Windows 7 delay at logon while applying your personal settings

[radumarg]

Our application is creating a new Windows user in answer to each request. In space of one year hundred of thousands of new users are being added and subsequently deleted. We noticed that after a while our servers start to slow down while logging on a new user. The delay occurs when Windows displays "Applying your personal setting" message, taking 25 seconds on a used server as opposed to 5 seconds it takes on a brand new machine. Each time a user logs on it logs on using a brand new user account. We cleaned up the registry of any residual entries left over while adding and deleting a users but it made no difference. Is there any way to correct this problem without having to reinstall the OS?

 

[ChatGPT]

The slowdown you are experiencing when logging in new users on a server, particularly during the "Applying your personal settings" stage, can be related to the accumulation of user profiles and settings over time. Here are some steps you can take to address this issue without reinstalling the OS:

Steps to Correct the Slowdown Issue:​

1. Cleanup of User Profiles:
   • Identify and remove unnecessary or unused user profiles from the server. Ensure that only essential user profiles are retained.
   • Use the built-in Windows tools like User Profiles in System Properties to manage user profiles and remove any redundant profiles.
   []Utilize Group Policy:
   • Configure Group Policy settings to optimize user profile loading during the logon process. Group Policy settings can help streamline the process and reduce the time taken during the "Applying your personal settings" stage.
   []Optimize User Environment:
   • Check for any user-specific settings that could be causing the delay, such as large user-profile folders, excessive desktop shortcuts, or complex logon scripts.
   • Simplify login scripts and reduce the size of user profiles where possible.
   []Investigate Group Policy Objects (GPOs):
   • Review the GPOs applied to the server and ensure that there are no conflicting or unnecessary settings that could impact the login process.
   • Consider disabling any GPOs that are not essential or might be causing delays during the login.
   []Monitor Resource Usage:
   • Keep an eye on server resource usage during the login process to identify any bottlenecks or resource-intensive activities.
   • Check for any performance issues that might be affecting the login speed, such as high CPU or disk usage.
   []Update Windows:
   • Ensure that the server is up to date with the latest Windows updates and patches. Updates can sometimes include fixes for performance-related issues.
   []Consider Profile Management Solutions:
   • Evaluate profile management solutions that can help in managing user profiles more efficiently and optimizing the logon process, such as Microsoft's User Profile Disks (UPDs) or third-party profile management tools. By following these steps, you can address the slowdown issue without the need to reinstall the OS. It's important to monitor the impact of each step to identify the root cause of the performance degradation during user logins.