[SOLVED] Windows 10 Update removed one socket from 2 CPU system

May 29, 2020
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I have a 2012 HP Z800 workstation I'm using as a desktop and was having issues with low performance and software stability with the original OS I installed Windows 10 Home. I bought a key for Windows 10 Pro(at Kinguin) which unfortunately wasn't certified for upgrading so I did a new install of Windows 10 Pro over the Windows 10 Home. Microsoft apparently didn't like that and the new OS wasn't activated until I went through their troubleshooter and eventually got Windows 10 Pro activated.

When first installed yesterday Windows 10 Pro recognized both CPU sockets and all 8 cores. Performance was excellent with CPU use low. Windows updated when I turned my system on today with a large update and now I'm back to the same state I was before the update for the CPUs at least. Only one CPU socket is recognized and only 2 cores from that 1 CPU.

2 CPUs are selected in msconfig, is there anything I can do to get Windows 10 Pro which saw both CPU sockets and processors on the motherboard yesterday to see them again. I did a restart and that didn't resolve the issue.

I checked and Windows 10 Pro is still indicated as the installed OS, so it didn't reset back to Windows 10 Home somehow during the update. And Windows 10 Pro is still activated.

thanks.
 
Solution
2 CPUs are selected in msconfig
That is not correct.
Msconfig settings add limitation to hardware configuration in bootloader. Number of processors check-box should be unchecked.

If you set number of processors to 2 in msconfig, this limits number of available cores to 2.
56578d1267124701-processors-limit-number-used-windows-7-a-default_cpu.jpg

56578d1267124701-processors-limit-number-used-windows-7-a-default_cpu.jpg
May 29, 2020
20
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Did you do a full wipe and reinstall of Pro?
Where did the actual install ISO come from?

And I wish you good luck with that Kinguin "license".

No I didn't do a full wipe and install of Pro.

The ISO was downloaded from Microsoft.

The Windows 10 Pro license was recognized by Microsoft and Windows 10 Pro is activated now.

The only issue is that after the 1st major update Windows 10 Pro is now back to seeing only 1 socket and 2 cores on that socket. When yesterday before the update it saw both sockets and all 8 cores. And was using all the system resources based on CPU load.
 
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Solution

USAFRet

Titan
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If I do that will MS still let me use the same license as it's been activated on the system once already.

This is all new to me and the ins and outs are complex to say the least.
Normally, yes. A reinstall on the same system would not incur any licensing issues.
With something from Kinguin...who knows.

 
May 29, 2020
20
0
10
That is not correct.
Msconfig settings add limitation to hardware configuration in bootloader. Number of processors check-box should be unchecked.

If you set number of processors to 2 in msconfig, this limits number of available cores to 2.


56578d1267124701-processors-limit-number-used-windows-7-a-default_cpu.jpg

I went into boot and advanced setting and under "number of CPUs" it only had the option for "1" or "2" in the dropbox. Yesterday it listed 8.