you start the vbs script with wscript or cscript?

Why don't you use mobile/external harddisks? Backup at site, and send it over at certain intervals.

You can consider replication for critical data.

Do you have differential backups in place?

Are the backups...

Autoshrink isn't a recommeded option. It locks the database for shrinking.

With simple mode, you don't have to worry about the database growing too big, because at the end it will...

As soon you use AWE you have to set the memory to fixed size. I don't have the enterprise edition to test it out. It could be it can allocate...

Also set the maximum/minimum memory to fixed. Likely dynamic is limited to 2GB.

Is this sql server 2000 standard edition (limited to 2GB)?

If you want sql server 2000 to use more memory you need the enterprise edition or higher.

Perhaps you can start the...

sounds indeed like a CHECKPOINT (sudden spike)

Are the client tools on their pc also updated to the server servicepack level?

server: sql server 2000 sp3 -> client enterprise manager sp3

server: sql server 2000 sp4 -> client enterprise...

Indeed, the select into is faster in the example

Select into: avg 1-2 seconds

Table 'Worktable'. Scan count 201, logical reads 6574, physical reads 0, read-ahead reads 0.

Table 'jbmTest'. Scan count 0,...

Can you modify the job to include some additional logging?

Like a ping/tracert log to a textfile before launching the small app?

Odd, perhaps a change in the executionplan? You can see the actual plan in the query analyzer.

I guess count(*) or avg(*) give an index scan when min,max use index seek(should...

The main problem SELECT INTO is that is locks sysobjects (especially in tempdb) when lots of procedures make use of temporary tables having to wait until the insert is finished....

Have you already converted your (var)char columns to n(var)char?

Wildly guessing:

UTF-8 isn't implemented in sql server 2000

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/232580

Working of unicode in ODBC

http://www.datadirect.com/developer/odbc/unicode/index.ssp

Also try to replace SELECT INTO statements

into CREATE TABLE ... INSERT INTO.

Select Into holds some exclusive locks on system tables.

http://searchsqlserver.techtarget.com/tip/0,289483,sid87_gci1284087,00.html

RAISERROR severity 16 usually stops the processing. (no sysadmin permissions needed)

Instead of the option WITH LOG you can use another logtable?