win xp / 2003 server interface

here's a major problem, i recently upgraded my server from windows nt4 to 2003. all the workstations are running either 2000 or xp pro. before the upgrade everything ran fine. after the upgrade, the xp machines are having problems. user files are stored on the server. the xp machines lag and go into a "not responding" mode when trying to access the user files. the same login from a 2000 machine opens it ok. different login's on the xp's act the same way, even administrator accounts. at first we thought it was the dns router, changed the primary to the server dns, nope. then tried to disable the QoS server in the network settings, nope... more head scratching and hair pulling. finally thought it was the anti virus scanning incoming and outgoing files slowing it down to much causing the problem... nope.... sometimes rebooting helps and it will run ok at full speed for awhile, then it will start acting up again. programs on the server seem to run ok but will not open up the individual files for winword or excel.

any suggestions??? i don't have much hair left and there are starting to be big dents in the wall from banging my head on it.....

Did you reconfigure the services after you upgraded? Fresh install/upgrade installs tend to want to reset everything back to default - perhaps there's a few in there that need tweaking.

i reconfigured one of the login's but no go. i'm beginning to think that a file got corrupted in the upgrade but which one... it was an upgrade, don't want to think about reloading all the server software

about ready to reformat the xp's down to 2k

When you migrate from NT PDB to a Windows 2003 Domain, it's important to
1) Created another domain controller (Using a regular computer with the same CD/Serial) and force a copy the active directory. We'll call DC-BACKUP
2) When the AD is copy, format the first server) that you just update and do a fresh installation of Windows 2003. Be sure that all the active directory was copy to DC-BACKUP before formatting.
3) Then put this server back to a domain controller and force a copy of your active directory back to this server.
4) Demote the DC-BACKUP server and format it.

This is the best trouble-free method to update a NT domain to 2003 domain.

thanks for all the help, i took the xp machines off the domain and mapped them to the shared drive. all machines are running full speed now. not sure why it works but not looking a gift horse in the mouth

Updating from NT to Active directory has NEVER worked (at least for me) without doing something similar to SDK, that is bringing in a temp server, copying everything over and THEN upgrading the NT Box. In fact I just started trashing the old NT boxes and loading linux on them. :)