Dual or Quad Core Processors - Will Windows XP Support Both?
Interesting question. Will Windows XP Pro and Home support multi-core processors such as Dual or Quad core? How about running two processors?
Microsoft has a website just to answer these type of questions located here.
In a nutshell, here are the basics:
Both Windows XP Pro and Home will support both dual core and quad cores processors as long as they are on the same processors. There are no additional licensing fees per core. But when you have a system using two processors, only Windows XP Pro supports this function.
Microsoft states officially:
“Microsoft Windows XP Professional and Microsoft Windows XP Home are not affected by this policy as they are licensed per installation and not per processor. Windows XP Professional can support up to two processors regardless of the number of cores on the processor. Microsoft Windows XP Home supports one processor. “
I hope this clarifies the situation for those who have asked this question.
Almost forgot. Which will perform better, dual processor or dual core? Most benchmarks I have seen confirm that dual core and dual processor perform equally. Which is good news for us consumers, since a dual core system is cheaper. 
Thanks for the info. You told just what I needed to know.
Adolfo
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PS: Please, no Spam