firewire working properly,
but the USB 2.0 still acts like 1.1. Although, due to my case's slot
openings not being generous enough, I can't plug into the card's ports
and have to use the USB 2.0 / Firewire hub I installed in a 5-1/4" slot.
Maybe there's something wrong with that, so when the small hub I need to
split the one internal USB port shows up, I'll test my USB 2.0 hard disk
on the internal port and see if it's any better. I bought a CompUSA
8-in-1 media reader for a 3-1/2" slot, and can't run that and the external
hub without even more hardware.

Thanks...

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JEM

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Posts: n/a

Re: Ali 8-port FireWire/USB 2.0 PCI: poor performance common?

Posted: 03-04-2004, 12:21 AM

for USB 2.0 to work you have to have XP SP1 installed, or
use the driver disk that came with the card. If the
drivers are installed correctly, the USB will show up
as 'enhanced USB controller'.

>-----Original Message-----
>"JEM" <anonymous@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in

message news:<4fbd01c40004$976c1a90$a001280a@phx.gbl>...

>> Try putting in a different PCI slot if it's available.
>> Sounds like IQR sharing issue.... Had the same

problems

>> with ATA controllers, firewire, TV tuners... Usually

the

>> case. Check the MB manual, WEB site, or forum for your
>> board.
>
>Well, swapping the board around did get the Firewire

working properly,

>but the USB 2.0 still acts like 1.1. Although, due to

my case's slot

>openings not being generous enough, I can't plug into

the card's ports

>and have to use the USB 2.0 / Firewire hub I installed

in a 5-1/4" slot.

>Maybe there's something wrong with that, so when the

small hub I need to

>split the one internal USB port shows up, I'll test my

USB 2.0 hard disk

>on the internal port and see if it's any better. I

bought a CompUSA

>8-in-1 media reader for a 3-1/2" slot, and can't run

that and the external

>hub without even more hardware.
>
>Thanks...
>.
>

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