slow network connection whe cable plugged in 1

[waylander786]

I have an unusual problem with a workstation that slows performance once the network cable is plugged in. It is slow in accessing everything, i.e if i try to open a word document from floppy it takes 2 mins. once i unplug the cable the pc performs at optimum speed. I have tried anti - virus scan, spyware, tried updating NIC drivers, replaced the NIC, swapped cables, network points, unable to locate the problem. Is there anything i missed as to prevent a rebuild?

AMD athlon XP 2200 1.81ghz, 256mb ram, windows xp pro sp1

 

[cdogg]

What does the CPU and network usage show in Task Manager? Can you isolate it to one or more processes?

~cdogg
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Albert Einstein
[tab][navy]For general rules and guidelines to get better answers, click here:[/navy] faq219-2884

 

[wasisnt]

Try safe mode with networking and see if it does the same thing.

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[FredWagner]

Sounds to me like you might have a 'bot infection, and as soon as you connect to the network it's either trying to download software, or send a payload somewhere else. Try connecting to a hub or router that is NOT connected to the internet, see what it does then...

Fred Wagner

 

[waylander786]

Cdogg, in task manager the CPU usage peaks and troughs every few seconds, it peaks at 99% for about 1 second then back to 0%, it does not show any new process.

Wasisnt, the same problem occurs in safe mode with networking

Fred, we dont really have a spare hub/router to test this

 

[FredWagner]

In Task Manager, click on CPU utilization column to get the highest at the top. What process is gobbling up the CPU every few seconds. Try stopping that process and see what happens.
You can pick up a small 100BaseT hub at Radio shack for $10 or $20. Might be worth having to experiment with!
What is the NIC set for in the Link Speed/Duplex area - Auto, 100/Full, 10/Half, or ?? See what the actual connection is at, see if making the setting the same as the result works better or worse than Auto. (It varies, depending on NIC and Router/Switch).
Have you tried a different NIC (sometimes they go bad in strange ways). Have you replaced/updated the NIC driver ?
Have you tried a different drop cable from the NIC to the port it connects to. Have you tried connecting to a different port on the router/switch ? Have you tried a different cable TO the router/switch ? (go through the connection for a different cubicle or office) - a longish - 25 or 50 foot cable - can facilitate this kind of troubleshooting.
Keep us posted - there has to be a solution!

Fred Wagner

 

[cdogg]

Cdogg, in task manager the CPU usage peaks and troughs every few seconds, it peaks at 99% for about 1 second then back to 0%...

There's your problem. That's not normal. As Fred repeated and as I said before, you need to use Task Manager to find out which process is kicking in every now and then consuming the 99%. You can do so by sorting the processes by CPU usage.

~cdogg
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Albert Einstein
[tab][navy]For general rules and guidelines to get better answers, click here:[/navy] faq219-2884

 

[Sympology]

I've actually seen antivirus software do this. Check to see if it's trying to scan netwpork drive.

Also I'd try the following:

In Network Neighbourhood, delete all the entries, it may be trying to get to a share that is non longer there, or no longer has permisssions to access

Check that it's not trying to access non existant network printers.

Check to see if any scheduled tasks are running (and possibly failing)

Stu..

Only the truly stupid believe they know everything.
Stu.. 2004