Windows Server 2003 change to multiprocessor HAL

According to http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc782277(v=ws.10).aspx this should be simple. Trying it on a Server 2003 VM (that had been converted from Virtual Server 2005) didn’t give the options of the other HALs. The answer is at http://www.pimp-my-rig.com/2008/08/article-acpi-uniprocessor-to.html – use the command line devcon.exe tool and the .cmd script at http://www.pimp-my-rig.com/2008/10/acpi-multiprocessor-hal-upgrade-script.html .

Devcon can be downloaded from Microsoft at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/311272

The script is:

@echo off
@title "Upgrading to ACPI Multi-Processor HAL.."
cls

echo ====================================================
echo Upgrading to ACPI Multi-Processor HAL..
echo ====================================================
echo.
echo please wait..

devcon sethwid @ROOT\PCI_HAL\0000 := !E_ISA_UP !ACPIPIC_UP !ACPIAPIC_UP !ACPIAPIC_MP !MPS_UP !MPS_MP !SGI_MPS_MP !SYSPRO_MP !SGI_MPS_MP > nul
devcon sethwid @ROOT\ACPI_HAL\0000 := !E_ISA_UP !ACPIPIC_UP !ACPIAPIC_UP !ACPIAPIC_MP !MPS_UP !MPS_MP !SGI_MPS_MP !SYSPRO_MP !SGI_MPS_MP > nul
devcon sethwid @ROOT\PCI_HAL\0000 := +ACPIAPIC_MP > nul
devcon sethwid @ROOT\ACPI_HAL\0000 := +ACPIAPIC_MP > nul
devcon update %windir%\inf\hal.inf ACPIAPIC_MP > nul

echo.
echo ====================================================
echo Script Completed: press any key to reboot..
echo ====================================================

pause > nul

devcon reboot

Published by

Jamie Scott

IT Administrator at the Institute for Gravitational Research, University of Glasgow