Anyone in IT wanna take a stab at this one?

[cubbies]

Some questions that I have:

Are there any common software packages on the 'problem' clients that are not installed on the 'non problem' clients?

Have you taken a 'non-problem' laptop and connected it to the same port as a 'problem' client? If so, what were the results?

Are all of the 'problem' clients on the same switch or is there a mixture of both 'problem' and 'non-problem' clients across all switches?

Are you using Cisco switches? If so, are you using the monitor session command to SPAN/RSPAN ports for any reason? If not configured properly, this can significantly impact the performance of the source ports and if one of these 'problem' clients is in one of these ports it could explain the performance delay.

Many people have asked about the user account in AD, but what about the machine accounts for the 'problem' clients? Are they all in the same OU or scattered amongst multiple OU's? Do they have any GPO's over them? You can blow out a machine, even give it a different name, move the user to an OU that doesn't have any GPO's applied to it and still have issues if the default location for machine accounts still has a GPO over it. You've checked the AD user accounts, check the machine accounts as well.

How many GC's (Global Catalog servers) do you have in your domain? Do you have either the PDC Emulator, Schema Master or Infrastructure Master roles assigned to a DC that's also a GC? If you go into AD Sites and Services are you able to successfully force replication between GC's? I have seen instances of the password that GC's use to replicate becoming corrupt - causing all kinds of weird issues. I haven't seen it cause random drive mappings, but theoretically it could if those drive mappings were once part of a GPO that has not received the most recent changes because of a broken replication bond and a client hits the GC with the old GPO settings during bootup.

Only XPP. To test this I used a generic XP CD with SP1. It was not a proprietary disk that came with HP or anything like that and had extra software...nothing but XPP with SP1. From that point I installed only the NIC driver, joined the domain, added the user, logged on and tried it. I did this on both a Dell and a HP...same thing

Yes, we have done that. Actually that was done sort of immediately. The VP who got the new computer who first noticed it. used to have a Toshiba Tablet. When he got his new computer, it had this problem, so we took it back and gave him his tablet back. The new HP wouldnt work in his office, but his old Tablet does. Plus we have tested that further up here.

Well, to be honest, we dont know how many people are having the problem. Like I said, it is only a couple of folders that have the problem, so unless you click on one of these folders, you wouldnt notice it. We havent gone around testing people machines because we dont want to alert them to a problem they dont know they have. So, of the ones we know about, they are all in our area, so one our switch...however, they did not all start out on the same switch.

We are using Cisco routers and switches, but I have had no part in the configuration. We have an outside consultant who manages those. Nobody in our department knows how they are configured.

All of the users are in the same OU and there are no group policies assigned. I wish it was a little more organized than this, but it is not my call.

The last question is over my head...sorry.

 

[cubbies]

Just to add this,

My boss' computer just started doing it. His worked for the last couple days as we have been troubleshooting this, but just now it started doing it...very weird.

 

[malkore]

Why are you still using Mapped drive letters? They are antiquated pieces of crap that are prone to failure for no reason.

setup a shortcut using a valid UNC path instead.

may not fix it, but at least you'll get away from something that's quirky to start with. :fro:

 

[MikeFlynn74]

HAve you read the memo about the TPS reports?

 

[MA_Brewer]

This was asked before, but, are you using roaming profiles? Can you log onto someone else's workstation and get the same *desktop* that you would at your own workstation?

Is DFS involved?

This sounds to me like a problem with a higher level service that you might have running, but might not be too sure about.

DC's, GC's, PDC Emulators (and all FSMO's) are probably all handeled by your ouside contractor. They are certain roles that Windows Domain Controllers have.

Where are you again? I smell some consulting $$ :cross: (j/k, of course)

 

[MikeFlynn74]

Do you have an old priest and a young priest?

 

[LakeGrove]

You have no Idea- National Guard wont let us upgrade from Win2k/Exch 5.5

Dude I am in such pain dealing with that.

You'd be in greater pain trying to use Vista. The program securities do not support the system securities established by DoD/DA/NGB. Trust me I feel your pain. Our system is slower than my old Commador 64.

On the original question my first observation is you never should have gotten HP's. Hook a chain to 'em and toss them over the bow. :rockin: Sounds like a user profiles issue. HP has some problems related to user profiles as does Compaq. Crappy BIOS. Have your bos log on to a Dell or something that you know works and see what happens.

There is one thing I like that the National Guard does. We use CAC access so I can log onto any computer and it knows who I am. Plus a lot of our Internet/Intranet sites use CAC acces so I don't have manage a bunch of passwords. And no HP's!

 

[MikeFlynn74]

LakeGrove- You in WA Guard? Email me if you ar please

 

[LakeGrove]

LakeGrove- You in WA Guard? Email me if you ar please

I AM the WA Guard:rockin: JFHQ

 

[cubbies]

This was asked before, but, are you using roaming profiles? Can you log onto someone else's workstation and get the same *desktop* that you would at your own workstation?

Is DFS involved?

This sounds to me like a problem with a higher level service that you might have running, but might not be too sure about.

DC's, GC's, PDC Emulators (and all FSMO's) are probably all handeled by your ouside contractor. They are certain roles that Windows Domain Controllers have.

Where are you again? I smell some consulting $$ :cross: (j/k, of course)

Must have missed the roaming profiles question, no we are not using them.

One things that is worth mentioning, and I don't even know if I will be able to explain it, but I will give it a shot. My boss installed a program that monitors what the computer is doing when you navigate around. When he goes to the network drive and click on a folder that is working, say the IT folder, it shows the computer looking at the M: drive, and then looking at m:\IT. However, when he clicks on a folder that does not work, like the design folder, the computer looks at the M: drive, then at the m:\design folder and THEN at every single subfolder, M:\design\subfolder1, M:\subfolder2 and so on...and these folders are pretty big. So, that is what causes the lag. We still don't know why, and we don't know why it autocreates the drives, but that is definitely the cause of the lag.

 

[cubbies]

On the original question my first observation is you never should have gotten HP's. Hook a chain to 'em and toss them over the bow. :rockin: Sounds like a user profiles issue. HP has some problems related to user profiles as does Compaq. Crappy BIOS. Have your bos log on to a Dell or something that you know works and see what happens.

It does it on Dell's to. As a matter of fact my boss' computer is, and always has been a Dell. The issue is not with the manufacturer (at least as far as I can tell).