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Tech Tips / Windows 2000 Professional / Hardware and Drivers

Configure dual-CPU system without Uptomp.exe

Perhaps you purchased a dual-CPU system that contained a single CPU, giving yourself a future upgrade path. When you installed Windows 2000, you installed the single-CPU kernel, which means that Windows 2000 won't recognize or use the other CPU, even after you install it. You could reinstall Windows 2000, but that's the long way to go.

On Windows NT systems, you can use a utility called Uptomp.exe - included with the Windows NT Resource Kit - to upgrade the system from a single-CPU system to a multi-CPU system. The Windows 2000 Resource Kit doesn't include Uptomp.exe, but that's not a problem because you can use the Device Manager to enable support for your second CPU. Here's how:

First, shut down the system and install the second CPU. Then, restart the system and open the Device Manager. Expand the Computer branch and note the system type specified. Double-click the computer type in the Computer branch to open its properties, then click the Drivers tab. Click Update Driver, then click Next. Select Display A List Of Known Drivers For This Device, then choose Show All Hardware Of This Device Class. Select the appropriate multi-CPU kernel, click Next, and click Finish. Restart the system for the change to take effect.

One of the quickest ways to verify that your system is using both processors is to press [Ctrl][Alt][Del], open the Task Manager, and click the Performance tab. You should see two CPU indicators on the page.