How to enable DMA in Windows to support writing CDs/DVDs

[objectcentral]

If you look through the topics here, you can see a bunch of people are having trouble writing CDs or DVDs with VMware. There are some apparent answers about SCSI, and a place to download a driver, but I've tried all that, and I still can't use Nero to write a DVD from Fusion. I tried all the editing the .vmx file (like an end user should even have to do something like that to be able to write a CD), loaded the SCSI driver - no luck - Fusion says no SCSI device, even though I figured out how to actually install the SCSI driver with no instructions (OK - you tell me where they are - who but a few geeks know to right click on the .INF file?)

WRITING A CD/DVD SHOULD BE A BASIC OPERATION SUPPORTED BY FUSION!!!!! I have a standard Mac Pro with standard drives - what is going on?

PLEASE, VMware support - post the real answer to this problem - I can't be the only one getting the #$@%@ DMA error message when I write a DVD - and Nero is a pretty standard product for Windows. Provide an OFFICIAL answer, not all the half-answers from your user base! Fusion works so well, it just frustrates me to no end to have to hard boot into Boot Camp just to burn a DVD!

Message was edited by:

objectcentral

[RDPetruska]

>WRITING A CD/DVD SHOULD BE A BASIC OPERATION SUPPORTED BY FUSION!!!!!

Fusion does not provide ANY operations! VMware products provide a container in which to run a virtual computer and install an operating system and applications, etc., which would run on such entity!!! In and of itself, VMware Fusion knows NOTHING about your guest.

(OK - you tell me where the are - who but a few geeks know to right click on the .INF file?)

That's one option. You can also go into Control Panel, Add/Remove Hardware, either scan for new devices or add new hardware, then point the wizard to the folder where you extracted the driver files to (or just to the A: drive where you mounted the virtual floppy image).

Realize that every OS is different. You as a user are expected to have knowledge about that OS. Nobody's going to spoon feed you. As I said, virtualization software provides you a container. It's up to you to fill that containter.

[objectcentral]

Give me a break. While Fusion might run a bunch of OS's, 99% of its market is Windows XP or Vista (which doesn't really work yet...).

And the setup for the VM gives the user an option to specify a CD drive - and 99% of the people expect to be able to write to that CD drive. There is even a very specific error messsage about DMA not working, and to use SCSI. BUT THERE IS NO DOCUMENTATION ON HOW TO DO THIS.

VMware has decided to enter the mainstream by releasing Fusion for the Mac. Now they have to provide main stream - which means spoon feeding the user base for such basic things as writing to your CD. If they expect people to hand edit .vmx files, and load drivers, and so on, then there should be detailed instructions how to do it.

But I contend this is a deeper issue. VMware seems to know that you can't write to a CD/DVD (which is a very BASIC capability) using the default add a CD to the VM option in setup. So they owe it to their customers (remember, VMware chose to enter the consumer mainstream by releasing Fusion) to provide clear instructions on adding this capability.

I think CD write support should not require special effort, but if it does, then don't make us comb the forum for half answers that are incomplete or wrong.

Again, this is mainstream. I know I'm not the only user who wants to write a CD using a very standard Mac configuration.

[Wes_W_]

PLEASE, VMware support - post the real answer to this

problem - I can't be the only one getting the #$@%@

DMA error message when I write a DVD - and Nero is a

pretty standard product for Windows. Provide an

OFFICIAL answer, not all the half-answers from your

user base! Fusion works so well, it just frustrates

me to no end to have to hard boot into Boot Camp just

to burn a DVD!

Why not just take a chill-pill so you don't burst anything then move your files via a shared folder to your Mac Pro and burn the files with OS X?

Let's face it, Windows sucks anyway.

[enucho]

PLEASE, VMware support - post the real answer to

this

problem - I can't be the only one getting the

#$@%@

DMA error message when I write a DVD - and Nero is

a

pretty standard product for Windows. Provide an

OFFICIAL answer, not all the half-answers from

your

user base! Fusion works so well, it just

frustrates

me to no end to have to hard boot into Boot Camp

just

to burn a DVD!

Why not just take a chill-pill so you don't burst

anything then move your files via a shared folder to

your Mac Pro and burn the files with OS X?

Let's face it, Windows sucks anyway.

I don't know who you are Wes but I don't think that your response is appropriate. Worse still, if you are an employee of VMware. Your reaction is not fair. You are the technician, we are, generally, mere mortals. And that's no joke or irony. This person is frustrated. I know how he feels. I am a newcomer to the Mac and I feel the frustration. It's like learning a whole new language. Yes, Microsoft sucks. Big time. But unfortunately, there are programs we need to run at our jobs that do NOT support OS X, so we have no choice BUT to download The One That Sucks.

As well, we forked out the money to buy Fusion and by and large it performs, but there are holes and pretty basic ones and we would all like solutions. That's why this forum is so full of questions.

So please, while I do agree that we, the mortals, should tone down our frustrations, you the experts need to have a bit more patience. I too have been facing half answers (or at least answers that I could not understand, being a mere mortal) so I know how the guy feels.

Take care.

Emile

[admin]

I don't currently have anything useful to add to the actual thread, but I wanted to point out that the VMware badge next to the username denotes a VMware employee (the converse isn't necessarily true). Also, a lot of people are out at VMworld right now, so an answer may be delayed.

[Wes_W_]

etung is spot on, I'm certainly not a VMware employee nor associated with VMware in any capacity, other than a user of their Fusion product.

It's amazing how much user support is available to anyone that at least 1) tries to read the product documentation, 2) attempts to search the forums for the same questions previously addressed, and 3) failing with one and two, intelligently and politely asks how to accomplish a task, with enough background information to identify the correct method of employment.

Here's a great resource that should be a sticky thread on every forum on the internet:

How To Ask Questions The Smart Way - http://catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html[/b]

[shshjun]

Here's a great resource that should be a sticky

thread on every forum on the internet:

How To Ask Questions The Smart Way -

http://catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html[/b]

you probably meant on every english tech forum. : )

back to the original question. i have no full answer to that by my experience tells me that i already take a virtualization approach by using fusion, i probably can go further, for example, to use nero to make a dvd/cd image instead to actually burn it - if i need a backup of data, i do it in my mac.

on the other hand, i use fusion to solve the exact problem that some programs not running/avail in mac. i could thus stop right there. this means fusion helps to run the program for me, produced some file. i then can move the file to the mac and do whatever i want with the files.

i understand it's convenient to have these things.

thus i suggest

\-- use nero to create a dvd/cd image for you instead actually burn a disc

\-- pass all data fusion/guest OS helped to mac

[nathanp]

But I contend this is a deeper issue. VMware seems to

know that you can't write to a CD/DVD (which is a

very BASIC capability) using the default add a CD to

the VM option in setup.

If it isn't in the release notes or there isn't a KB for it, then it isn't a known issue.

I found this in the KB: http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1001756 which seems different than what you encountered.

I have burned quite a number of CD/DVD with Fusion using Windows XP. I have done it with both IDE and SCSI virtual devices. I use a Macbook Pro, so I don't know about issues that may be specific to MacPro hardware.

Burning to IDE CD/DVD virtual devices is supported (as of one of the betas).

I would love to help you out. Not having access to a MacPro makes it difficult to test completely though.

[JimGat]

I too have had issues getting any CD Burning Software to work on my Fusion Client even tried an external USB Sony DRU-830A

I am running Fusion 1.1.2 (87978) on my MacPro Dual 3Ghz Quad-Core Xeon's 8GB Ram and MacRaid Card OS X 10.5.2 My Main VM is windows XP Pro SP 3 v3311

I have had Fusion since the release and had all kinds of Quirky Issues from USB Devices not working right Scanner Would not scan a Clean Page (Would have noise and Socratic non consistent lines) to Trashing CF Cards from my camera. Seems things would work correctly after a total restart and first launch of the client OS. After it started messing up a reboot of the computer was the only thing that would resolve the issues and then it was only after a reboot that I could perform one format or one scan.

Like I said I have issues with the MacPro hardware that are not USB.. The internal Pioneer would never Burn a CD or DVD I tried a usb Drive with less luck....

I have been through several Updates of the OS X (Started without Leopard) , several updates of Fusion, and several updates of the XP From SP2 to current SP 3

I even tried the VMX file tweaks and setting the DMA flags, using different SCSI drivers.. .. Kicking the MAC Just about everything I could think of .. Even reloading the MAC OS in the beginning.. I loaded a Virgin XP VM and a Vista VM with no luck on burning a CD/DVD using native stuff, Nero or Roxio....

Frustrated that my scanner would not even work I tried a network device that I have used for my Virtual Machines on the ESX servers It is a Silex SX-2000U2 usb to network Adapter. I set it up and I plugged my USB Hub into it and then loaded the driver on my XP VM and My scanner worked like a dream. I also had no more issues with Data on my SD cards getting scrambled. Then as I write this I tried the USB External DVD writer. It is slower than normal but it is working. I have done 2 DVD's while typing this.

I understand that is a work around and for all the Cash I forked out to Apple and VMware I do want to know what the real fix is.. I use VMware Products in my Everyday Life fusion frustrates me with it's lack of functionality and tweaking under the Hood.. But it is a MAC Program

If I might ask do you have a Apple Raid Card... The introduction of that card seems to eliminate the use of several things like Boot Camp and 4 other Utility programs..

I too begg VMware/Apple to find a Fix I would like to just use the Native Stuff without all the added complexity.......

[kristein]

Complete the below tasks for the DMA issue

1) In Windows XP VM > Go to start > run and key in "devmgmt.msc"

2) Click on the plus control of the "IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers" section

3) Select and Right click on the "Secondary IDE Controller", and select ‘Properties'

5) Click the ‘Advanced Settings' tab

6) My guess is that Device 0 (or Device 1 if you are using an IDE disk) Transfer Mode setting likely says "PIO Only"

7) Click on the Transfer Mode setting to "DMA if available" and click OK

😎 Restart the virtual machine.

[dspencer73]

This is driving me nuts! I too can not figure out how to write a disc! I can not beleive how complicated all this is. I am just a guy who barely knows how to run a computer. I wanted to write a disc in windows because it was a WINDOWS PROGRAM (thus the purchasing of this software and windows XP) so I could use it for work and I can not believe how hard it has been for just your averge joe to even FIND any information on how to solve this problem! Kristein, I followed your steps. but when I got to step 6 it already had "DMA if available" selected!

Any other suggestions?

[RDPetruska]

You can hand-edit your vmx file to change the settings for the guest's CD-ROM drive using the guides on Ulli's page here. There are various configurations shown there - one of them specifically for CD burning.

[flohmedia]

thank you very much indeed kristein!

changing from 'PIO only' to 'DMA if available' in the device manager for device 0 of the secondary IDE controllers fixed the 'blah blah DMA blah blah' error message that I was getting whilst using ImgBurn to write an ISO on WinXP.

you are the most awesome individual to have lived! ever!

cheers

Rich