How strange....I fire up Windows just now, and out of the blue I get a message from Microsoft Security Essentials that my copy of Windows is not validated and that unless I take action, Security Essentials will be invalidated in 30 days. To fix this, I had to visit the MS website and download a validation tool. Yet this is a boxed copy of Windows 7 that I bought a couple of years ago and I've never had any "validation" problems with it. I wonder what could have happened to make this warning pop up? The only vaguely freaky thing I've done in the past 24 hours is to go into the boot options in msconfig and set the boot process to work with all 6 of my cores (apparently this is supposed to speed up boot time, although so far I can't say I've noticed a difference). I wonder if just doing something as simple as that has triggered something untoward. 

What you did is inform Windows 7 that you have more than one CPU, whereas you do not. 4,  6, 8 cores is still only one CPU. Change it back to having only one CPU in msconfig.exe
 
I just looked at it, you do not put the number of cores in there, you put the number of CPU in there, and still my computer and yours is only one CPU. So yes, you would get that, so go back to the boot that you had before you decided that cores meant CPU's when it does not.
 
There is no place to put in cores there, only the number of CPU's, which is one, and only one CPU.

 
 (By doing that, yes Windows 7 thinks you have another computer you used the same Windows 7 version and authorization and that you are cheating them out of money.)
(yes, a computer is stupid, even the programs in them sometimes, it is not a kid, it does not think, it is just a stupid computer).
 

Well I guess I was persuaded into thinking that the "number of processors" was referring to cores, given that it gave me the option of specifying up to 6, which is how many cores I have. In fact a quick Google would confirm that by "processors" they mean cores. 
 
However it also seems that it's a myth that changing this setting will increase boot time. The option is there to limit how many processors are used during the boot for troubleshooting purposes. Without the box checked, Windows will use as many cores as it needs. Apparently. 

And it may be the same sub-routine they use on a computer that is a server that does have more than 1 CPU or a 2 CPU computer since those are made.
That means that it seems to the OS that you are on another computer.
 
If you can not get it working again like it did, you may even have to call up Microsoft and state that it is the same computer the OS has been on for a couple of years, and you just tried that out, in which case they probably have a phone number to call in the authorization routine and then they will probably give you a code (for free) to put back in your computer.
 
Cores are not CPU's. Cores are in the same CPU, but if you have more then one CPU you may have a different computer even maybe a Server computer. Not the same to the OS that has perhaps the same sub-routines for such computers also in the OS called Windows 7.
 
Sometimes you also have to check the validity of such information on the Internet also. (and I suppose the best place to check all of that again would be the Microsoft website and what they say it is.)
 
And you can get to System Configuration or the same thing via Control Panel -> Adminstrative Tools (whatever) -> System Configuration.
 
 
 

Microsoft certainly seem to think cores are CPU's. For instance, in the performance tab in the task manager, check the View Menu->CPU history setting. It gives you two options: "One graph, all CPU's" or "one graph per CPU." If you have "one graph per CPU" selected, then the CPU Usage History will show as many graphs as you have cores. 

Yes, and I have 4, which means processing cores in one CPU. At any rate, if you need a validation code from Microsoft it will probably be no big deal, it has been done before, but I did it like 10 years ago probably with Windows 2000 or something there, forget which OS, which is why they probably took out putting in a different harddrive or a second harddrive and graphics card and such, because - they were called (and gave another validation code for free to re-validate the computer with.)
 
And since no code to do it over the Internet, they had to be called with the phone number given for that also.
 
 I know what you are saying but it did not say processing cores, just processors. There is that difference, 1 CPU is a processor, 4 processing cores are processing cores in 1 CPU.
 
 

I guess it doesn't matter because I ran the validation tool and all seems to be well. But from the example I gave above it does seem that Microsoft thinks of a core as a CPU, and I can't find anything online which says that the # of boot processors setting refers to individual chips instead of cores. In fact everything I've read implies that it's referring to cores. And sorry to nitpick, but why would it give me the option of setting 1-6 processors if it means actual chips, when surely Windows would be able to detect that I only have one chip? Unless 6 CPU's is the maximum allowed on a multiprocessor system? I can't imagine that it is. I guess this could be settled by someone with 4 cores checking to see if it gives them the option of booting with 1-4 processors. 
 

All of sudden my life said it wasn't validated either...
 
I blame Microsoft.

You think you're having fun now, sharke, wait till you actually do change your hardware profile by upgrading the motherboard. Then you get to plead with a dozen different companies to let you keep using your plugins!

bitflipper
You think you're having fun now, sharke, wait till you actually do change your hardware profile by upgrading the motherboard. Then you get to plead with a dozen different companies to let you keep using your plugins!

I've heard of similar things happening to people and it's outrageous! Luckily I've never had to make such a major upgrade to a system before it became time to get a new one altogether. I'm the kind of klutz who has trouble installing a new hard drive let alone a motherboard.