network access to folder - measuring performance

[famtek]

My problem is that I have inconsistent response times to a network shared folder.

I have a network host Dell PC running XP SP2 with a fully shareable folder with 10,000 small images.

I have a Linksys B Router with 2 client Dell PCs (also running XP) trying to open up the larger folder. One PC takes 40 seconds to open the folder (flashlight appears) and the second PC freezes.

The second PC that freezes was recently re-formated with all software re-installed. I need to understand whether the problem is the network card or the network router or something else. How can I measure through-put performance to diagnose this issue?

thanks.

 

[chriscj21]

I presume this is a wired router?

Are the speed and duplex settings the same, on both nics, in both workstations?

Products such as EtherReal (Network Monitor) will allow you to monitor packets on your network. Simply install the software on each of your machines (or on a gateway in some situations) and see what traffic is actually being sent.

ChrisCj21