Thanks for all the responses! The issue is
partially resolved. I turned off "Let windows manage a Homegroup" and switched it over to "Use user/password authentication" - which I'm certain is how we had it setup on the previous build - I just forgot to make that switch this time. The result is that the
first chart opened takes about 30 seconds to open. Subsequent charts open immediately. This is, at least, drastically better. Still not sure what's causing that initial lag, but I am going to try and reinstall AC on one of the XP boxes and see if it makes a difference.
In response to all your questions...
This is a long shot, did you try mapping the AC folder to a network drive? Use the IP directly instead of the name. e.g. \\192.168.X.X\Amazing%20Charts
Interesting idea... I tried it but unfortunately no change.
Also just try disabling password protected sharing.
Hesistant to do that since we have shared office space, minimal security, and a pretty lax userbase. I'm wondering if it wouldn't solve the problem outright, however, so I'll probably test it when nobody else is around and see if it works.
The other fix would be to buy two more WIN 7 Pros and get rid of the XP Pro. This is the perfect situation where having mix and match makes troubleshooting more difficult.
I would love to! Unfortunately, budget is tight and we have to make these couple last a bit longer. Regardless, we'll definitely have to upgrade before MS drops support in 2014.
Are all the clients in the same workgroup?
Yes.
You may actually have to enter a different workgroup first then change it back to get the system to re register the workgroup name.
Good idea - I tried that and no change.
Does it seem to get stuck at "Checking Database Integrity?"
No.
Also, have you tried the simple thing of uninstalling and reinstalling AC on those computers?
No - good idea, that will probably be the next thing I try.
What happens when you connect XP directly to the server using a crossover cable?
Haven't tried because it'd be physically very inconvenient to do so.
Under Amazing Utilities used in Run As Administrator and under Advanced, have you timed the ping connection to the server?
From one of the Windows XP machines I'm getting a time of 0.7s on average, which is over twice as slow as the 0.3s I'm getting from my Windows 7 machine I'm typing on currently. I have no frame of reference for those times, though, so 0.7s still sounds decent, and like it shouldn't warrant a 30 second delay to chart opening.
