Windows XP slow login to 2003 Standard Server

If this has already been asked and explained, I apologize ahead of time.

My company recently installed a 2003 Server (standard) at a client's office, replacing their existing Nt 4.0 PDC. The domain uses static IP's and DNS is provided via the ISP's external servers. Therefore the new domain controller is not a DNS or DHCP server.

The office has XP Pro workstations that are experiencing an insanely long login time to the new domain. They prefer to hang at "applying your personal settings" above all of the other login messages. The customer is decidedly displeased.

I have googled this problem greatly, and have applied a number of solutions, which (unfortunately) have not worked. These include: placing the DC's IP address as primary DNS server on the workstation's network settings, uninstalling the workstation's network capability and reinstall, and placing the DC's IP address in the WINS section of the workstation.

I did find this: support.microsoft.com/?kbid=329457
Yet Microsoft refuses to speak with us concerning the matter prior to receiving a credit card number, and the customer is not interested in accruing additional charges with their already expensive server.

What am I doing wrong? Any advice would be appreciated. Please let me know if further information is required. I thank you for your time.

Hmm I have access to a small domain win XP clients and a 2k3 DC, havent had the problem yet. Can you give a couple more details on the configuration.. is it a very large network etc ? Does this only happen with XP clients ?


Jack may have some ideas

I have recently had the same problems with win2003 server with only one of my xp clients.

I had set up a roaming profile and by removing the profile I solved the problem, but only for a while ,the issue came back, which was wierd.

If I logged on and let the machine hang at log on and then reset the computer, the next time I logged on everything was ok (the issue only occured if I left the machine for a few hours)

The only real way I have solved the issue is a fresh rebuild of the machine everything is fine I think something had happened with the roaming profile.

This may help

P.S
I never went down the Microsoft route

I was actually able to solve the problem, which amazes me to no end.

Using this bulletin: support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;814591
I set up a DNS role on the server, then setup DCHP and converted the entire network away from static addresses. Doing this forced the workstations (all XP except one lonely 98) to rely on the server for everything.

After doing this, the lags went away completely.

The network is only 10 stations large and a handfull of network printers. I left the printers in a static range excluded from the DHCP. Everything now works fine.

I still don't understand why XP is the only one that does this. The 98 had no problem whatsoever.

We saw this once before and my supervisor reinstalled the DC's OS. We didn't set up a DNS on that server (2000) but the problem went away anyway.

By the way, Sahir, I haven't thanked you for your assistance with Mandrake and the LS-120 issue I posted some time ago. Your recommended reading helped tremendously.

I showed this to a colleague and he has seen something similar although not as crippling. They have several XP PCs all configured with static IP addresses all to the same standard working into a Windows 98 (yes you read it right) 'server' and a Novell server. However there is one machine that won't resolve NetBIOS names correctly, you have to put in the explicit IP address of the resource. Then it works. There are definitely some hidden secrets here with the way XP does things.
Anyway, it looks like we need to beware of static IP addresses with XP workstations. So I'd reccommend not to assign a static address but to let all the machines get their addresses from the DHCP server. If some machines need a 'fixed' address you can simply put a reservation on DHCP