Solved Help - Advanced Boot options > Number of processors

glennc

New Member
Member
Messages
241
Hello to all,
Wanted to confirm something I recently had a problem with on W7. It was fixed but I didn't get an explanation that I could remember. I have an Athlon X2 processor. In msconfig > boot tab > Advanced Options - there is a box the has a checkmark and a box that show the number of cores the processor has. The reasoning and correct selection is what I am concerned with. It currently has the checkbox - Unchecked and the number of processors is indicating one. Should I pick 2 processors in the box and check the checkbox to ensure the proper use of both processors or is it correct (as I vaguely suspect) the way it is currently set. Thanks for any help!
Glenn
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
if unchecked, windows will use the maximum number of cores that it can during the boot processes.

you only need to change this setting if you specifically know it is causing problems.

it's one of those crazy internet misconceptions that microsoft have got this wrong - you will even see posts by people swearing that their boot is faster when playing with this setting.

leave it as it is if you do not have any boot problems.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 9
    System Manufacturer/Model
    mickey pc
    CPU
    intel i9
    Motherboard
    yes
    Memory
    erm...
    Graphics Card(s)
    pff - so 20th century
    Sound Card
    it's quite sound. yes
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Varanus albigularis
    Screen Resolution
    1x1 - lots of scrolling required
    Hard Drives
    are ssd's hard?
    PSU
    power to the people!
    Case
    nut
    Cooling
    not half
    Keyboard
    steinway
    Mouse
    mickey
    Internet Speed
    snort
    Other Info
    1+1=2
You should have 2 processors checked, not 1, blank is probably auto, which may not always get it right. In taskmanager, the performance tab should show two graphical CPU usage history traces.
At boot-time, Windows loads a file called hal.dll - there are two versions, one for single processors, and another that handles multiprocessor systems.

You will probably run perfectly well on a single processor, but without the performance obtained from utilizing both.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro with Media Center
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP COMPAQ Presario CQ57
    CPU
    AMD E- 300 APU with Radion HD Graphics 1.30GHz
    Motherboard
    inbuilt
    Memory
    4GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI
    Sound Card
    High Definition Audio on-board
    Monitor(s) Displays
    notebook
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    Seagate ST9500325AS
    Google drive 15GB
    Skydrive 25GB
    BT Cloud
    PSU
    external 20v
    Case
    Laptop
    Cooling
    pretty good
    Keyboard
    inbuilt
    Mouse
    touchpad
    Internet Speed
    BT Infinity Unlimited - 80 up 20 down =70/16 really
    Browser
    Chrome Canary usually
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender and Malwarebytes
    Other Info
    no Start menu modifications
    Upgraded with no issues to 8.0 and to 8.1
the number 1 that you see [del]is[/del] should be greyed out - meaning that it isn't operative.

keep the box unchecked and it will use the max cores it needs.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 9
    System Manufacturer/Model
    mickey pc
    CPU
    intel i9
    Motherboard
    yes
    Memory
    erm...
    Graphics Card(s)
    pff - so 20th century
    Sound Card
    it's quite sound. yes
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Varanus albigularis
    Screen Resolution
    1x1 - lots of scrolling required
    Hard Drives
    are ssd's hard?
    PSU
    power to the people!
    Case
    nut
    Cooling
    not half
    Keyboard
    steinway
    Mouse
    mickey
    Internet Speed
    snort
    Other Info
    1+1=2
if unchecked, windows will use the maximum number of cores that it can during the boot processes.

you only need to change this setting if you specifically know it is causing problems.

it's one of those crazy internet misconceptions that microsoft have got this wrong - you will even see posts by people swearing that their boot is faster when playing with this setting.

leave it as it is if you do not have any boot problems.

Thank you greatly, that is what I believed was previously touched on! So no checkmark means that it will automatically use the maximum number available. I have a desktop gadget that shows two processors working. I just wanted the an explanation and reassurance of an expert. Much appreciated!
Glenn
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
You should have 2 processors checked, not 1, blank is probably auto, which may not always get it right. In taskmanager, the performance tab should show two graphical CPU usage history traces.
At boot-time, Windows loads a file called hal.dll - there are two versions, one for single processors, and another that handles multiprocessor systems.

You will probably run perfectly well on a single processor, but without the performance obtained from utilizing both.

Hello fafhrd,
Thanks for responding. I am again confused. As mentioned above, I have the box unchecked. The desktop gadget shows 2 cores running. But in task manager in performance it only shows 1 CPU box, not multiple as in W7. Also should I have the PCI locked checkmarked. I don't understand........
Glenn
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
the number 1 that you see [del]is[/del] should be greyed out - meaning that it isn't operative.

keep the box unchecked and it will use the max cores it needs.

Howdy again,
I understand the concept you stated. But fafhrd suggested checking the Task Manager performance and it seems to only indicate one CPU graph....
See below

Capture.PNG

Maybe I am reading it wrong. But I just checked my X4 on windows seven and seemingly I have the 4 processors indicated and the checkbox checked. Now I am completely confused. In W7 Task Manager Performance it shows 4 CPU Graph boxes. Please help!
Thanks
Glenn
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
it does say 2 logical processors at bottom right (but only one physical chip as there are two cores on the one chip).

right-click on the cpu graph and change the graph to 'logical processors', and you'll see both your cores.

by the way, the setting in msconfig only applies to the boot process, not the whole computer session - just the boot.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 9
    System Manufacturer/Model
    mickey pc
    CPU
    intel i9
    Motherboard
    yes
    Memory
    erm...
    Graphics Card(s)
    pff - so 20th century
    Sound Card
    it's quite sound. yes
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Varanus albigularis
    Screen Resolution
    1x1 - lots of scrolling required
    Hard Drives
    are ssd's hard?
    PSU
    power to the people!
    Case
    nut
    Cooling
    not half
    Keyboard
    steinway
    Mouse
    mickey
    Internet Speed
    snort
    Other Info
    1+1=2
You have it showing as Overall utilization, which amalgamates the results of the individual cores and shows them as a single graph. To get individual graphs, showing the activity of each core separately, right-click on the graph and mouse over Change graph to and then click on Logical Processors.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro RTM x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dwarf Dwf/11/2012 r09/2013
    CPU
    Intel Core-i5-3570K 4-core @ 3.4GHz (Ivy Bridge) (OC 4.2GHz)
    Motherboard
    ASRock Z77 Extreme4-M
    Memory
    4 x 4GB DDR3-1600 Corsair Vengeance CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9B (16GB)
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI GeForce GTX770 Gaming OC 2GB
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition on board solution (ALC 898)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ViewSonic VA1912w Widescreen
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900
    Hard Drives
    OCZ Agility 3 120GB SATA III x2 (RAID 0)
    Samsung HD501LJ 500GB SATA II x2
    Hitachi HDS721010CLA332 1TB SATA II
    Iomega 1.5TB Ext USB 2.0
    WD 2.0TB Ext USB 3.0
    PSU
    XFX Pro Series 850W Semi-Modular
    Case
    Gigabyte IF233
    Cooling
    1 x 120mm Front Inlet 1 x 120mm Rear Exhaust
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Comfort Curve Keyboard 3000 (USB)
    Mouse
    Microsoft Comfort Mouse 3000 for Business (USB)
    Internet Speed
    NetGear DG834Gv3 ADSL Modem/Router (Ethernet) ~4.0 Mb/sec (O2)
    Browser
    IE 11
    Antivirus
    Avast! 8.0.1497 MalwareBytes 1.75.0.1300
    Other Info
    Optical Drive: HL-DT-ST BD-RE BH10LS30 SATA Bluray
    Lexmark S305 Printer/Scanner/Copier (USB)
    WEI Score: 8.1/8.1/8.5/8.5/8.25
    Asus Eee PC 1011PX Netbook (Windows 7 x86 Starter)
it does say 2 logical processors at bottom right (but only one physical chip as there are two cores on the one chip).

right-click on the cpu graph and change the graph to 'logical processors', and you'll see both your cores.

by the way, the setting in msconfig only applies to the boot process, not the whole computer session - just the boot.

You Sir are the man! Perfect, wonderful! Thanks you immensely! But you had to go in and throw me a curve ball about just the boot process. Might you in you generosity, elaborate in slowwww english {:))!
Really thanks!
Glenn
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
You have it showing as Overall utilization, which amalgamates the results of the individual cores and shows them as a single graph. To get individual graphs, showing the activity of each core separately, right-click on the graph and mouse over Change graph to and then click on Logical Processors.

Hello Dwarf,
Thank you for responding to my plea. Thanks for confirming the situation. You are correct and it is much appreciated.
Might you take a look at the newer thread on msconfig > boot tab > advanced options > PCI lock??????
Thanks
Glenn
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
The settings in msconfig are there for debugging and trouble-shooting purposes, and apply to the whole computer session. If you have a multi-boot system, the values set in msconfig are independent between each OS. In other words, you can set it so that one OS uses just one core, whereas the other OSes use the full quota provided by the processor. Sometimes, you may need to set one or more of these options in order to get a particular application to run correctly, but this is rare.

Normal mode for msconfig is to have these checkboxes unchecked, which means that the OS will make use of the full quota of processor cores and the full amount of memory. In this case, it doesn't matter what values are showing, as they will be greyed out and not applicable.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro RTM x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dwarf Dwf/11/2012 r09/2013
    CPU
    Intel Core-i5-3570K 4-core @ 3.4GHz (Ivy Bridge) (OC 4.2GHz)
    Motherboard
    ASRock Z77 Extreme4-M
    Memory
    4 x 4GB DDR3-1600 Corsair Vengeance CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9B (16GB)
    Graphics Card(s)
    MSI GeForce GTX770 Gaming OC 2GB
    Sound Card
    Realtek High Definition on board solution (ALC 898)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ViewSonic VA1912w Widescreen
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900
    Hard Drives
    OCZ Agility 3 120GB SATA III x2 (RAID 0)
    Samsung HD501LJ 500GB SATA II x2
    Hitachi HDS721010CLA332 1TB SATA II
    Iomega 1.5TB Ext USB 2.0
    WD 2.0TB Ext USB 3.0
    PSU
    XFX Pro Series 850W Semi-Modular
    Case
    Gigabyte IF233
    Cooling
    1 x 120mm Front Inlet 1 x 120mm Rear Exhaust
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Comfort Curve Keyboard 3000 (USB)
    Mouse
    Microsoft Comfort Mouse 3000 for Business (USB)
    Internet Speed
    NetGear DG834Gv3 ADSL Modem/Router (Ethernet) ~4.0 Mb/sec (O2)
    Browser
    IE 11
    Antivirus
    Avast! 8.0.1497 MalwareBytes 1.75.0.1300
    Other Info
    Optical Drive: HL-DT-ST BD-RE BH10LS30 SATA Bluray
    Lexmark S305 Printer/Scanner/Copier (USB)
    WEI Score: 8.1/8.1/8.5/8.5/8.25
    Asus Eee PC 1011PX Netbook (Windows 7 x86 Starter)
it does say 2 logical processors at bottom right (but only one physical chip as there are two cores on the one chip).

right-click on the cpu graph and change the graph to 'logical processors', and you'll see both your cores.

by the way, the setting in msconfig only applies to the boot process, not the whole computer session - just the boot.

You Sir are the man! Perfect, wonderful! Thanks you immensely! But you had to go in and throw me a curve ball about just the boot process. Might you in you generosity, elaborate in slowwww english {:))!
Really thanks!
Glenn

the boot process is simply what the computer does before it gets to the logon screen.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 9
    System Manufacturer/Model
    mickey pc
    CPU
    intel i9
    Motherboard
    yes
    Memory
    erm...
    Graphics Card(s)
    pff - so 20th century
    Sound Card
    it's quite sound. yes
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Varanus albigularis
    Screen Resolution
    1x1 - lots of scrolling required
    Hard Drives
    are ssd's hard?
    PSU
    power to the people!
    Case
    nut
    Cooling
    not half
    Keyboard
    steinway
    Mouse
    mickey
    Internet Speed
    snort
    Other Info
    1+1=2
The settings in msconfig are there for debugging and trouble-shooting purposes, and apply to the whole computer session. If you have a multi-boot system, the values set in msconfig are independent between each OS. In other words, you can set it so that one OS uses just one core, whereas the other OSes use the full quota provided by the processor. Sometimes, you may need to set one or more of these options in order to get a particular application to run correctly, but this is rare.

Normal mode for msconfig is to have these checkboxes unchecked, which means that the OS will make use of the full quota of processor cores and the full amount of memory. In this case, it doesn't matter what values are showing, as they will be greyed out and not applicable.

Howdy Dwarf,
Your explanation was clearly done and understood! Thank you again for your time and assistance!
Cheers
Glenn
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
it does say 2 logical processors at bottom right (but only one physical chip as there are two cores on the one chip).

right-click on the cpu graph and change the graph to 'logical processors', and you'll see both your cores.

by the way, the setting in msconfig only applies to the boot process, not the whole computer session - just the boot.

You Sir are the man! Perfect, wonderful! Thanks you immensely! But you had to go in and throw me a curve ball about just the boot process. Might you in you generosity, elaborate in slowwww english {:))!
Really thanks!
Glenn

the boot process is simply what the computer does before it gets to the logon screen.

Howdy,
Thanks for your great help and this response. The explanation is still over my head, but that is o.k. Much of computer functioning is FM to me.
Glenn
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
...
Howdy,
Thanks for your great help and this response. The explanation is still over my head, but that is o.k. Much of computer functioning is FM to me.
Glenn

in simple terms, when you switch the computer on, it has to go through certain steps before you can actually start using it. this is the boot process. it's why it isn't instant-on, there's always a delay before switching on and being able to run your programs. it's the computer 'waking up', having a wash and a coffee before starting work, sort of. :)

what's 'FM'? 'flipping' magic?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 9
    System Manufacturer/Model
    mickey pc
    CPU
    intel i9
    Motherboard
    yes
    Memory
    erm...
    Graphics Card(s)
    pff - so 20th century
    Sound Card
    it's quite sound. yes
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Varanus albigularis
    Screen Resolution
    1x1 - lots of scrolling required
    Hard Drives
    are ssd's hard?
    PSU
    power to the people!
    Case
    nut
    Cooling
    not half
    Keyboard
    steinway
    Mouse
    mickey
    Internet Speed
    snort
    Other Info
    1+1=2
In the boot tab under misconfig I changed the cores used from 1 to 6. Now the computer fails to boot and offers a system restore (which does not work) or 'cancel' which does nothing. Could anyone help?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    CPU
    AMD FX 6350 Black Edition
The difference between manually choosing all cores in "BOOT Advanced Options" or leaving it the original greyed out "Auto" is that in "Auto", Windows will use however many processes that it needs to use at the time of the boot process BUT this also means that Windows will park the processes that it does not need.

By manually choosing all processes, it may help stop Windows from parking some of the processors. This can be helpful in some cases where you need to use Virtualization capabilities of Intel/AMD CPU's.

I have just come across this issue as I'm trying to setup VMware. The BIOS has been checked and AMD Virtualization is enabled but when I open Piriform Speccy to check on the CPU, it lists Virtualization : Supported, Disabled.

I came across the following while searching for a solution



"The old problem.

With system virtualization, as you know, it can use multiple cpu cores to create a virtual operating system.
The problem is with some boards and systems, along with the version of os you are running.
A ms patch needs to be applied because the cores of your system can be parked.

Also you have to ensure that windows is set and configured to running and using all of the cpu cores.

To do this, click on start.
In the search box type : Msconfig.

Select the search result and left click on it to launch it.

Click on the boot tab in the new window.

Then click on the advanced options tab.

Select the number of working cpu cores for windows to use, and then select the tick box.
Click ok.

Click apply.
Click ok.

Restart the system.

If you look at windows resource manager after windows has loaded, you will see all four cores being utilized in windows.

Test to see if you can create or emulate a virtual os environment.

If any of the cores state they are parked, you must apply the AMD cpu patch for windows from the Microsoft download center.
The patch is a fix for when AMD multicore cpu`s are not detected by the OS.

Hotfix #1 - http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2645594
Hotfix #2 - http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2646060 "




Not sure if it help others but might give another lead to chase down for anyone searching.

UPDATE - This did not work for my needs and instead of chasing it in circles, I contacted AMD Support. I'm yet to hear back from them.
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    FX-9590
    Motherboard
    ASUS Chrosshair V Formula Z
    Memory
    32gb CorsairVengence
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS R9 290X
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Kersparsky Total
Back
Top