slow network file browsing between win7pro and xp or win2000
this is the situation : we have a win2000 server sp4 p4 3.00ghz 512mb memory serving files(and only files . no dhcp,dns,wins.. serving) to about 14 computers(5 of which 2000pro ,5 xp home or pro , 1 vista homepre, 1 win7 homepre) we have 2 folders of shared files on this server one contain 10000 and other contain 5000 small files(at 1 to 3 kb). we call this server old server all goes smooth. fearing this server is old , we add a backup server with this specification win 7 pro intel I5 cpu and 6 gig memory problem: win 7 computer is very fast at console, and speedily serves to vista and other win 7 computers. but is extremely slow when files are browsed by xp or win2000 computers( at least 7-8 times slower than the old server) this is an example: network browsing the shared foldr(10000 files) of old server from xp windows explorer takes 7-10 sec. first time to load and each time afterwards 2-3 sec(apparently the results are cached somewhere) network browsing the same shared folder on new server takes 80-90 sec each and every single time we get the same statistics wheter using windows explorer or filelist control in our own vb based software interestingly , if we want to list only a few of files in the vb filelist ( thru query or filename property) the results appear much faster .eventhough the whole directory needed to be searched anyway. this backup server treats vista and other win 7 comp. very nicely and lets them file browsie and search very fast sofar we tried all below and none helped: 1- disabling remote compression engine 2- making sure there is no homegrouping 3-increasing the filesystem cache on backup server 4- mapping the shared source to a local drive(x:) and then browsing x: 5- making shared folders permissible to every user 6- turning off firewall 7- making sure the network is seen as work network and not public or homegroup now , any ideas ? any ideas
July 10th, 2010 7:16am

To resolve this kind of issues, there are several articles and threads can be referred. Windows Explorer and SMB Traffic Your system stops responding, you experience slow file server performance, or delays occur when you work with files that are located on a file server Vista very slow to close and open files Please remember to click Mark as Answer on the post that helps you, and to click Unmark as Answer if a marked post does not actually answer your question. This can be beneficial to other community members reading the thread.
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July 13th, 2010 11:55am

thank you , i'll try them and let you know.
July 17th, 2010 7:14pm

sorry for the delay . i have tried many things and also reviewed the links above. i had to lay the issue off for a while as i hit deadend. but recently with new ONLINE POSTINGS and using network monitor i was drawn to the theory that tcp acknowledgement packets have to do with this issue . see below THE RECURRENT THEME IS THAT WHENEVER A TCP ACK PACKET IS ISSUED THERE IS ABOUT .8-1 SECOND OF NO ACTIVITY AROUD IT . ALL TOGETHER THAT ADDS UP TO HUDREDS OF SECONDS. ANY SUGGESTIONS ? THANKS 117 4.3640377 TESTSERVER SUSIESONY SMB SMB:R; Close, FID = 0x0002 , FileName=\@#112 {SMB:29, SMBOverTCP:22, TCP:20, IPv4:12} 118 4.3648792 SUSIESONY TESTSERVER SMB SMB:C; Close, FID = 0x0007 , FileName=\emr@#98 {SMB:25, SMBOverTCP:22, TCP:20, IPv4:12} 119 4.3649454 TESTSERVER SUSIESONY SMB SMB:R; Close, FID = 0x0007 , FileName=\emr@#98 {SMB:25, SMBOverTCP:22, TCP:20, IPv4:12} 120 4.5429596 SUSIESONY TESTSERVER TCP TCP:Flags=...A...., SrcPort=1084, DstPort=Microsoft-DS(445), PayloadLen=0, Seq=456386615, Ack=2711524946, 121 5.3558163 SUSIESONY TESTSERVER SMB SMB:C; Nt Create Andx, FileName = \emr {SMB:31, SMBOverTCP:22, TCP:20, IPv4:12} 122 5.3559933 TESTSERVER SUSIESONY SMB SMB:R; Nt Create Andx, FID = 0xC00E (\emr@#121) {SMB:31, SMBOverTCP:22, TCP:20, IPv4:12} 123 5.3567047 SUSIESONY TESTSERVER SMB SMB:C; Nt Transact, NT_TRANSACT_IOCTL (0x00144064 - FSCTL_SRV_ENUMERATE_SNAPSHOTS - Requests an ......... 144 5.3654828 TESTSERVER SUSIESONY SMB SMB:R; Close, FID = 0x0005 , FileName=\@#137 {SMB:36, SMBOverTCP:22, TCP:20, IPv4:12} 145 5.3663142 SUSIESONY TESTSERVER SMB SMB:C; Close, FID = 0xC00E , FileName=\emr@#121 {SMB:31, SMBOverTCP:22, TCP:20, IPv4:12} 146 5.3663808 TESTSERVER SUSIESONY SMB SMB:R; Close, FID = 0xC00E , FileName=\emr@#121 {SMB:31, SMBOverTCP:22, TCP:20, IPv4:12} 147 5.5273478 SUSIESONY TESTSERVER TCP TCP:Flags=...A...., SrcPort=1084, DstPort=Microsoft-DS(445), PayloadLen=0, Seq=456387638, Ack=2711526736, 149 6.3558286 SUSIESONY TESTSERVER SMB SMB:C; Nt Create Andx, FileName = \emr {SMB:41, SMBOverTCP:22, TCP:20, IPv4:12} 150 6.3560545 TESTSERVER SUSIESONY SMB SMB:R; Nt Create Andx, FID = 0xC006 (\emr@#149) {SMB:41, SMBOverTCP:22, TCP:20, IPv4:12} 151 6.3567605 SUSIESONY TESTSERVER SMB SMB:C; Nt Transact, NT_TRANSACT_IOCTL (0x00144064 - FSCTL_SRV_ENUMERATE_SNAPSHOTS - Requests an
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January 15th, 2011 4:14am

it seems that the problem (for xp machines at this time ) is solved. using the instrucions in http://support.microsoft.com/kb/328890 New registry entry for controlling the TCP Acknowledgment (ACK) behavior in Windows XP and in Windows Server 2003 follow the instrucions above and change the value (or create the key altogether if needed making sure you have the right o.s version /service pack) my xp/sp3 machine did not have the key to begin with and i had to create it. once created exact value might not be as imprtant i tried value=1 and value =3 the results are amazing. i would definitely recommend it to others with same or similar problems. i have not tried any solution regarding win2000 machines yet. other web posting advising changing of nic adapter setting and disabling offloads .... did not work for me in this case.
January 15th, 2011 4:19pm

fortunately , the problem solved for all my client computers ( running xp or win2000) . the followung is excerpt from http://support.microsoft.com/kb/823764 which solved my problem. please make sure you have the latest service packs as the solution might not work for older ones. On a server that runs Windows 2000, follow these steps: Start Registry Editor (Regedit.exe). Locate and then click the following registry subkey: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters\Interfaces\<Interface GUID> On the Edit menu, click Add Value, and then create the following registry value: Value name: TcpDelAckTicks Data type: REG_DWORD Value data: 0 Quit Registry Editor. Restart Windows for this change to take effect. On a server that runs Windows XP or Windows Server 2003, follow these steps: Start Registry Editor. Locate and then click the following registry subkey: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters\Interfaces\<Interface GUID> On the Edit menu, point to New, and then click DWORD Value. Name the new value TcpAckFrequency, and assign it a value of 1. Quit Registry Editor. Restart Windows for this change to take effect.
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January 18th, 2011 4:02pm

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