>Some additional information- we have found that the difference is not in
>free/dbc tables, but in tables that another user has open. For tables that
>are already in use elsewhere, there is a 3-4 second opening delay. For
>tables where this WS is the only user, it's instant.

Are you saying that if _another_ WS opens a table that is already being shared then there is _no_ problem ?

Are there other Work Stations running W2000 Pro ? With the same/different "settings" ?

Since the problem WS behaves for non-shared tables, I'll assume it's not a "hardware problem".

Anyway, NT and W2000 Server have an "Opportunistic Locking" optimization that results in locks being applied to files when they are first opened (even for "reading"); subsequent (requests for) opens (ie. Sharing) results in overhead in attempting to break these "opportunistic locks".

Check out (Server Registry Entries): EnableOplocks, OplockBreakWait.

The problem WS may simply be generating a higher number of file open/share requests relative to the other machines ("flooding" ?). If this is the only W2000 Pro machine, it's particular "settings" may be compounding the problem (relative to the Server).