Windows Dual-Core hotfix 896296

[DRS]

Microsoft updated hotfix 896296 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/896256/) in
June 2006 from v3 to v3.1 (possibly to do with AMD AM2 and/or Intel Conroe
support). They seem also to have removed the download and reverted to the
original release policy of making people contact Microsoft support and hand
over their credit card details and their first-born before Microsoft will
deign to consider whether or not they will make it available.

V3 is still available from
http://www.amdzone.com/files/WinXPdualcorehotfix.exe.

[DRS]

"DRS" <d...@removethis.ihug.com.au> wrote in message
news:44a779d9$0$2002$5a62...@per-qv1-newsreader-01.iinet.net.au

OK, I've found out a bit more. It seems a bunch of things happened in June.

AMD released AMD Athlon™ 64 X2 Dual Core Processor Driver for Windows XP and
Windows Server 2003 Version (x86 and x64 exe) 1.3.2. It is available from
http://www.amd.com/us-en/Processors/TechnicalResources/0,,30_182_871_13118,00.html.

They simultaneously released what they call the AMD Dual-Core Optimizer.
Someone has mistakenly put it on the Athlon 64/FX resources page at
http://www.amd.com/us-en/Processors/TechnicalResources/0,,30_182_871_9706,00.html.
The blurb reads:

"The AMD Dual-Core Optimizer can help improve some PC gaming video
performance by compensating for those applications that bypass the Windows
API for timing by directly using the RDTSC (Read Time Stamp Counter)
instruction. Applications that rely on RDTSC do not benefit from the logic
in the operating system to properly account for the affect of power
management mechanisms on the rate at which a processor core's Time Stamp
Counter (TSC) is incremented. The AMD Dual-Core Optimizer helps to correct
the resulting video performance effects or other incorrect timing effects
that these applications may experience on dual-core or multiple processor
systems."

Since one of the things the 896256 hotfix addressed was applications
directly accessing the TSC it may be that hotfix is now redundant with these
two releases. I have yet to test this myself but early indications from
someone who has installed the Dual Core Processor Driver 1.3.2 and the
Dual-Core Optimizer but not the hotfix would indicate this may well be the
case.

I would be keen to hear from anyone who has tested this.