Trying to use the two cores of the Intel Atom N450 on Windows 2000

[Agorima]

Hello everybody,

As I said on another thread

I have, unfortunately, an Intel Atom N450

http://ark.intel.com/products/42503/

and I cannot use both cores on Windows 2000.

Windows 2000 selects automatically "ACPI Multiprocessor" during the text mode, then stops working after loading the drivers.

It is strange, because with other modern processors (recent Intel Pentium and Intel Core i3) the setup detects automatically the processor without problems.

Looking on the Insyde H2O Bios (v 1.26) I have seen this information

VGA Bios version: Intel V2001

Looking more deeply on Windows XP SP3, I have found more informations:

ID: ACPI\\GENUINEINTEL_-_X86_FAMILY_6_MODEL_28\_0 and \_1, depending from the core.

Driver: Intelppm.sys

I have seen that there's no Intelppm.sys on Windows 2000.

Few days ago I have seen this topic

And I thought: If the cpu.inf and the intelppm.sys will be backported into Windows 2000, they would be useful to me.

Am I wrong?

P.S. I don't want to spam nor to bother everybody with this argument, but it's important for me.

Edited August 17, 2012 by Agorima

[cdob]

And I thought: If the cpu.inf and the intelppm.sys will be backported into Windows 2000, they would be useful to me.

Intelppm.sys is the SpeedStep driver. I doubt adding a (patched?) intelppm.sys would change situation.

Most likely combination BIOS, kernel and hal is the issue.

[Agorima]

And I thought: If the cpu.inf and the intelppm.sys will be backported into Windows 2000, they would be useful to me.

Intelppm.sys is the SpeedStep driver. I doubt adding a (patched?) intelppm.sys would change situation.

Most likely combination BIOS, kernel and hal is the issue.

Probably an update of the kernel's and hal's files can solve the issue.

[Agorima]

Before installing again Windows 2000, I have checked the ACPI Multiprocessor files which XP SP3 was using.

It was really strange to see the default files used in normal ACPI by XP

Hal.dll

ntkrnlpa.exe

ntoskrnl.exe

There's a way to install "ACPI Multiprocessor" while maintaining the three files mentioned?

Edited August 20, 2012 by Agorima

[tomasz86]

What do you mean?

@dirtwarrior - the NTKRPAMP and NTKRNLMP are for the multiprocessor HAL's and P4 HT. Unlike XP/2k3, W2k sees a HT CPU as two CPU's if HT is enabled. The NTKRNLPA and NTOSKRNL are for singleprocessor HAL's. (These files are not the HAL's - but they implement some OS functionality which depends on the HAL). The NTKRPAMP and NTKRNLPA are for ACPI HAL's, and the NTKRNLMP and NTOSKRNL are for non-ACPI HAL's. To complicate things a bit further, the installed SYSTEM32\NTKRNLPA.EXE is a copy of either NTKRPAMP (multiprocessor acpi) or NTKRNLPA (uniprocessor acpi), and the installed SYSTEM32\NTOSKRNL.EXE is a copy of either NTKRNLMP (multiprocessor non-acpi) or NTOSKRNL (uniprocessor non-acpi). Hope that clears it up.

[Agorima]

What do you mean?

@dirtwarrior - the NTKRPAMP and NTKRNLMP are for the multiprocessor HAL's and P4 HT. Unlike XP/2k3, W2k sees a HT CPU as two CPU's if HT is enabled. The NTKRNLPA and NTOSKRNL are for singleprocessor HAL's. (These files are not the HAL's - but they implement some OS functionality which depends on the HAL). The NTKRPAMP and NTKRNLPA are for ACPI HAL's, and the NTKRNLMP and NTOSKRNL are for non-ACPI HAL's. To complicate things a bit further, the installed SYSTEM32\NTKRNLPA.EXE is a copy of either NTKRPAMP (multiprocessor acpi) or NTKRNLPA (uniprocessor acpi), and the installed SYSTEM32\NTOSKRNL.EXE is a copy of either NTKRNLMP (multiprocessor non-acpi) or NTOSKRNL (uniprocessor non-acpi). Hope that clears it up.

This is the situation on Windows XP SP3 Italian

http://i48.tinypic.com/22ccw0.jpg

I thought that the same behaviour can be replicated on Windows 2000 (ACPI Multiprocessor with the three files selected by default) but I was wrong.

Maybe I must accept the normal ACPI on 2K, although it is not the best solution. Sometimes Windows 2000 don't shutdown or restart correctly. When this behaviour happens, I see the black screen (with or without the blinking cursor) and I must turn off the computer manually.

Edited August 20, 2012 by Agorima

[tomasz86]

I experienced a similar issue in the past (the blinking cursor). It was caused by an incorrect SATA driver. How is your HDD configured now exactly?

[Agorima]

I experienced a similar issue in the past (the blinking cursor). It was caused by an incorrect SATA driver. How is your HDD configured now exactly?

The HDD is still divided in two partitions.

Windows 2000 SP4 English (UR1 + UR2 + UURollup 10b + One piece's Windows 2000 postSP4 Update Pack) is installed in C: (39,9 GB)

WIndows XP SP3 Italian is installed in D: (192 GB)

Windows 2K has the default IDE Driver installed.

Probably I must use the Intel Chipset Driver provided by Acer.

Edited August 20, 2012 by Agorima