james_kinnear
asked on
Problem Workstation running slowly on Ethernet
Hi
I have the following problem.
I have two workstations X and Y. They are identical machnes (Acer Extensa E261) running Windows XP SP2 - both only 2 months old
They have the same software and perform the same function - they run an application that connects to a SQL Server.
We were running a gigabit switch. Workstation X wouldn't work at Gigabit speed - it just said it was connected but there were no comms - confirmed with Wireshark. It worked at 100Mbps full duplex, but it worked slowly
Workstation Y worked with no issues.
We had some other issues so I changed the switch back to our old switch - a 100/10 Mbps switch.
Workstation Y seemed to work faster.
Workstation X seems to be a little slower.
They both had trial versions of Mcafee on them - which I had just removed and replaced with Norton's 2009. The only difference I can see between them is that there is an extra process on the faster one - mcproxy.exe - which apparently is some sort of proxy for mcafee. Please can someone tell me that this is the problem or where I can look to solve the problem.
Thanks
I have the following problem.
I have two workstations X and Y. They are identical machnes (Acer Extensa E261) running Windows XP SP2 - both only 2 months old
They have the same software and perform the same function - they run an application that connects to a SQL Server.
We were running a gigabit switch. Workstation X wouldn't work at Gigabit speed - it just said it was connected but there were no comms - confirmed with Wireshark. It worked at 100Mbps full duplex, but it worked slowly
Workstation Y worked with no issues.
We had some other issues so I changed the switch back to our old switch - a 100/10 Mbps switch.
Workstation Y seemed to work faster.
Workstation X seems to be a little slower.
They both had trial versions of Mcafee on them - which I had just removed and replaced with Norton's 2009. The only difference I can see between them is that there is an extra process on the faster one - mcproxy.exe - which apparently is some sort of proxy for mcafee. Please can someone tell me that this is the problem or where I can look to solve the problem.
Thanks
I would check the NIC. Sounds like it might be faulty. Try not running it in full duplex to see if it improves. I have seen where a card that can not run full duplex is actually slower. I am assuming you did the basic trouble shooting, such as ethernet cable replacement? Did you check the network connection under Start-->Connect To --> Show all connections and check the properties of the connection to see if you are getting bad packets? Ultimately I would put in a new NIC, you can get them anywhere now a days, Walmart, Staples, Office Max, or any electronics store, rather cheaply.
set the nics and switch ports properties they are connected to the same forced speed and duplex. I suspect that auto negotiation is your problem
ASKER
I'm not too sure where to check the for bad packets - I found the properties area but wasn't sure where to check. Is there any diagnosis software for testing NIC's? We are in a remote location and I want to be sure that the NIC is the poblem as the machine is under warranty and can only be serviced by Acer personel and I don't want to call them out and then be charged for it.
I tried changing the duplex setting on the card but got no performance difference.
Thanks for the suggestions - I appreciate it.
I tried changing the duplex setting on the card but got no performance difference.
Thanks for the suggestions - I appreciate it.
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ASKER
I Couldn't remove the NIC as it was onboard but sent it to the Acer reps and it was found that the problem was with the NIC