[IMPORTANT — Before you update to VS 2015 Update 1, check out this article] Now that TH2 has been out for a couple of weeks, the Version 1511 update of the Windows Driver Kit 10 has been released. Note that this new WDK requires you to use Visual Studio 2015 Update 1, which was also […]
Some Things Are Best Left to Experts. Really.
I know this is going to sound like I’m “feathering my own nest” but that’s really not my goal here. Instead, I’m trying my best to keep the unwary from getting themselves (and their projects) screwed by rushing in where angels fear to tread. Over on our NTDEV list, we regularly get driver development questions […]
Questions and Answers: Windows 10 Driver Signing
Update (2 June 2016): Traditional cross-signing works for all Windows versions prior to Windows 10 Anniversary Update and Windows Server 2016. Whether you need a SHA1 or SHA2 certificate depends on the version of Windows. All versions of Windows from Windows 7 onward, when properly updated, will accept SHA2 certificates. You do not need to SIGN with an EV certificate, but you’ll need an […]
Windows 10 Preview WDK and HLK Now Available for Download
As promised at WinHEC, Microsoft has made available the first generally available pre-releases of the Windows 10 WDK and Hardware Lab Kit (WLK). The kits are available here: http://dev.windows.com/en-US/featured/hardware/windows-10-hardware-preview-tools Also available (from the same page) are VS 2015 CTP 6 and the pre-release of the Win10 SDK (both of which you’ll need for the Win 10 […]
Updates to Driver Testing — Not Just for Certification
Long ago, Microsoft created the Windows Hardware Quality Labs (WHQL, pronounced “wickle”) program. The goal of this program was to certify that a particular device and its associated driver met a set of WHQL defined requirements. The requirements could include anything from how the driver was developed (e.g. which driver model it used) to whether […]
Another Tiny SBC that Runs Windows
If you follow the goings-on in the world of little single board computers (SBCs), you surely noticed last week’s announcement by Qualcomm of the DragonBoard 410C. This ARM-based board includes a 64-bit capable Snapdragon 410 processor, 1GB LPDDR3, and 4GB of eMMC memory. There’s an onb-ard MicroSD slot. It has Bluetooth LE, GPS, and WiFi […]
Microsoft Signatures to be REQUIRED for Windows 10 Kernel-Mode Drivers
[25 July 2015: For an update on this topic, with many additional details, please refer to this blog post.] Nobody likes having to sign their 64-bit Windows kernel-mode drivers. But after you’ve done it a few times, you get used to it. And after all, you tell yourself, it’s probably worth it in terms of […]
Windows Source Code on GitHub!
[WDF Source Available: https://github.com/Microsoft/Windows-Driver-Frameworks] OK, well, maybe that title was a bit misleading. But, it’s not entirely untrue: portions of the Kernel and User Mode Driver Frameworks are going to be available on GitHub for the benefit of the driver development community. The magnitude of this announcement cannot be understated as it represents a major paradigm shift […]
New MVP Program Announced for Hardware/Driver Devs
Back and the end of January we told you that Microsoft was reviving their interest in community. But I’m not sure anybody saw this particular change coming. During WinHEC Shenzhen 2015, Microsoft introduced a new Most Valuable Professional category, called the Microsoft Windows Hardware Engineering MVP Program. This category recognizes engineers who develop software for electronic, […]
Welcome to Shenzhen
I’ve blogged previously about how interesting it is that WinHEC is returning, and the significance of its first appearance being in Shenzhen, China. Though I was invited to attend WinHEC this year, I opted not to go. I had been to Shenzhen before. And while the seafood is great and the shopping in next door Hong Kong […]
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