did you try 'echo dma on > /dev/sdC0/ctl; echo rwm on > /dev/sdC0/ctl'?
what does 'cat /dev/sd??/ctl say?
Normal, at least for me - never got Plan 9 to copy itself faster than nosebleed (since I never had time to delve into it, I left it as-is), no matter on what it was installed...
