OT: Hardware problem... dual CPU system/BIOS sees 2 cpus/Win2K Pro only sees one CPU

[GeoffS]

I've ... ahem... acquired an HP NetServer E60 with dual P3-550 Katmais in it. I've installed a 1-2 CPU license of Win2K Pro on it. When the machine POSTs, it says it's a dual processor with 2 CPUs installed, and that the 'Dual processor system initialized'. When I boot up into Win2K Pro, it says the computer is an ACPI Uniprocessor and there is no indication that there is a 2nd CPU in there. I figure, at the very least, networkman has at least one of these in his basement so I'm hoping someone out there has seen something like this before and knows what to do.

Thanks!
Geoff

 

[jmeadlock]

Here's a screenshot from 2k Terminal Server:

Screenshot

Hope that helps. It's a dual Xeon (no HT).

I suspect maybe you have a 1cpu Win2k cdrom?

 

[GeoffS]

Yeah... I have another dually that looks like that.. .mine has Uniprocessor in the hardware description and only one CPU box in the graph

My Win2K Pro cdrom says 1-2 CPU and I've used it successfully on other duallies... maybe I'll just try Linux

 

[jmeadlock]

Wierd. I have no clue.

Linux sounds like a good plan

If you need to download Knoppix this should be speedy:

Knoppix Torrent (the new 3.3 version that came out this week)

 

[Confused]

Did you install 2k Pro, or was it already installed when you got it?

If it was already installed, then it could be possible that it was installed with only 1 CPU installed, and the second was added later.

If you installed it...then it should have picked up the 2nd CPU. You can try going to Device Manager, then ACPI Uniprocessor Computer, and do an "update driver", then do not select automatically, and choose ACPI multiprocessor driver, then it should install the SMP HAL


Garry

 

[GeoffS]

Garry- I installed it myself and it didn't pick up the 2nd CPU. I didn't know you could do that with the 'update driver' trick... I'll give that a try on Monday (not really worth a trip back to work unless I get paged ) !

 

[networkman]

Found a link on TechTV with instructions for this kind of scenario. If you have access to the Win2K Resource Kit, the CPU upgrade utility is helpful to have.

 

[SoulAssassin]

uptomp.exe is included in the NT4 resource kit and it's not recommended to use it with W2K. Do what Confused said, check Q234558 but I think the BDP is to reinstall the OS. I've seen some weird things after converting an existing install.

 

[vss1980]

If your having this problem straight from a fresh install of Windows 2000 and are gonna re-install the OS anyway, try this:

When booting off of the Windows 2000 disks/CD, at the point it says "Press F6 to install additional storage driver" (or something like that), press F5 instead.

After a couple of seconds it will produce a screen allowing you to select the system type and override the windows default detection. Under normal circumtstances this isn't necessary but here is once such example of why its there.
For multiprocessor systems with BOTH chips installed, choose "ACPI Multiprocessor system".

You'll soon know if it wont work because if windows doesn't like your selection the installation will halt inadvertantly soon after that point (dont worry, long before it makes any HDD changes).

This applies to the Windows XP setup also.

Hope this helps.

 

[GeoffS]

vss1980 - I didn't get many options... ACPI Multiprocessor system was not one of them. The 4 options were Standard PC, Standard PC with iStep486 (or something like that), SGI mp, and Other that required a manufacturers disk.

garry - did what you said and rebooted, and still only one CPU was visible in the task/processes graph.

Rich & SoulAssassin - I'll look into this.

Now, in digging in the guts of the machine, I see that there are a pair of 550s in there. The configuration card on the side of the case shows switch settings for up to P3-500. I'm wondering if someone replaced the CPUs in this with 550s. I'm going to have to look around to see if there are 500s kicking around here somewhere.

Thanks to all, and LMK if you have any other ideas!

Geoff

 

[vss1980]

GeoffS, it's a scroll type list. You only get a small box of options but if you keep going up (or down depending where you are in the list) more options appear.

Edit: Also, 99.9% of P3 chips have locked multipliers. To change it requires modifying pins, etc. Only the engineering samples are unlocked and there are very very few of these in the average persons possesion.
For all it matters you can set the multiplier to 3x and it should* make no difference.

* - I can't be held responsible for you not having an unlocked chip.

 

[GeoffS]

vss1980 - It didn't look like a scroll list for me. It was just the 4 options that I listed. Maybe you have a newer version of the install discs? I'll check again... a new install is just finishing up.

I wasn't suggesting changing any pins or anything. I'm thinking that someone swapped out the 500s that were in there with 550s, but don't see that there are dipswitch settings for a 550 on the mobo... it's got 400, 450, and 500 listed there, so that may be an issue also.

Interestingly, the bios identifies the chips as 550s and activates the dual processor subsystem (or wording to that effect), so I'm not sure this is an issue.

Geoff

 

[vss1980]

It doesn't look like a scroll list (it has no particularly large arrows indicating it) and is drawn pretty much like a standard white box on the blue background, but it should scroll.
As far as I know, it should be independant of the version, ie. all Win2K's have it.

Can't really comment on the DIP switch speed settings. Just hope that HP did their job properly and the BIOS is paying more attention to the CPU than the DIP switches. I've seen systems shipped before with processors running at speeds faster than the DIP switches support - I'm guessing some manufacturers were too lazy to alter the motherboards if the chips and BIOS took care of themselves.

 

[GeoffS]

It doesn't look like a scroll list (it has no particularly large arrows indicating it) and is drawn pretty much like a standard white box on the blue background, but it should scroll.
As far as I know, it should be independant of the version, ie. all Win2K's have it.

duh! I didn't see any arrows, so I assumed (yeah, I know) that the 4 options on the screen were what I was limited to. I'm starting a new install having selected APCI Multiprocessor this time.

Looks like the bios is taking care of the chips

 

[GeoffS]

grrrrr... Device manager says ACPI Multiprocessor, but environment variables still say just one CPU, and the task manager Performance tab still shows but one CPU window. Wonder if one of the CPUs is bad maybe... running out of ideas here

 

[networkman]

Have you tried editing the environment variable to indicate 2 instead of 1? Try that and reboot.

As for having 550s in there, when the board specs say up to 500, it really depends on the board. The IBM workstation I have at home only has setting up to Dual 450, but when I looked deeper into the documentation, it indicated that those dip-switch settings "greater than OR equal to" 450. Knowing that, I was able to get a pair of 550s working in it just fine. Also, some Bios's will just read the multiplier on the chip and use that over whatever the motherboard is set to.. depends on the Bios/board.

 

[GeoffS]

Rich- It seems to have set the speed just fine. The bios screen that comes up reflects that it recognizes both that the chips are 550, and that there are two of them. I tried resetting the environment variable to 2 earlier, and it just reset it to 1 when I rebooted... I'll try again ans see what happens.

Geoff

 

[GeoffS]

Nope... still only one, and the environment variable is set back to 1 CPU. *sigh*

 

[Freewolf]

You could try removing the cpu's one at the time to see if it boots , if one of the cpu's are bad it won't boot if it's the only one on the MB

 

[GeoffS]

Yep... that's next! Upgrading the bios at the moment... it was at 4.06.25... the new version is 4.06.26... I'm not holding my breath!