This is an old topic on this forum, you can use the search link for find.
But, I have a laptop (Dell Inspirion 8200) and a firewire hard disk. I'm unable to record or play, I start playback and in a few minutes or seconds, show me an error display "Unable to mix audio, operation time out". I tried with two diferent HD's (One Lacie an other no brand) with Oxford 911 the two, I tried with another Firewire card (Pyro PCMCIA), I tried with Windows XP and Win 2000 (ACPI and standar PC modes) fresh install, I tried with three diferent sound cards. My conclusion: No way.
My solutions: I use other IDE hard disk on the media bay of my Dell, no problem. I use a SCSI hard disk with a PCMCIA adapter, no problem.
The firewire problem appears a bug of Microsoft with OHCI devices, but I can work with the Firewire HD and Nuendo, will be a Sonicfoundry (Acid are the same) bug too.
I've had no problems with doing some serious tracking and mixing with Firewire drives. I've had good results with the Pyro and the Lava enclosures. I think it's important that the enclosure has an Oxford 911 chipset in it. It appears to be the de-facto standard.
I only use a Oxford 911 bridges, on the two enclosures that I was tried, and a Pyro PCMCIA Firewire card too, and "no way". The trouble will be my laptop, but I saw other post and appears that: I'm not the only one with this problem.
Do you have a virus program running on your laptop? This will interfere big time during capture with some devices.
Question#2:
Do you have "cache enabled" or "DMA enabled" on the drives? If not your performance will be sluggish at best and crap out at worst.
Question#3:
Do you have the latest drivers from Dell for the laptop?
In Closing:
The Dell 8200 is considered one of the best for laptop firewire editing. Its fast and powerful. If you can't edit with it using an external 1394 drive, you either have an issue like above, or a defective product. You might want to talk to Dell...
No, I don't have any antivirus, and of course, I don't have any virus too
Question#2:
Yes
Question#3:
Yes, the lastest with the lastest bios
In Closing:
>The Dell 8200 is considered one of the best for laptop firewire editing. Its fast >and powerful. If you can't edit with it using an external 1394 drive, you either >have an issue like above, or a defective product. You might want to talk to Dell...
I was opened three diferent issues on Dell support about this trouble, at the moment, no solution (1º issue on May 2002). I can use a external firewire, but freezes ramdomly when I use the Vegas and Acid, but I can store on the Firewire HD. I tried several Firewire HD's, from Lacie (Lacie Studio drive, two diferents), from Pyro, "No brand" Oxford 911 enclosure, with same results.