Enable Direct Memory Access (DMA)
By default, Windows Me does not have Direct Memory Access (DMA) enabled for DMA compliant drive(s) (hard disk & CD-ROM). Enabling DMA has the advantage that your computer will use significant less CPU time when sending data to/from these devices.
To enable DMA:
- Select Start > Settings > Control Panel, and then double-click System
- Select the Device Manager tab
- Double-click your hard disk and/or CD-ROM to view its properties, select the System tab, and click to select the DMA check box, you will receive an Unsupported hardware alert, you have to click OK on this alert
- Restart your computer
If the DMA checkbox doesn't stay checked after you restart your computer, it is possible that your hardware doesn't support DMA. See this article for a procedure to test your hard disk for DMA compliance.
Also note that in some cases enabling DMA on CD-ROM drives will cause problems. If you notice problems just uncheck the DMA check box for your CD-ROM drive, and restart your computer.
