How to Enable HT or Install a Second CPU
HOW ENABLE HT OR INSTALL A SECOND CPU
AFTER WINDOWS XP PROFESSIONL IS ALLREADY BEEN INSTALLED
Install the second cpu, or enable ht in the bios. Boot into windows, and go to the device manager, under processor check and see if windows is seeing two cpus, if not make sure your second cpu is installed properly and that the bios has smp enabled.
1. Now that your windows xp sees two processors, under processors in device manager, you are ready enable smp.
2. Located your windows xp install cd, and inside the i386 folder you should find two files, ntkrnlmp.ex_ and halmacpi.dl_, these are the files required to enable smp.
3. Next would be to extract there files to your windows system32 folder.
4. Open a new dos box, go to start run, and type in cmd.
5. Now type in
“extract x:\i386\ntkrnlmp.ex_ c:\windows\system32\ntkrnlmp.exe” (x: being the drive letter of your cdrom drive, that windows xp cd is inserted in).
6. Extract the second file, from the same dos box, “extract x:\i386\halmacpi.dl_ c:\windows\system32\ halmacpi.dll”. Please make sure that you don’t misspell the files name (if your windows xp has been installed in a different drive or folder, extract the files into where you installed windows xp and the system32 folder (drive x:\winxp\system32).
7. Now we read to edit the boot.ini. Once again go to into a dos box (start run, and type in cmd), now go to into the drive c: (your boot drive), and type in “attrib –r boot.ini”, next type in edit boot.ini (this can also be done from notepad, after you did the attrib command).
8. Inside your boot.ini, you will see a line multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)WINDOWS=”Micros oft Windows XP Professional” /fastdetect or incase you got windows xp sp2 installed this line may be multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)WINDOWS=”Micros oft Windows XP Professional” /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn
9. Now you can either copy the entire line and make a boot option for windows xp with smp or no smp.
10. After you copied the line or decide to not copy it, add, the following after the /fastdect [b]/kernel=ntkrnlmp.exe /hal=halmacpi.dll[]/b]
11. Your new line should look like multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)WINDOWS=”Micros oft Windows XP Professional” /fastdetect /kernel=ntkrnlmp.exe /hal=halmacpi.dll
12. Now save the changes to your boot.ini
13. Your new boot.ini should look something like this
[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOW S
[operating systems]
14. multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS=”Windo ws Xp” /fastdetect /kernel=ntkrnlmp.exe /hal=halmacpi.dll
15. If you decided to have a boot option for windows xp with smp and without smp, your boot.ini can look something like this.
[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOW S
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS=”Windo ws Xp” /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptOut
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS=”Windo ws Xp SMP” /fastdetect /kernel=ntkrnlmp.exe /hal=halmacpi.dll
16. Please note you should leave a single space between, /fastdetect and /kernel=ntkrnlmp.exe and then once again a single space between /kernel=ntkrnlmp.exe and /hal=halmacpi.dll
17. Now that your allow set, save the changes to your boot.ini
18. I would highly recommend that you make two boot.ini for windows xp, one with smp and one with smp. Incase you misspelled a file name or missed a step, so you can still boot into windows xp and fix the problem.
19. Now that you are all set, reboot your computer, and boot into windows xp with smp. Windows xp should say new hardware detected, wait a bit, until it asks you to restart, now restart.
20. Once again boot into windows xp with smp. Go to into task manager, by pressing ctrl alt delete, once you are in task manager, click on the performance tab, and there should be two graphs, for cpu usage history, if there is two graphs in mean your windows xp is using both cpu. If there is only graph, please go back and carefully check all the steps.
Jeff said,
September 24, 2008 at 5:07 am
Hi, so this procedure works to enable my dual core cpu (thanks a bunch). I also used the upgrade utility from MS as well. I can see both cpu’s now in windows task manager. But I have on issue. When I boot in normal mode, the system hangs on windows startup screen in mp mode. It appears to hang when it gets to mup.sys – a long pause here. Now, on restarting the system in safe mode, it starts up and stops at mup.sys and awhile – at least 10 sec – then continues in safe mode through the start-up. In task manager, both cpu’s are shown. The system still boots up fine in the single cpu mode running the dual core (AMD Athlon X2 4200+) and only uses one cpu. So some configuration parameter or perphiral is causing the boot up process to hang in normal mode. Bios is good. Ideas? Here is the system config:
XP Pro SP2, R7080 HTPC case, A8R32-MVP MB, Athlon 64 X2 4200+, 2G ram, 4×320G Barracuda’s – ULi RAID JBOD; DVDROM; DVDRW; ATI X1600 PRO 512MB PCI-E; Tuners: 1xFusion RT Gold (disabled), 1xPVR-500MCE
ed said,
November 27, 2008 at 4:25 pm
hi and thank you
ive had this athlon brisbane x2 4000 for 12 months now and did not know that the second core was disable. ive looked for a week on line for a solution/understanding why. your specific instruction told me how and why. harrisburg pa
Paul said,
February 9, 2009 at 5:18 am
Hello.
I have older Server running quad Pentium Xeon 933Mhz processors.
Is there any way to turn them all on in windows 2000 server standard or in windows XP Pro? Please e-mail me at: soroka69@hotmail.com Thank you for all your help. Paul.