I have a client running Windows 2000 Professional on about 8 workstations and a "server". We have just recently installed this network as the client preferred Windows 2000 to XP.
Randomly throughout the day, workstations will slow to a crawl. They use Outlook, Wordperfect, Quickbooks and a DOS app called NewViews. In general, they notice slowness is any of those applications - three do use the network, however, Wordperfect is a local only install on each machine. When slow, the machines will take up to a minute to access an Outlook contact and in the DOS app, they are able to enter ten to fifteen entries and then walk away for half an hour while the letters appear one at a time on the screen.
The slowness affects random stations at random times. In general, it is never all of the stations at the same time. Station A may be slow this morning while B is this afternoon.
We have found that rebooting the server solves the problem for about half an hour. Rebooting the workstation that is slow sometimes solves the problem, and sometimes doesnt.
On the server side, when slowness is an issue, nothing is using any amount of CPU time - the idle process runs 97 to 99 percent. The only thing that does use time, is the print spool, but only for the duration of a print from another workstation not slow.
On the workstations, whichever program they are in, uses 99% of the cpu. It doesnt matter which program, but if they are in it and its slow, it is using all the time.
There is one machine in the office that is brand new and while its not used a lot, it is not reported slow. Two other machines are only two months old, but they are slow. The rest are over a year old and are also slow, but only at times.
When the slowness is not occuring, the system works very well.
I have tried disabling opportunistic locks already and that does not seem to have made a difference at all.
I am suspicious of that DOS app, but it is a standard accounting package around here and others don't have these problems. I'm told even when it isnt open that the systems will get slow.
I'm open to any suggestions on what to try next. My thoughts are starting to move to changing network cards and such. I just don't know where to go next.
Thanks...
Bill
Randomly throughout the day, workstations will slow to a crawl. They use Outlook, Wordperfect, Quickbooks and a DOS app called NewViews. In general, they notice slowness is any of those applications - three do use the network, however, Wordperfect is a local only install on each machine. When slow, the machines will take up to a minute to access an Outlook contact and in the DOS app, they are able to enter ten to fifteen entries and then walk away for half an hour while the letters appear one at a time on the screen.
The slowness affects random stations at random times. In general, it is never all of the stations at the same time. Station A may be slow this morning while B is this afternoon.
We have found that rebooting the server solves the problem for about half an hour. Rebooting the workstation that is slow sometimes solves the problem, and sometimes doesnt.
On the server side, when slowness is an issue, nothing is using any amount of CPU time - the idle process runs 97 to 99 percent. The only thing that does use time, is the print spool, but only for the duration of a print from another workstation not slow.
On the workstations, whichever program they are in, uses 99% of the cpu. It doesnt matter which program, but if they are in it and its slow, it is using all the time.
There is one machine in the office that is brand new and while its not used a lot, it is not reported slow. Two other machines are only two months old, but they are slow. The rest are over a year old and are also slow, but only at times.
When the slowness is not occuring, the system works very well.
I have tried disabling opportunistic locks already and that does not seem to have made a difference at all.
I am suspicious of that DOS app, but it is a standard accounting package around here and others don't have these problems. I'm told even when it isnt open that the systems will get slow.
I'm open to any suggestions on what to try next. My thoughts are starting to move to changing network cards and such. I just don't know where to go next.
Thanks...
Bill