Speed issues with Windows 2000 and XP when connecting to a domain Controller

Question

Why are my workstations running slowly during logon and/or during file access?

Cause

Possible causes could be.

• DNS, WINS, DHCP and Mast Browser
• Mapping problems, for example network diconnected with red x
• Hardware settings, switches and hubs that can't handle NIC settings (many hubs don't support full duplex).
• Anti-virus software, especially real-time protection.
• Spyware and adware.

Resolution

Slow logon to Windows domain (Win 2000/XP) Possible solutions:

Check DNS (more relevant to XP) settings and event logs for errors on both clients and server's. A .local domain requires a local DNS server. To improve DNS response time use a local DNS rather than an external DNS server. Test DNS by pinging the machines NetBIOS name and FQDN.

Check logon scripts for any errors, if logon scripts are trying to do something that fails this requires a timeout which can take up to 60 seconds. Compare logon times with a user that doesn't use any logon scripts. Check MS Event logs for any errors, especially GPO errors that could be causing the delays. Disable NetBIOS on the interfaces that client do not use.

Why is XP running slower while I logon?

If the resolution above does not fix the speed problem, and you find W2K do not have the same problem check the hardware settings. Configure the computers network cards are using the same settings and the latest drivers.

Slow Computer Browsing Issue Symptoms:

If you have a multi-homed or multiple-transport computer, the browse process can be slow. This behaviour can occur because of the following scenario:

If the browser client is trying to locate a browser server on each network card or transport, it waits until either one receives valid information or times out on each endpoint before returning. Resolutions:

• Use fewer protocols or network cards on a computer.
• Disable NetBIOS on any interfaces that the clients don’t use.
• Having a browser server available on all endpoints will speed up the process.
• Stop the Master browser on W2K/XP clients by using net stop browser.

Slow opening Windows Explorer

Q: When I logon my laptop with a domain account when not connected to the domain/network, windows explorer is very slow to load. Why?

A: If you log on to a laptop as a domain user without the resources available on the domain/network, any drives that connect to your network will fail to re-establish their links. This means during Windows Explorer start-up it is trying to load it will have to wait for a timeout on each network drive mapping. One option is to disable persistent drive mappings (you may need to consult you network administrator for approval or assistance).
 

Slow loading the start menu / start menu programs folders When Windows loads the "start menu" it will validate the location of the "programs folder" and all the shortcuts within the start menu, if either the "programs folder" location or one of the shortcuts within the start menu points to an invalid location then Windows will timeout trying to load these locations. To resolve this issue you can try the following: Try removing all icons from the start menu - confirm the start menu loads quickly, then reintroduce removed shortcuts in appropriate levels until problem repeats until you identify which one is the cause. If the above fails then try checking the location of the start menu and programs folder's and make sure that they are accessible. Check if the DNS settings are correct, if they are not then the client may not be able to find a start menu located on a remote machine. Check the number and size of shortcuts. If you can lots of shortcuts in the root start menu these take time to load, group them together in program folders, they will only be retrieved when the folder is accessed. Also confirm the size of the start menu and programs folder is small, if the folder size is large it could indicate a program (.exe) has been copied in instead of the shortcut.

Testing

Logon to the Windows Domain as the affected user and compare timings after each test to check for improvements