4 CPUS but utilized only one

Hi friends,
I really dont know whether this is the correct forum to ask my question or not.

This is my problem:-
I have 4 CPUs. I m having windows 2003 Enterprise-edition and SQL 2000 Enterprise-edition. While booting only one CPU is utilised, but after booting gets completed and SQL service is started all the 4 CPUs are utilised. This takes 15 minutes to get started. I jst want to know why all the 4 CPUs are not utilised while booting and what should be done to solve the problem?? i mean some changes should be made in SQL parameters or in OS parameters.

I'm curious, how did you measure CPU usage/load sharing when the system is still booting ?

As far i knew, by default windows server will use all available resources when booting, unless specified in the boot.ini to use only one CPU. i.e. with the /ONECPU switch is set. (this causes Windows to use only one CPU on a multiprocessor system...so even the load sharing on 4 cpu's you saw later would not be possible)

To force windows to load with all your available CPU's use the /NUMPROC=<x> switch in the boot.ini where <x> refers to the number of CPU's you have available. Now this worked fine with windows NT, and i think its available with later windows versions as well.
This switch sets the number of processors that Windows NT will run at startup. This is normally used tp test out performance problems and defective CPUs. For your case , /NUMPROC=4

the /ONECPU option is available with window 2003 server, but i doubt its the default option. its not there in my server boot.ini, and I sure did not remove the swich.

anyway .. use the redistry editor and look in the following key

HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\SystemStartO ptions
maybe that will give you a clue.

As i understand it, your sql system is using all the CPU's correct.. so i do not believe the issue is related to that install or configuration.