[Larrycleve]

I built a new system with an intel core 2 duo cpu. The opening screen on bootup shows the processor and says 2 cores. Xp home only shows a single screen for cpu under task manager, performance. Using the cpuz program shows only one core. I installed the hotfix 896256, edited the registry, and added /usepmtimer to boot.ini. I also uninstalled the processor from device manager and rebooted. I see from reading the web that xp home should support dual core.

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I did a repair install using the F5 technique to change the hal. I changed it from advanced configuration and power interface to acpi multiprocessor pc but xp home still shows a single core.

[Larrycleve]

I did a repair install using the F5 technique to change the hal. I changed it from advanced configuration and power interface to acpi multiprocessor pc but xp home still shows a single core.

[Runscanner]

First : make sure that you have the correct hal. (check filesize, version)

For multiprocessor, you need to change 3 files (not only the hal).

halmps.dll -> %SYSTEMROOT%\System32\hal.dll
ntkrnlmp.exe -> -> %SYSTEMROOT%\System32\ntoskrnl.exe
ntkrpamp.exe -> -> %SYSTEMROOT%\System32\ntkrnlpa.exe

Then make sure you have the correct processor driver.
Go to device manager, click on your processor and choose "uninstall"
Now reboot your computer and install the correct driver.

[Larrycleve]

How do you change these files? I also tried uninstalling the processor and rebooting. How do you change the processor driver?

[Runscanner]

You need to do this offline, easiest way is to create a bartpe boot disk.

[The Skeptic]

Are you getting satisfactory performance from the computer? Had it been running on one core (I doubt if it's possible at all) you would have gotten very limited performance. I believe that windows treats the whole thing as a single unit in which internal programming devides the load of computing.

You can run a program loke Sandra XI (free, a link in my list of programs below) to check the details of the cpu (Hardware > processors) and to compare performance to similar processors (Benchmarks).

[Neil Jones]

XP Home supports dual-core processors no problem whatsoever.

Do you have Hyper-Threading enabled in the BIOS?

[Larrycleve]

How do you check if this is enabled in bios? I have a 650i ultra mobo. And where are the replacement files to be changed with bartpe? Are they on the xp install disk?

[pip22]

deleted -- wrong advice

Edited by pip22, 02 September 2007 - 04:34 AM.