OfficeXP Performance problem on TS2000

[Mark Jerome]

Very strange one here but one I am sure I've seen mention in these news
groups. Unfortunately I can't seem to find them so reposting.

We had a perfectly working TS server, WIn 2000 SP3 on a high performance
Dell 6450 server. 35 Users.

We were running Office 2000 and things were running very acceptabley.
Issues here and there but nothing major. Over one weekend all we do is
uninstall Office 2000 and install Office XP and roll out to all users.

Form day one we started seeing very erratic puases and time outs and just
downright annoying sluggish behavior. You could go 30 minutes and it would
be high speed and fine then word or Outlook or Excell will freeze. It will
appear to be hung but it isn't. THere is no consistent reason that causes
this. You could be in word doing a File open and it freezes, the next time
it could be trying to print, or calling up the address book. In Outlook we
see this delay a lot when the use hits the TO; button to look up a contact.
One time they do it and it is fast next time it freezes for 60 seconds.

Beyond these specific, hit the button, and it freezes problem we get this
occassional problem were we are doing nothing but typing. All of a sudden
you are typing but the letters are not going on the screen. The cursor seems
frozen. 30 seconds later the letters appear and we have control back.
Sometimes it just freezes the entire terminal screen, we can't do anything
but after 30-180 seconds it lets go and is back to normal.

This server worked perfectly fine until Office XP. This is driving everyone
insane. I've looked at all the issues that MS says as far as keeping
preformance good with XP on TS, all animation off, no messenger that type of
thing. Also on the server we have no real CPU or memory problems at all.
Everyone can be hung but the server shows zero problems with CPU or memory
usage.

I found a tech net articale 324446 that looks dead on BUT if that was the
problem (as it is stated in Tech note) we would have seen this before Office
XP. This Tech note does not address why Office XP would be the catalyst.

Also it's solution, which requires DskCache tool to set Power Protect Write
cache option, does not seem viable on a system that uses a RAID controller.
See tech Net 811392.


Anyone else seeing this? Has anyone gotten the hotfix MS has said it has
for this, and if so did it work? Did you have to use the DSKCACHE tool and
did you have a RAID controller?

 

[Matthew Harris [MVP]]

Here's my thought, and you can (and should) take this with
a grain of salt...

I would clone your server and, using the exact or similar
hardware, see if the problem still occurs. If it does,
then get the hotfix and caching program from Microsoft and
see if that hotfix works. If it does, then migrate those
changes out to your production servers.

-M

 

[Mark Jerome]

Hey if I could I surely would. This is exactly what I would like to do but
this is a small company and the Dell 6450 fully loaded set us back
serious$$$, We have no means to do this. THe old test server we have is so
old and so slow it barely runs any of this so we would not be able to tell
when we have problems and when we don't.

SO not sure what to do at this point. Will probably contact MS to get patch
and then fully image the server over the weekend and try out. IF it works
great if it casues much more grief I will just reimage back to the way it
was.

Was hoping to get feedback from someone that has encountered this before I
do though.

 

[Matthew Harris [MVP]]

Well, if you are able to image the system, the install the
patch, you may be able to see if the problem goes away.
If your system doesn't seem to be affected by the patch or
is adversely affected, then you can just go back to the
imaged disks and try a different attack.

-M