Problem Description:
MySQL Server works very slowly on Windows 7. Simple Specify queries take over 10 times longer than on Windows XP.

Cause:
A file delivered as part of the standard Win 7 (32 bit or 64 bit) installation package interferes with the efficient operation of the Win 7 drive controller. This incompatibility is not currently addressed by Dell or presumably other workstation vendor updates.

Solution:
Update Win 7's distributed version of the "Intel Matrix Storage Manager" Here is a link to it:
http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&DwnldID=17882&Pro...

After this driver is installed we saw a performance increase by at least a factor of 10. I would suggest anyone using common Dell/HP or Intel based hardware to take this in account when operating Windows 7 (32 or 64 bit). This may also effect Windows Server 2008 R2 as well.

This update should only be performed by an experienced systems administrator, compatibility must be examined prior to installation.

- Greg D. Smith
gsmith@ku.edu
Sr. Systems Admin
Biodiversity Institute
University of Kansas