Slow XP startup and logins with Windows 2008R2

[jgcracknell]

Hi

 

Just upgraded a Windows 2003 server and a Windows 2008 server to 2008 R2. Nothing else has changed in terms of settings and DNS is running fine. However log on and startup is very slow. All that happens (extra) on logon is

 

- Printers Installed

- Drives assigned to shares

- BGInfo to sort desktop.

 

J.

[pritchardavid]

How slow are we talkin?

[jgcracknell]

An extra 180 seconds or more! It's not profiles or anything. The servers got restored back to how they were before, apart from the OS upgrade.

 

I get the feeling it is trying to do/looking for something and failing - but going through the scripts or running them as admin once logged on they are fine.

[witch]

I would like to know the answer to this as this is happening here - we have gone up to Win7 in one suite and I thought it was this but the other XP suite is doing it too....

[sparkeh]

All that happens (extra) on logon is

 

- Printers Installed

 

You don't happen to have started using group policy prefs for this have you? This can add a significant amount of time to logons.

[jgcracknell]

You don't happen to have started using group policy prefs for this have you? This can add a significant amount of time to logons.

 

Hi

 

No they are set with VBS Script.

[witch]

i am using policies but i was using them before i got the win seven machines

[pritchardavid]

Have u tried stoping that printer script on a computer to test if it is to do with it?

[OutToLunch]

I know you've stated DNS is running fine on the servers, but have you double checked the IPs being dished out to the XP clients? Can't find the KB article but I know we were having massive login time issues till I spotted DNS had switched round so the primary DNS was our proxy and not our PDC - switching it back took the time down by 90% at least.

[Edwardjr]

Do your XP clients hang at "Applying your computer settings" when logging on? I'm in a similar situation as jgcracknell - new 2008 R2 domain controllers and very slow log on times.

 

DNS seems to be running fine on the PDC and I've tried with a fresh new user in a empty OU with no logon scripts or GPO's.

[jgcracknell]

Hi

 

DNS is fine with us - but yes "Applying Computer Settings" and also when even running BGInfo - something else is not right in the background.

 

I see lots of people have this problem online but no real resolution.

[ChrisH]

I know you've stated DNS is running fine on the servers, but have you double checked the IPs being dished out to the XP clients? Can't find the KB article but I know we were having massive login time issues till I spotted DNS had switched round so the primary DNS was our proxy and not our PDC - switching it back took the time down by 90% at least.

 

If I read this right you are assigning a non ad DNS server as your secondary DNS server?

[sparkeh]

If I read this right you are assigning a non ad DNS server as your secondary DNS server?

 

Hmm was wondering about this myself. I don't believe that this is good practise as the clients might not be able to find a DC from a non domain DNS and cause issues logging into the domain?

[ChrisH]

Hmm was wondering about this myself. I don't believe that this is good practise as the clients might not be able to find a DC from a non domain DNS and cause issues logging into the domain?

 

That is what I was getting at. You should never point your clients at a DNS source that is not doing the resolving for your AD domain. The last thing you want is your clients trying to query your ISPs DNS or similar for the SRV record for the services you are requesting such as a DC etc. You should have these kind of server as forwarders for your AD DNS servers. Imagine how much time they are wasting doing this during peak logon times.