Windows XP Home Edition + Dual Core?


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Hey guys,

So I am about to order a Dell laptop, and I was reading about Windows XP and it said that Windows XP "Home Edition" does not support multiple processors.

Does this apply to Dual Core processors? (Intel Core Duo's specifically).

I need to know now, if this is true then I need to pull off an arguement with the Dell reps to give me Windows XP Professional at no-charge.

The most common editions of the operating system are Windows XP Home Edition, which is targeted at home users, and Windows XP Professional, which has additional features such as support for Windows Server domains and dual processors, and is targeted at power users and business clients.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_xp

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It is true that Windows XP Home does not support more than 1 physical processor, however, any dual core processor will work because it is still only 1 physical processor, but with 2 cores. So Windows XP Home Edition will work with any Core Duo processor.

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in my view, a dual core processor is two physical processors :D but Microsoft decided that for licensing one socket = one CPU. Some database software consider one core = one CPU but no one has to care about that.

I was going to say, be sure to have SP2 and whatever needed update, but you're going to get a PC with preinstalled windows anyway so no need to worry.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Well I got the laptop a week ago from Dell, it's a good laptop and I installed EVEREST and CPU-Z to check somethings.

My concern right now is this, I went to my friends yesterday and installed EVEREST and CPU-Z and he has Windows XP Professional with his processor being a Pentium D 820.

I have attached a picture with this post, which shows that system has 1 registered processor and in CPU-Z not being able to select the second core in the bottom of the program, while Task Manager shows my two cores. Why am I concerned? Well, my friends computer says "2 Registered Processors" and he's able to select the different cores in CPU-Z.

Any reason why? If there is a reason, I need to bitch to Dell and tell that I need a copy of Windows XP MCE since it's practically Windows XP Professional.

post-116344-1156358356_thumb.jpg

Edited by TheGriffin
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They're not going to give you XP Pro without charging you. I spent alot of time on the phone trying to negotiate the same and failed. Dell wanted to charge me another $149 for XP Pro. My argument was I could buy XP Home or MCE for $89 OEM and Pro was about $139~150 OEM, so I felt that Pro should only cost me about $50 more. They told me that I was getting Windows MCE for free ....pffft! Ended up with MCE with my E1505 laptop Core Duo T2300.

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I think it's a problem with CPU-Z (1.36). At least it does say you have two cores

With my Pentium HT, CPU-Z it shows 1 core but will also only show processor unit 1.

Everest Ultimate, Tools, CPUID is its own "CPU-Z" that does allow me to switch to processor unit 2 for my HT setup..

Have you tried that on your dual core?

In fact you no longer neeed CPU-Z as you've got Everest Ultimate v 3.01 (latest is actually build 693, from

http://www.lavalys.com/forum/index.php?showforum=12

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