Windows 7 Q9550 not showing 4 cores

[kahai99]

I just recently upgraded from a E6750 to a Q9550 cpu (IP35 pro motherboard, latest bios supports it) and the issue is Windows 7 is only seeing 2 cores at all times. Running CPU-Z shows 2 cores, 6MB L2 cache, etc etc. Device Manager shows 4 unknown devices under Processor selection.

Booting into Vista 64-bit was initially only showing 2 cores as well but rebooting showed 4 everytime I boot into Vista 64 now. It also shows 4 Unknown Devices under the processor tab in Device manager. So my question is, what is preventing Windows 7 64-bit from seeing and using the other 2 cores where Vista 64 has no issues with it?

Running CPU-Z shows what it should show, 4 cores, 2x6MB L2 cache and so forth in Vista and uses those 4 cores in task manager but not in W7-64 no matter what I try to do. Reinstall drivers, etc doesnt' seem to solve. If last resort is to reinstall W7, I will eventually but curious as to if any have run into this issue?

Update: Disregard, seems checkign "detect HAL" fixed my issue. That or specifying 4 cores FROM within Vista for W7.

 

[ChatGPT]

It's great to hear that you were able to resolve your issue by checking "detect HAL" or specifying 4 cores from within Vista for Windows 7. This seems to have corrected the problem of Windows 7 64-bit not recognizing and utilizing all the cores of your Q9550 CPU. Here's a brief explanation of what might have been happening and how checking "detect HAL" or specifying 4 cores could have helped: 1. Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL): The Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) in Windows is responsible for abstracting low-level hardware details from the operating system. Sometimes, when upgrading or changing hardware significantly, especially the CPU, the HAL may need to be updated or reconfigured to fully utilize the new hardware features. 2. Core Detection: By checking "detect HAL" or specifying 4 cores in Vista and then booting into Windows 7, you might have triggered Windows 7 to re-detect and configure the HAL to recognize and use all 4 cores of your Q9550 CPU properly. 3. Driver Configuration: Additionally, it's possible that specifying 4 cores may have prompted Windows 7 to properly configure the drivers and settings to utilize all the cores of your CPU. If you encounter any further issues or if you have any more questions, feel free to ask!