Slow Boot With USB DVD

thenick100 · 01-25-2006, 10:24 AM

Hi, im running an EPIA MII 120000 and everything works fine with usb sound etc but when i plug in the usb dvd drive, (2 usb cables into a powered hub) the computer freezes on the via boot screen for ages before booting... Can anyone tell me why?! Ive changed the boot order to hdd 0, hdd1, hdd2, hdd3 but it still does it... is it a usb conflict or something?

Thanks

Nick

turbocad6 · 01-25-2006, 10:48 AM

I've seen this from time to time with drives.... it's an issue that I haven't been able to troubleshoot.... I have two solutions.... 1 is try a different drive..... 2nd & maybe more reasonable is to create a break in the usb cable.... sometimes just cutting power to the drive for the first few seconds of boot will be all that's needed...... I have a hardrive that does this.... & I have to break the power & the usb data line.... it involves two low power 5v relays & either a manual push button to create the break, or ideally a timer module that is triggered by the 5v usb signal with a few seconds delay....

this will give you the equivelent of unplugging & then replugging the drive..... try this at boot to see if unpluging it for a few seconds till past post solves your problem.....

thenick100 · 01-25-2006, 10:58 AM

Yeah i used to have this problem with my laptop and an external hard drive, but it stopped when i plugged in an external sony dvd writer in the same hub... very strange! So you reckon put a push to break switch in the usb line. how easy is this to do? since the usb is more than one wire etc??

turbocad6 · 01-25-2006, 11:15 AM

theres only 4 wires in usb..... ground,5v power & 2 data lines.... I've never had to break all of them... either just the 5v, or worse case the 5v & 1 data line will do it..... the worse one I've done was an external hardrive that had 12v & 5v.... this actually needed 3 breaks.... 1 5v 2 12v & 3 was one data line..... foolproof & works like a charm....

thenick100 · 01-25-2006, 11:23 AM

so if i dont often use the drive, would a toggle switch on the power or data line work? so i can leave it off and then just flick it on when i want to use a cd?

turbocad6 · 01-25-2006, 11:25 AM

should be fine... flicking the switch would be the equivlent of plugging it in..... if this is done after boot then no problems.......