Why do I get "Delayed Write Failures" when using Firewire? This occurs
using Vantex hard drive enclosures  model NST-350UF hooked up to
recent PC running latest Win XP Pro, with Intel chipset, not VIA. Have
15 of these enclosures and 7 PCs, some of the external hard drives
work some of the time on some of the PCs, none work all of the time
with all of them. Very frustrating. Need to get all of them to work
all of the time. Other "preassembled" external hard drives (from
Maxtor) do not do this with these PCs, so suspect something with the
Vantec enclosures. By the way, all hard drives in the Vantecs are
Maxtors as well.

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Request for Question Clarification by sublime1-ga on 28 Jul 2005 22:47 PDT

waringabbott...

Do you know if Write Caching and DMA are enabled for the
drives in question? Are you using the Buzzsaw on-the-fly
defragging program? Are these USB drives?

sublime1-ga

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Clarification of Question by waringabbott-ga on 31 Jul 2005 08:17 PDT

write caching not enable, same for DMA
not using Buzzsaw whatever it is...
these VanTecs are using the Prolific PL3507 chipset, which seems to be
relevant to this....
thanks, WA

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Request for Question Clarification by sublime1-ga on 31 Jul 2005 12:39 PDT

waringabbott...

It sounds like you may need a firmware update. If you go
to Prolific's download page and enter 'PL-3507', you 
should be able to find the revision you need:
http://tech.prolific.com.tw/visitor/v_fileBrw.asp

FAQs can be viewed by searching for 'PL-3507' on this
page and clicking 'Go':
http://tech.prolific.com.tw/visitor/faqBrw.asp

Let me know where this takes you...

sublime1-ga

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Clarification of Question by waringabbott-ga on 31 Jul 2005 17:55 PDT

see notes that I added via (I guess) another method...
WA

Try upgrading the hardware if possible, as well as the drivers. Here
is an interesting link on a problem similar to yours (not the same
model though) http://www.bustrace.com/products/delayedwrite.htm , (see
august 1 2003)

he wrote a filter to solve the problem of windows trying to write more
than the firewire can handle, but I wouldn't know how to write one

for sublime 1: already did all that stuff at the Prolific web
site...it would not upgrade the chip set, probably because all of
these enclosures are about three months old. Why would the chipset go
out of date in three months, or even longer (assuming they sat on a
shelf for a few months)???

for sleekgeek: looked at your link (had already found that web site
and printed out the entire thing)...please note that the guy refers to
"already having the bustrace utility" -- I looked it up, they want
$1100 for it. If I had $1100 I would just dump all 15 of my hard drive
enclosures and start all over...not happening. He also goes on to
suggest that we all contact the "vendors" and get some joy there. I
will give that a try, but am not optimistic. About as likely as Bill
Gates fixing my Win XP problems!
thanks, WA