I work on a laptop at a remote location where I do not have access to the central domain controller. On startup, Windows hangs for 2-3 minutes on "Preparing Network Connections". The error log says "...no domain controller found...". Also, Windows performance is very slow all around until I stop the Net Logon service. Is there a registry fix or general setting that will fix this issue?

When you're not actually logging into the domain, you should be choosing to log on locally at the network logon box on bootup.

At the bottom of the network logon box is a pulldown menu, it likely has the domain listed in it. Simply click on the down arrow to open this and choose "log on locally". This will avoid the problem of trying to connect to a domain that isn't available at the moment.

another fix would be to setup two hardware profiles. One for on the network the other off. in the off one you would disable your nic and services.

Thanks for the responses. I unfortunately have to log on under the main domain since I periodically need to connect to the domain with a VPN connection. I can not disable my NIC since I still use it to access my local home network and cable modem. Any other suggestions?