[geeks] weird slowness??

[Jon Gilbert]

So I have this computer. It's a PC with XP Embedded (photo kiosk).

If the IDE ATA HD is hooked up by itself, it runs fast, and no issues.

If the IDE ATA HD is chained with the DVD-R drive then it runs  
sloowwwww as hell. The drive read speeds seem to plummet, but it all  
works fine. Just slow!! (I tried different DVD drives, and different  
IDE cables to no benefit. The HD is in Master, the DVD in slave; the  
HD is on the end of the cable then, there is a long stretch of cable,  
then the DVD drive, then a short stretch of cable, then the  
motherboard. That's the only way it will fit due to the weird case.)

Any ideas how I can solve this? It's driving me NUTS! Thanks!

Jon