Hello All!

I am looking for any help I can get with a very perplexing problem. My friend and I just got some of the new Pentium Extreme 965 Dual Core 3.73GHz 2x2MB L2 Cache cpu's. We planned on using these for upgrades on existing systems that were running P4 Pentium Extreme 3.73GHz 2MB L2 cache Single Core CPU's. Our systems are based on the exact same Intel D955XBKXLR motherboard.

After installing the new CPU's, the systems boot and enter Windows. After a few moments, both systems shut down unexpectedly. Power must be removed from the systems to get them to restart. They will never run for more than a few minutes before shutting down again. Here are the details of the system and step we took to troubleshoot:

Product: Intel® Desktop Board D955XBKXLR
OS: Windows* XP Professional SP2 and all updates loaded
Bios_version: Latest BIOS 04/27/2006
AA_Number: C96732-406
Memory_Solution : 2 - 1GB Micron Technologies MT16HTF12864AY-667B3
Video_manufacturer: XFX
Video_model: NVidia 7900GT Series
Sound_manufacturer: On-Board Audio
Sound_model: On Intel D955XBKXLR board
Virus: Norton Anti-Virus*
Hard_Drive_MFR: WD SATA-2 160GB (2)
Power_Supply:Thermaltake W0101RU 550W

Steps taken to resolve issue:

Checked all connections / Verified fans were running / made sure cpu fan was attached correctly / checked for excessive heat / Verified power supply output with tester / verified memory worked in other systems / scanned for viruses and spyware / ran scan disk / disabled options in BIOS (HT'ing, power management, ect.) / verified cpu installed correctly / removed modem card / switched video cards / detached all peripherals except HD / reflashed BIOS / prayer

An interesting tidbit is the system does not seem to shut down while in the MB BIOS set-up screen. System always shuts down as windows is starting or has been running a few minutes. Could it be a Windows Professional issue dealing with Dual Core CPU's? I am out of thermal paste right now, so I cant retest this theory. I do not remember the system shutting down ever while in the BIOS.

The systems worked perfectly with old CPU. They still work perfectly after re-installing new old. I have a hard time believing both of our new CPU's are defective or faulty. Intel's website clearly states these cpu's should work in the motherboards. Memory is on approved or 3rd party tested list. Power supply should have enough juice to power system with video cards, but I only have 1 so far...

I thought I would throw this out to all you smart people in forum land. We are pretty frustrated over here. Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Sarsurfer

Sounds like it could be a heat related shutdown.


How?


Confusing statement. What theory?

This type of shutdown is almost always due to CPU overheating. Boot to the BIOS and check the temperaturs. It should always be below 60C. With this type of CPU you should always get a really good aftermarket cooler. Don't expect the stock cooler to be of much good. Here's one suggestion:

Zalman CuAl

The probable reason shutdown doesn't occur in the BIOS because the BIOS program runs in a reduced clock frequency mode. This way even the slowest compatible CPU will run the BIOS program properly.

Just for me,

I checked for excessive heat with an infrared temp probe. I could not find any excessive hotspots on the board. BTW, here is the probe I used:

http://www.pomonaelectronics.com/html/more...nftempprobe.htm

My theory was possibly windows is causing the shutdown. I couldn't test this by just running system in BIOS mode because I have used all my thermal paste. Gonna go buy some more today. A lot of folks on other support forums seem to think Windows can't deal with just swapping out the sc to a dc cpu. I have a new drive here and will try a reload of windows.

I will post results in a day or so...

Pascor22234,

Thanks for the info... I was running at 57C - 58C in BIOS. I am looking at new coolers as well. Your correct, the stock Intel cpu fans are not very good. Even my sc cpu cranks up to near 70C.

The problem appears to be solved.... I hope!

I have been up and running now for over an hour with multiple reboots. Repairing windows installation seems to have worked... Several folks on other boards indicated Windows XP might not like a cpu change. I wasn't just changing cpu speeds and the different manufacturing technology caused windows to choke?!? Thanks to Bill Gates! I am gonna send him a bill! Thanks to all for trying to help on this one!

Billy boy did it again....

OK, I'm back... It was too good to be true! I started crashing again in the same manner. I have continued to research and found several other resources that may explain what is happening to me. I am up and running again with this new info. We'll see if it continues to solve my issue. Here are some links and detail on another solution:

Make sure that the pre-installed OS (Windows XP) was correctly modified to fully support your dual core CPU.

Here's how to check -OR- do it yourself):
1) The mandatory Windows XP Patch: Download Hot fix KB896256 and install this XP patch. You can get the hotfix file here... Even though it says AMD, it works for Intel as well!
http://www.amdzone.com/modules.php?op=modl...le&sid=3964

2) go to Start Menu > Run. Type REGEDIT and press enter.
The registry location: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager should have a key named Throttle there, if not make it by right clicking, point at New > Key... name it Throttle.
3) (Still in registry) Inside Throttle key: should be a DWORD called PerfEnablePackageIdle with the value of 1. If not there, right click, point to New > DWORD... name it PerfEnablePackageIdle.
*** Note: You should type 1 in the Value data box to enable the performance state policy behavior (increases performance)
4) Quit Registry.
5) Now look at your boot.ini to make sure that the command /usepmtimer is there, by right clicking on My Computer go to Properties, click on the ADVANCE tab, then under Startup and Recovery click on Settings, then click on EDIT....make sure your boot.ini has the /usepmtimer in there (located in the last line), if NOT then just copy and paste it in there.

BOOT.INI example
[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect /usepmtimer


Here was the article I found on Microsofts website:

Computers that are running Windows XP Service Pack 2 and that are equipped with multiple processors that support processor power management features may experience decreased performance
View products that this article applies to.
Article ID
: 896256
Last Review : June 1, 2006
Revision : 3.1


Important This article contains information about how to modify the registry. Make sure to back up the registry before you modify it. Make sure that you know how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up, restore, and modify the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
256986 Description of the Microsoft Windows registry
On This Page
SYMPTOMS
RESOLUTION
Hotfix information
Prerequisites
Restart requirement
Hotfix replacement information
File information
STATUS
MORE INFORMATION
Hotfix details
Possible decrease in performance during demand-based switching
How to disable the new performance state policy behavior
Correct TSC synchronization
Correct C-state promotion and demotion
MORE INFORMATION
SYMPTOMS
Computers that are equipped with multiple processors that support processor power management features, such as Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) processor performance states, require Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2). Additional updates are available to optimize performance and behavior on computers that are running Windows XP SP2. Without these updates, computers that are equipped with these power management-capable, mobile, dual-core processors may experience decreased performance or unexpected behavior.

Note This problem also applies to x64-based versions of Microsoft Windows Server 2003.

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RESOLUTION
Hotfix information
A supported hotfix is now available from Microsoft, but it is only intended to correct the problem that is described in this article. Only apply it to systems that are experiencing this specific problem. This hotfix may receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, we recommend that you wait for the next Windows XP service pack that contains this hotfix.

To resolve this problem immediately, contact Microsoft Product Support Services to obtain the hotfix. For a complete list of Microsoft Product Support Services telephone numbers and information about support costs, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
http://support.microsoft.com/contactus/?ws=support
Note In special cases, charges that are ordinarily incurred for support calls may be canceled if a Microsoft Support Professional determines that a specific update will resolve your problem. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for the specific update in question.
Prerequisites
No prerequisites are required.
Restart requirement
You must restart the computer after you apply this hotfix.
Hotfix replacement information
This hotfix does not replace any other hotfixes.
File information
The English version of this hotfix has the file attributes (or later file attributes) that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time tool in Control Panel.
Date Time Version Size File name -------------------------------------------------------------- 28-Sep-2005 23:35 5.1.2600.2765 134,272 Halmacpi.dll 29-Sep-2005 00:02 5.1.2600.2765 2,136,064 Ntkrnlmp.exe 28-Sep-2005 23:35 5.1.2600.2765 2,057,344 Ntkrnlpa.exe 28-Sep-2005 23:35 5.1.2600.2765 2,015,744 Ntkrpamp.exe 29-Sep-2005 00:04 5.1.2600.2765 2,180,096 Ntoskrnl.exe 28-Sep-2005 23:32 5.1.2600.2765 30,720 Arpidfix.exe


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STATUS
Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.

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MORE INFORMATION
Windows XP SP2 is required on computers that have multiple CPUs that support ACPI processor performance states. This requirement includes computers that support the following items:
• Multiple physical sockets
• Multiple-core designs
• Multiple logical threads, such as Intel hyper-threading technology
Because Windows XP was not originally designed to support performance states on multiprocessor configurations, changes are required to correctly realize this support on multiprocessor systems. Windows XP Service Pack 2 includes the required changes to the kernel power manager. These changes make sure that Windows XP correctly functions on multiprocessor systems with processor performance states.

This hotfix also addresses the following issues on computers that have multiple processors that support processor performance states:
• A possible decrease in performance on single-threaded workloads when processor performance states are using demand-based switching.
• The synchronization of the processor Time Stamp Counter (TSC) registers across processors when you use the ACPI Power Management timer on multiprocessor systems.
• ACPI C-state promotion and demotion issues in the kernel power manager.

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Hotfix details
Possible decrease in performance during demand-based switching
Demand-Based Switching (DBS) is the use of ACPI processor performance states (dynamic voltage and frequency scaling) in response to system workloads. Windows XP processor power management implements DBS by using the adaptive processor throttling policy. This policy dynamically and automatically adjusts the processor’s current performance state in response to system CPU use without user intervention.

When single-threaded workloads run on multiprocessor systems that include dual-core configurations, the workloads may migrate across available CPU cores. This behavior is a natural artifact of how Windows schedules work across available CPU resources. However, on systems that have processor performance states that run with the adaptive processor throttling policy, this thread migration may cause the Windows kernel power manager to incorrectly calculate the optimal target performance state for the processor. This behavior occurs because an individual processor core, logical or physical, may appear to be less busy than the whole processor package actually is. On performance benchmarks that use single-threaded workloads, you may see this artifact in decreased performance results or in a high degree of variance between successive runs of identical benchmark tests.

This hotfix includes changes to the kernel power manager to track CPU use across the processor package. These changes enable visibility into the true activity level of a CPU complex and therefore help correctly calculate an increased target performance state.

Note This solution favors performance gains over power savings. Although benchmark performance scores may improve, battery life could be negatively affected. Accordingly, this kernel policy change may be disabled by a registry key to allow for maximum flexibility.
How to disable the new performance state policy behavior
Warning Serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly by using Registry Editor or by using another method. These problems might require that you reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that these problems can be solved. Modify the registry at your own risk.

After you install the hotfix that is described in this article, you may use registry settings to disable the new performance state policy behavior. To do this, follow these steps:
1. Click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then click OK.
2. Right-click HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager, point to New, and then click Key.
3. Type Throttle for the new key name.
4. Right-click Throttle, point to New, and then click DWORD Value.
5. Type PerfEnablePackageIdle for the value name.
6. Right-click PerfEnablePackageIdle, and then click Modify.
7. In the Value data box, type 0. Make sure that Hexadecimal is selected in the Edit DWORD Value dialog box, and then click OK.

Note You can type 1 in the Value data box to enable the new performance state policy behavior.
8. Quit Registry Editor.
Correct TSC synchronization
On some operating systems, the processor TSC may change the rate at which it counts. Additionally, the processor TSC may stop counting when specific processor power management features are used. On computers that have multiple processors, the TSC is typically the operating system hardware timer that supports calls to the kernel KeQueryPerformanceCounter function. When TSC does not increment monotonically, system components that use the kernel KeQueryPerformanceCounter function may not work correctly. To address this problem, Microsoft makes it possible for the ACPI Power Management Timer to be used as the operating system timer that supports the kernel KeQueryPerformanceCounter function. However, some programs may directly access the TSC by bypassing the Windows timer APIs. The multiple-processor Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) makes sure that the TSC registers on all processors on a multiple-processor computer remain closely synchronized. Therefore, access by system software that may be directed to different processors does not return different results. This change makes sure that the multiple-processor HAL continues to correctly synchronize the TSCs across all processors on a computer, even if the ACPI power management timer is used as the operating system hardware timer.
Correct C-state promotion and demotion
This change corrects issues in the kernel power manager to correctly handle processor ACPI C-state promotion and demotion on multiprocessor systems.

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MORE INFORMATION
For more information about a related topic, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
835730 Sound may play slowly or music may not play continuously in Windows XP or Windows 2000
For more information about the standard terminology that is used to describe Microsoft software updates, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
824684 Description of the standard terminology that is used to describe Microsoft software updates
The third-party products that this article discusses are manufactured by companies that are independent of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding the performance or reliability of these products.

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________________________________________
APPLIES TO
• Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Standard x64 Edition
• Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Enterprise x64 Edition
• Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2, when used with:
Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
Microsoft Windows XP Professional

• Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005

Thanks for those instructions I think it will help alot of our members.