For those of you upgrading to AMD dual core soonish...

Here's a MIRROR of where to get the "WinXPDUALCoreHotfix.exe"

...along with a .REG file that implements the correct registry keys...

http://gothicintw.pbwiki.com/%EF%BC%88%E8%A7%A3%E7%AD%94%EF%BC%89%E6%95%91%E4%B8...

Also, here's the GUIDE:

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=81429

On a side note (not REALLY related, but useful)

Here's a MIRROR for the ULi INTEGRATED 2.13 drivers that are required to get stable AGP operation on ULi chipset boards...

http://www.majorgeeks.com/ALi_Integrated_Driver_d4463.html

And for those with ULi boards - here's a link to a FAQ on the "ASRock 939 Dual V-SATA 2"...

I know it's just for that board, but some of the info is general to ULi chipset boards:

http://my.ocworkbench.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=40579

Note that this applies to the 'normal' X32 version of WinXP. The X64 version should not require these fixes...

==edit==

!!!WARNING - WARNING - WARNING!!!

It has been noted (and I have also experienced this first hand) that on SOME systems the:

"AMD Dual Core Optimiser"

...can cause random freezing.

To test this out, you should use a stress test program such as Si-Soft Sandra.

1) Select the "burn-in" test.
2) De-select the following...

HDD Test
DVD/CD Test
Network Test

3) Set the test to run 20 times.
If it makes it through 20 times, you're in the clear. If it hangs - then uninstall the AMD Dual Core Optimiser.

Note also that some people have reported issues with ALL of the dual core related fixes, so be sure to read the part of the guide that tells you how to REMOVE these patches.

I'll be doing some systematic tests by intsalling each of these one-by-one (without the dual core optimiser).

I'll let you guys know what I find - so you don't run into the same issues... 8)

Depends, in some cases the Dual Core Optimizer is the only way to remove freezing/bluescreens caused by not having it installed.

The golden rule remains : if it ain't broke, don't fix it, but if it is : do so!

Another hiccup that may happen...

If installing ANY of the "Blindwrite" software, this may cause a system lockup due to the "pcoufin.sys" driver.

If you MUST use this software (like me)...

1) Install it
2) Go to SAFE MODE
3) Copy all the files from the program folder to a temporary folder
4) Uninstall the software
5) Rename the temporary folder to "Blindwrite"
6) Reboot into normal mode
7) Install "Force ASPI 1.17"
8.) Enjoy this burning software without lockups

Sorry!

Should have stated this is for AMD DUAL CORE!