LinuxQuestions.org - IDE hard disk DMA error at boot up.

Hello,

I have an IDE hard disk that often gives a DMA error at boot up:

Code:

[    0.000000] Linux version 2.6.20-16-generic (root@terranova) (gcc version 4.1.2 (Ubuntu 4.1.2-0ubuntu4)) #2 SMP Sun Sep 23 19:50:39 UTC 2007 (Ubuntu 2.6.20-16.32-generic)

...



[  22.263363] Kernel command line: root=UUID=b72ccba1-5c78-4b9d-9c8d-7429fd3b7695 vga=794 hda=nodma ro splash

[  22.263383] ide_setup: hda=nodma -- BAD OPTION

...

[  30.130928] hda: Host Protected Area disabled.

[  30.130932] hda: 40132503 sectors (20547 MB) w/1902KiB Cache, CHS=39813/16/63, UDMA(100)

[  30.130937] hda: cache flushes not supported

[  30.130974]  hda:<5>SCSI device sda: 320173056 512-byte hdwr sectors (163929 MB)

[  30.132551] sda: Write Protect is off

[  30.132553] sda: Mode Sense: 00 3a 00 00

[  30.132565] SCSI device sda: write cache: enabled, read cache: enabled, doesn't support DPO or FUA

[  30.132604] SCSI device sda: 320173056 512-byte hdwr sectors (163929 MB)

[  30.132611] sda: Write Protect is off

[  30.132613] sda: Mode Sense: 00 3a 00 00

[  30.132624] SCSI device sda: write cache: enabled, read cache: enabled, doesn't support DPO or FUA

[  30.132627]  sda: hda1

[  30.146269] hdc: ATAPI 48X DVD-ROM DVD-R CD-R/RW drive, 2048kB Cache, UDMA(33)

[  30.146278] Uniform CD-ROM driver Revision: 3.20



...



[  50.129523] hda: dma_timer_expiry: dma status == 0x60

[  50.129527] hda: DMA timeout retry

[  50.129529] hda: timeout waiting for DMA

[  55.124850] hda: status timeout: status=0xd0 { Busy }

[  55.124852] ide: failed opcode was: unknown

[  55.124878] hda: drive not ready for command

[  55.221105] ide0: reset: success

[  75.232034] hda: dma_timer_expiry: dma status == 0x60

[  75.232038] hda: DMA timeout retry

[  75.232039] hda: timeout waiting for DMA

[  80.227042] hda: status timeout: status=0xd0 { Busy }

[  80.227044] ide: failed opcode was: unknown

[  80.227069] hda: drive not ready for command

[  80.275696] ide0: reset: success

[  100.282631] hda: dma_timer_expiry: dma status == 0x60

[  100.282634] hda: DMA timeout retry

[  100.282635] hda: timeout waiting for DMA

[  105.277321] hda: status timeout: status=0xd0 { Busy }

[  105.277323] ide: failed opcode was: unknown

[  105.277348] hda: drive not ready for command

[  105.326293] ide0: reset: success

[  125.337222] hda: dma_timer_expiry: dma status == 0x60

[  125.337224] hda: DMA timeout retry

[  125.337226] hda: timeout waiting for DMA

[  130.331593] hda: status timeout: status=0xd0 { Busy }

[  130.331595] ide: failed opcode was: unknown

[  130.331620] hda: drive not ready for command

[  130.380884] ide0: reset: success

[  130.494085] hda: DMA disabled

hda is a hard disk that I only use to boot to windows time to time, so I could disable DMA with no problem. I have tried to do that unsuccessfully by adding at boot hda=nodma,
but this is indicated as a bad option.

$ sudo hdparm /dev/hda

Code:

/dev/hda:

 multcount    =  0 (off)

 IO_support  =  0 (default 16-bit)

 unmaskirq    =  0 (off)

 using_dma    =  0 (off)

 keepsettings =  0 (off)

 readonly    =  0 (off)

 readahead    = 256 (on)

 geometry    = 39813/16/63, sectors = 40132503, start = 0

$ sudo hdparm -i /dev/hda

Code:

/dev/hda:



 Model=QUANTUM FIREBALLP AS20.5, FwRev=A1Y.1500, SerialNo=792119430295

 Config={ HardSect NotMFM HdSw>15uSec Fixed DTR>10Mbs }

 RawCHS=16383/16/63, TrkSize=32256, SectSize=21298, ECCbytes=4

 BuffType=DualPortCache, BuffSize=1902kB, MaxMultSect=16, MultSect=off

 CurCHS=16383/16/63, CurSects=16514064, LBA=yes, LBAsects=40130390

 IORDY=on/off, tPIO={min:120,w/IORDY:120}, tDMA={min:120,rec:120}

 PIO modes:  pio0 pio1 pio2 pio3 pio4

 DMA modes:  mdma0 mdma1 mdma2

 UDMA modes: udma0 udma1 udma2 udma3 udma4 *udma5 udma3 udma4 *udma5

 AdvancedPM=no WriteCache=enabled

 Drive conforms to: ATA/ATAPI-5 T13 1321D revision 1:  ATA/ATAPI-1 ATA/ATAPI-2 ATA/ATAPI-3 ATA/ATAPI-4 ATA/ATAPI-5



 * signifies the current active mode

The error is not very problematic and DMA is disabled after several trials, but it takes a lot of time at every boot.

Thank you for any suggestion.