AMD PowerNow! Functionality May Require a Driver for AMD Mobile Athlon 4 and Duron Processors with Windows XP (306458)
The information in this article applies to:
- Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
- Microsoft Windows XP Professional
This article was previously published under Q306458 IMPORTANT: This article contains information about modifying the registry. Before you
modify the registry, make sure to back it up and make sure that you understand how to restore
the registry if a problem occurs. For information about how to back up, restore, and edit the
registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
256986 Description of the Microsoft Windows Registry
SYMPTOMS
Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) offers PowerNow! technology on AMD mobile Athlon 4 and mobile Duron processors. The PowerNow! technology adjusts the processor's performance and power consumption by dynamically adjusting the processor's operating frequency and voltage. Windows XP requires an additional driver (the Amdk7.sys driver) to enable the AMD PowerNow! functionality. Laptop computers that are based on these mobile AMD processors and are shipped with Windows XP installed by the manufacturer are likely to have this driver already installed. If you reinstall Windows XP, you must also install the Amdk7.sys driver to use the PowerNow! technology.
CAUSE
The Amdk7.sys driver is necessary to enable Windows XP support for AMD PowerNow! technology on computers that use a mobile Athlon 4 or mobile Duron processor.
RESOLUTIONTo resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Windows XP. For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the
Microsoft Knowledge Base:
322389 How to Obtain the Latest Windows XP Service Pack
The following file is available for download from the Microsoft Download Center:
Release Date: October 17, 2001
For additional information about how to download Microsoft Support files, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
119591 How to Obtain Microsoft Support Files from Online Services
Microsoft scanned this file for viruses. Microsoft used the most current virus-detection software that was available on the date that the file was posted. The file is stored on security-enhanced servers that help to prevent any unauthorized changes to the file.
The English version of this fix should have the following file attributes or later:
Date Time Version Size File name
--------------------------------------------------
29-Aug-2001 15:57 5.1.2600.10 32,768 Amdk7.sys
29-Aug-2001 16:19 1,562 K7qfe.inf
To Install the DriverWARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may
require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve
problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own
risk.
To install the and configure the driver:
- Click Start, click Control Panel, click Performance and Maintenance, and then click System.
- On the Hardware tab, click Device Manager.
- Double-click the Processors branch to expand it, right-click your processor, and then click Update Driver.
- Click Install from a list or specified location, and then click Next.
- Click Don't search. I will choose the driver to install, and then click Next.
- Click Have Disk, select the folder in which you extracted the Amdk7.sys and K7qfe.inf files, and then click OK.
- The AMD K7 Processor driver is listed. Click Next.
- Click Finish, and then click OK.
- Do not restart the computer.
- Start Registry Editor (Regedit.exe).
- Locate and click the following key in the registry:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CCS\Services\AmdK7\Parameters
- On the Edit menu, point to New, click Dword Value, and then add the following registry value:
Value name: HackFlags
Radix: Hexadecimal
Value data: 1
A value of 1 enables the legacy PowerNow! interface. To disable this feature, set the data value to 0.
- Quit Registry Editor.
- Restart the computer.
STATUSMicrosoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article. This problem was first corrected in Windows XP Service Pack 1.
Modification Type: | Minor | Last Reviewed: | 9/26/2005 |
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Keywords: | kbHotfixServer kbQFE kbenv kbDriver kbbug kbfix kbsetup kbWinXPsp1fix KB306458 |
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