Hi,

I have a Plextor UltraPlex 32X SCSI CD-ROM, and am using the Adaptec AHA-2940AU PCI SCSI Controller. They are all running with the latest Windows 98 drivers. I have a very strange and intermittent problem, I hope you can help:

The drive came with a utility that allows the user to change its MAX read speed. Whenever I set this to 8X the drive functions perfectly - no problems at all. However, when I raise this to 32X - the maximum speed which the drive supports - I get spontaneous errors when the drive is reading at this speed for a few seconds constantly (the drive makes a very loud noise as it's reading at a high speed). I get the infamous "blue screen of death", stating "Error reading drive D, please check that a disc with a label <DISCLABEL> is in the drive."

The people at Plextor insist that the drive is dirty. However, I have tried three different "CD-ROM cleaning" products and they have not helped. Could it be a design flaw in the drive?

I have verified the settings in my SCSI adapter, and they seem to be correct, since the card is supposed to support this kind of high data transfer rates without any problems.

What can I do about this? This is all very frustrating, because to me it seems pointless spending $300 on a 32X drive that needs to be brought down to 8X in order for it to work properly...

I appreciate in advance any help you can provide me with.

Jancelot