LinkStation Pro Quad 8G: Poor performance in small workgroup

[billla]

I have a new LinkStation Pro Quad that is supporting a workgroup of 7 users.  Usage is general file access, with 2 users using CAD.

 

Intermittently, response time for both file browsing and file opening can be very poor, on the order of 20-30 seconds to open a CAD file. I've turned off all the extra servers (iPod, etc.) but the issue continues. It seems to be workload related, as the situation is definitely worse at higher use times.

 

PCs are relatively high-end HP desktops running Windows 7.  I have applied the Windows 7 security patch.

Network is 100M, VERY simple with a Linksys unmanaged switch.

 

How do I troubleshoot the cause of these performance issues?

 

[davo]

Can i ask why you are not using a gigabit network? Surely this would be the first thing to do.

[billla]

We're waiting on a building wiring upgrade.

 

Note that performance was excellent with the prior NAS (NetApp StoreVaule) on the same network.