slow log on windows xp

Hi

Could someone help my brain has gone blank.

The network is a windows 2003 domain with xp clients. Its been running great guns for the last 18 months with no major hassle. In the last couple of weeks logons have started running slower and slower. Now some of my oldest machines are taking 4 minutes to log on.

I have tried nslook up on all my dns servers and everything appears ok.

I have checked the replication of dns and active directory and that appears ok.

I have done dc and net diag and the only error it comes up with is it fails on the wins server that I dont have.

I have tried pinging servers by name and ip and thats ok.

I have checked and the User Profile Hive Cleanup Service tool was deployed to the network ok.

I have had a look at the eventvwr and the only thing of any consequence coming up is the restrictions I have put into gpo to stop students using the intel graphics utilities.

I have set up verbose logging on a client and I have no big delays between entries. The only thing I have found is some entries re the User Profile Hive Cleanup Service saying something like cannot find and trasting as default. I am sorry I am at home now and cannot remember the exact woring.

I have tried removing the User Profile Hive Cleanup Service tool and that does appear to help a bit.

When the user logs on it appears to get stuck on applying user settings and once that is done the rest including the log on scripts go fast.

Has anyone got any ideas? Plus I have been looking at the setupapi.log do I have to look at any other log files for a clue at whats wrong.

Thanks for all your help.

Richard:(

Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System

"Verbose vs normal status messages"

If you enable this, it gives you more info on what's happening at boot/logon (I personally left it on, the kids see the words change more and it appears "quicker" to them)

I and other members of edugeek had a few problems with the Internet Explorer Branding Policy when using IE7... can't remember who had the fix now, but it doesn't work after SP£ (but the problem still exists unless patched before SP3)

if you've got a hub or a managed switch, you can packet sniff all the network traffic from a pc in question using another computer running wireshark configured with an ip filter connected to the same device.

managed switches often let you echo all traffic to one port. hubs do it by design. If you use an unmanaged switch you'll only see broadcast traffic and you want to see everything.

How big are your roaming profiles? As they grow they take longer and longer to load. Check them out. Some folder redirection, cookie deletion and recycle bin emptying may be in order.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by elsiegee40

How big are your roaming profiles? As they grow they take longer and longer to load. Check them out. Some folder redirection, cookie deletion and recycle bin emptying may be in order.

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This.

Our number #1 culprit for slow logons used to be the Application Data folder being used as a dumping ground for cache or temporary files by poorly-written programs. We now redirect it to a network share.

Hi ... It might be worth checking your CPU usage on the server using task manager .. I had a problem a while ago with a corrupt application process hogging the CPU which was constantly on 100% .. That slowed down my logons as the CPU was busy doing something else all of the time ...

HI

I have used a program called policy reporter and enables the userenv logging and it says its definitely internet explorer branding.

Attachment 3008

I have checked and I have sp2 on my servers which all run windows 2003. I dont have roaming profiles, they load a default profile from the server and then all the settings are done with group policy.

I redirect the desktop, my documents, and the favorites folder.

The backbone of the network is fiber now and the same log on times are all over the school irrespective if you plug into the switch with the server on it or the far side of the school so I dont think its a backbone problem.

I have checked the servers and the cpu usage is between 15 and 55% and the bandwidth usage of the network cards is normally under 20%. I have run the raid testing on my main dc and the raids appear ok.

HI

I have just been reading about asyncronous logons and it says enabling it will speed up logons on windows xp.

"Configuring Synchronous Processing

Windows 2000 and Windows 2003 Server computers process foreground policy synchronously by default. Windows XP processes foreground policy asynchronously by default. In order to enable synchronous processing (at startup/logon) on Windows XP, you must ensure that the following policy is enabled (and disabled/not configured on Windows 2000/2003):

Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\System\Logon\
"Always wait for the network at computer startup and logon"

This setting ensures that policy completes before the startup/logon is completed. The change to the default setting on Windows XP was designed to speed up startup and logon processing. However, when performing configurations that must take effect before the end-user has access to his/her desktop, synchronous processing must be enabled."

Does anyone use this and what sort of effect will this have on the network?

Richard

Attached the hotfixes I got to fix the same problem (I'd love to give credit to whoever sent them me, but I can't remember :()

As I remember, you'll need to search the MS knowledge base as you need to make a registry change to enable to the hotfix (for some reason!?)

Hi

I have just tried the fix and this one is not needed as it was meant to be fixed with windows xp sp3 that I have installed. I have read a couple of articles that say that sp3 with I have half rolled out in the school has a log on speed bug lols

Oh Lovely

Richard

Arr I have found why the asyncronis log on has not been used on the network waiting for the network adds 1 minute 20 secs to the log on times.

Richard

Our logon times are slow too.
Would be great if we can get a fix for it!

I've pretty done the same as you so far with checking everything.

With 10 Servers to choose from you have plenty of potential reasons for your logon times to go through the roof.

If this has happened suddenly not steadly I would start with the obvious, check your login scripts.

Just one tiny typo or modification you did without checking it properly will kill your login times dead!

I recently answered a call from a client who's login times had gone through the roof and suspected a network issue.
I plugged in the Fluke In-Line Nettool and booted the machine and as described it hung.
The Fluke showed the machine was trying to resolve an http address but hadn't actually logged in yet.
Bingo! Checked the login script and somehow somebody had tried to map a drive letter to url instead of a UNC path!

Problem solved in less than 4 mins.
One quick rem statement and login back to 30 seconds again.

I love my Fluke Kit...

Fluke In-Line Nettool sounds like a nice piece of kit but then I looked at the price. Ouch its expensive.

Richard

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DrPerceptron

Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System

"Verbose vs normal status messages"

If you enable this, it gives you more info on what's happening at boot/logon (I personally left it on, the kids see the words change more and it appears "quicker" to them)

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Ive been using XP for years and never knew about that! Thanks :)

The extra info flashes by a bit quick to read but it could be useful if it gets stuck on something. Shame it doesnt say exactly which GPO it is processing, think it does with Vista doesnt it?