Multiprocessing: Functions and Features

Windows 95/98 and Windows ME do not support multiprocessor solutions. Windows NT 4 and Windows 2000 use for single processor and multiprocessor environments different operating system kernels. In the case of Windows NT only the files hal.dll and ntoskrnl.dll in the system32 folder are affected. Windows NT copies during the installation process the correct versions, depending on the found system.

There are numerous versions of hal and ntoskrnl versions in Windows 2000. For example, for the single processor and the multiprocessor version there is an ACPI-capable and a standard version available. Additionally, during the installation further system files are exchanged, depending on the number of CPUs.

It is possible to install a multiprocessor kernel on single processor systems. In this case the system performance will decrease by a few per cent. The reason is the complex kernel which also is kept busy with significant overhead on a single processor system.