dual processors with XP Pro?

[Guest]

I have a new dual processor (64-bit) PC with 8Gb of RAM and am not sure whether I am getting the benefit from the increased power. Are there any tricks to getting the best out of a dual processor machine

Thanks

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

A dual processor computer is only beneficial if you use software
programs that are designed to take advantage of dual CPU processing.
Windows XP itself will not run any faster.

BTW, Windows XP will support up to 4GB RAM. In order to take
advantage of your additional 8GB RAM, you'll need to install
Windows Server 2003. And the advanatages of your new 64-bit CPU
will only be noticable when you install the 64-bit version of Windows,
which has not been released yet.

Windows XP 64-Bit Frequently Asked Questions
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/64bit/evaluation/faq.asp

Newsgroup Support for Windows for 64-Bit Extended Systems
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/64bit/extended/trial/support.mspx

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows XP - Shell/User

Be Smart! Protect your PC!
http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/

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|I have a new dual processor (64-bit) PC with 8Gb of RAM and am not sure whether I am getting the benefit from
the increased power. Are there any tricks to getting the best out of a dual processor machine?
|
| Thanks

 

[Jerry]

Do a Google search.

Carey,

Will a dual processor system run software that is not optimized for dual

processing systems run any faster? Wouldn't the HAL facilitate this?

Another question - is there a white paper out there which details how dual

processor support is implemented in Windows XP?

 

[John R Weiss]

Will a dual processor system run software that is not optimized for dual

processing systems run any faster?

Yes. If an application is composed of several processes or threads, the OS
can allocate them to the 2 CPUs.