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Alechko
Contributor
Contributor

Need help installing XP guest on ESX 3.5

I'm trying to deploy XP PRO on ESX 3.5 which installed on Dell Proliant dl360 with 2 Core2Duo CPU. When I'm starting the configuration wizard and go to step to provide number of CPU for that machine it shows me only 2 CPU instead 4 that I'm currently have. But when I'm trying to deploy WIN 2003 on the same host it give me an option to chose 4 CPU. What the reason for this?

Thanks in advance!

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Jasemccarty
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I think that only dual CPU's are allowed for XP guests.

Try installing it with Windows 2003 as the guest type. It isn't right, but it will probably allow you to do it.

As a side note, most people find more success using a single vCPU, rather than 2 or 4. The physical CPU's have to have a free instruction call on each one (to the amount of the vCPU's) before that instruction will be processed.

It is almost like a tag-a-long when you are trying to work... You can't do anything until your tag-a-long is ready too. It slows some down.

Keep in mind, there are times and places to use multiple vCPU's. And this might be one of them.

Jase McCarty

http://www.jasemccarty.com

Co-Author of VMware ESX Essentials in the Virtual Data Center

(ISBN:1420070274) from Auerbach

Jase McCarty - @jasemccarty
Alechko
Contributor
Contributor

Thanks Jase for quick answer

I'm appreciate this .

I've tried to chose "Other" operating system but use existing virtual HD. But still got the same result ... - only 2 CPU.

Smiley Sad

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TomHowarth
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Welcome to the forums

to answer your question it is a limitation of the Guest OS, Microsoft XP only supports 2 CPU's.

However that said it is not considered good practice to give a guest more vCPU that it needs, as this will cause scheduling issues on your ESX host, and can acutally drag down preformance of a guest.

If you found this or any other answer useful please consider the use of the Helpful or correct buttons to award points

Tom Howarth

VMware Communities User Moderator

Tom Howarth VCP / VCAP / vExpert
VMware Communities User Moderator
Blog: http://www.planetvm.net
Contributing author on VMware vSphere and Virtual Infrastructure Security: Securing ESX and the Virtual Environment
Contributing author on VCP VMware Certified Professional on VSphere 4 Study Guide: Exam VCP-410
TomHowarth
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I think that only dual CPU's are allowed for XP guests.

That is correct, XP only supports 2 CPU

Try installing it with Windows 2003 as the guest type. It isn't right, but it will probably allow you to do it.

No it wont, it is a limitation of hte XP HAL it can only see 2 physical CPU (or in this case 2 vCPUs)

If you found this or any other answer useful please consider the use of the Helpful or correct buttons to award points

Tom Howarth

VMware Communities User Moderator

Tom Howarth VCP / VCAP / vExpert
VMware Communities User Moderator
Blog: http://www.planetvm.net
Contributing author on VMware vSphere and Virtual Infrastructure Security: Securing ESX and the Virtual Environment
Contributing author on VCP VMware Certified Professional on VSphere 4 Study Guide: Exam VCP-410
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Alechko
Contributor
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I think that only dual CPU's are allowed for XP guests.

You mean that XP support only 2 CPU in Virtual environment ?

We have couple XP that installed on 2 Core 2 DUO CPU machines and you see in a task manager that XP show that he has 4 CPU

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Jasemccarty
Immortal
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Thinking back to XP and multiple CPUs vs multiple core CPUs, I believe that Tom is correct.

XP is smart enough to leverage the additional cores, but is limited to 2 CPU sockets.

Jase McCarty

http://www.jasemccarty.com

Co-Author of VMware ESX Essentials in the Virtual Data Center

(ISBN:1420070274) from Auerbach

Jase McCarty - @jasemccarty
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TomHowarth
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that is expected behaviour, two sockets and two cores, On a dual Quad core you will see eight Processor windows, however in the days of Hyperthreading you also saw four windows.

If you attempted to try to install on a Quad way host you would most likely only see two windows, it may not even install.

If you found this or any other answer useful please consider the use of the Helpful or correct buttons to award points

Tom Howarth

VMware Communities User Moderator

Tom Howarth VCP / VCAP / vExpert
VMware Communities User Moderator
Blog: http://www.planetvm.net
Contributing author on VMware vSphere and Virtual Infrastructure Security: Securing ESX and the Virtual Environment
Contributing author on VCP VMware Certified Professional on VSphere 4 Study Guide: Exam VCP-410
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Texiwill
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Hello,

Moved to VI: Virtual Machine and Guest OS forum.


Best regards,

Edward L. Haletky

VMware Communities User Moderator

====

Author of the book 'VMWare ESX Server in the Enterprise: Planning and Securing Virtualization Servers', Copyright 2008 Pearson Education.

SearchVMware Blog: http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/virtualization-pro/

Blue Gears Blogs - http://www.itworld.com/ and http://www.networkworld.com/community/haletky

As well as the Virtualization Wiki at http://www.astroarch.com/wiki/index.php/Virtualization

--
Edward L. Haletky
vExpert XIV: 2009-2023,
VMTN Community Moderator
vSphere Upgrade Saga: https://www.astroarch.com/blogs
GitHub Repo: https://github.com/Texiwill
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