Hi,

I'm not sure this is the place to ask this question, but I'm at wit's end, so here goes:

I manage a small network based around Windows Small Business Server 2003, with about a dozen users logged on to the domain each day. All of these are local, as I haven't yet established a VPN or other way to log in remotely. The server is used mostly for file and print serving, and I haven't even set up an Exchange server as yet.

Every afternoon about 4:30 to 5:00, access to the server becomes painfully slow. Trying to access files across the network is like pulling teeth, and soemetimes just hangs.

Sometimes it effects some users, and sometimes all users. I have looked at the reports, but I can't find a process or event at that time that may be the cause. Does anyone have an idea as to where I should begin to look?

Thanks for any help you can provide.

Perhaps there is a demand at that time from your users. What is your infrustructure like? is is just a hub or switch for twelse users. If there is some demand, why not departmentalize switched and routers.... what's your hardware like??

Good question, but I don't think that's the issue. Demand doesn't seem any different (it will happen whether there's one person or five on the network). Also, we're running through an HP switch (16 port).

Thanks for the response.

I think you will find that everyone is packing up to go home and will all be frantically saving their work to the server.:cheesy::-| This will slow it down.

Have you got backups scheduled or any virus scans at this time of day on the server?