Make Windows Vista Use Multiple Cores at Boot
Has Vista been booting a little slower than you would like it? Do you have more than 1 core on your CPU? If your answer was yes to the above questions, I have a nice way to help Vista take control of those extra 1-3 cores that aren’t currently in use at the time of booting up.
Click the Windows Icon or the button on your keyboard. Type “Run” into the search bar just above the Windows Icon and hit enter. Next type in “msconfig” as shown in the picture below and hit enter or click “OK”:
Now, click on the “Boot” tab:
From here, click the “Advanced Options” button:
Now you should see a box at the very top of the screen that just popped up that says “Number of processors”. If this box isn’t checked, do so now.
Now, click the drop down box under the box you just checked and select the highest number available; for me it’s 4, but for the average PC its going to only be 2.
Once you’ve done that, click “OK”, then you will be back at the window that originally popped up. Click “Apply” then click “OK” to close. And that’s all there is to it! This can double your Windows boot time, and in some cases even triple how fast it loads upon restart or shut down. Results WILL vary depending on the specifications of your computer such as CPU, RAM, and HDD’s.
INCORRECT – A MYTH.
By default (with the “Number of processors” checkbox unchecked) Windows will use all available procesors during boot.
The purpose of this setting is to limit the number of processors used for testing and diagnostic purposes. NOTE: This limitation will be in effect not just during boot but during normal operation as well.
Larry Miller
Microsoft MCSA