Hey Guys,

Have just installed a stripped down version of XP SP1 on my new Core 2 Duo laptop. Can't get the 2 cores to work - there is no processors bit in the Device Manager (so 2 processors certainly aren't showing up there), and my computer has "Standard PC" underneath it, not ACPI. I know the dual core is working because i have a bloated version of XP Media Centre installed on a separate partition and that is all working as it should be.

The question is: do i need to go through the whole slipstreaming process and reinstall XP, could i run autoupdate instead, or are there drivers i could install to get it working? How much a performance hit am i likely to take if i run auto update - will it put all the crap back in that nLite has (wonderfully!) removed? Also, i didn't install any network services with nLite, so it might be a bit of a hassle to run auto update. Does some one have a link to the necessary drivers to get SP1 working with multicore processors? FYI This is an Intel Core 2 Duo T5500 1.66Ghz on an Acer 5630 Laptop.

Thanks in advance,

Tom

Ensure you are using the multiprocessor kernel (ntkrnlmp.exe) instead of the single-processor one.

Is this XP Home, or XP Pro?

As LLXX said, you need ntkrnlmp.exe.

Search for it in SYSTEM32. If it is not present, extract if from service pack2 (or SP1). The file you'll get (*.ex_) is itself compressed, any file archiver can extract it.

And as far as I'm concerned, I just realized two of my kernels were missing...

if you removed multi-processing support while making the install, then thats why. i had the same issue when i went to use a stripped down version that i made a while ago, i kept wondering where my second one was, then i went and made a new one that worked.

that may be something to look into.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have removed the multiprocessor support, unless it was hidden under something i didn't notice. I'll check for that kernel file when i'm back on my laptop later. If i haven't got it, once i extract it from the relevant place on the xp disk, how will i get it to run? Surely i need to do more than just dump it in the system32 folder?

thanks

tom

PS It's XP Pro - home doens't do multiprocessor support does it?

The only thing you should have to do is dump it in system32.

This all sounds deceptively simple. I'm presuming i won't need to delete the other kernel file after rebooting. Thanks guys, will let you know if it works later on.

Cheers

Tom

Do NOT delete the other kernel. Who knows what may happen ?

If you just add the mp kernel, in the best case : you get dual processoring back, in the worst : nothing.

If you delete the other one, in the worst case your computer won't boot.

tbh i'd just install sp2, its far superior to sp1

disable the security centre and you'll be well on your way

I knew this all sounded too easy. I've just dumped ntkrnlmp.exe in my system32 directory and hasn't worked. no change. does it need to be in a particular sub directory?

On my other install of XP on this machine - which does have the dual core functioning correctly - ntkrnlmp is not in the system32 directory. ntkrnlpa.exe is. Also i have checked the install disk i made with nLite and that did include ntkrnlmp.ex_

Any ideas?

Thanks!

Tom

As far as I'm concerned, I only have ntkrpa.exe and ntoskrnl.exe BUT in device manager I have two entries, my computer is seen as ACPI multiprocessor PC, two cores are shown in task manager and 7-zip is definitely threaded.

Could you check C:\WINDOWS\system32\$winnt$.inf ?

Does it have any interesting line ?

Check your drivers. And if you run autoupdate you probably won't get any bloat back (don't make it automatic, check entries by hand).

You have to specify the multiprocessor kernel, and it seems the multiprocessor HAL as well.

See http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysintern...on/bootini.mspx for more information.

What on earth is a checked kernel environment? Anyway, specifying halmps or halmacpi along with ntkrlmp and ntkrpamp makes windows fail to load - it says hal.dll is corrupt. I have followed their instructions for making a "checked kernel env" because, what ever it is, it allows you to set up another kernel regime.

Nothing interesting in $winnt$ i'm afraid. I think i may have to make a slipstreamed disc and do a full reinstall with sp2...

cheers

tom