how to start making windows drivers?

[san_crazy]

I am about to develop drivers for windows as i have to make a project on that.

I have gone through the resources available at msdn library, but I am still not getting how can I do practice on making those.
what software I should install , is that WDK or anything else?
and after installing where should i start from?

regards
san

[patio]

You are going to start writing device drivers for Windows ? ?
What devices ?
How much time do you have ? ?
What programming languages are you fluent in ?
Will you be paid for this work ? ?

[BC_Programmer]

Windows DDK.

[san_crazy]

You are going to start writing device drivers for Windows ? ?
What devices ?
How much time do you have ? ?
What programming languages are you fluent in ?
Will you be paid for this work ? ?

yes, for windows

any device like keyboard, mouse, adapters, video cards, sound cards, usb  ports, HDD ....etc. by the way, which device will be best to start from?

I have enough time around 6 months.

I want to make these in C and also C++ if required.

no I will not be paid. I am making these as my major project

[Aegis]

Your major project?  As in thesis work?  Have you discussed this with your thesis adviser?   

I'd start by trying to find some open-source drivers, so you can see the kind of coding that goes into something like this.

Be very careful not to "reverse engineer" your drivers from existing driver software.  It is not well liked, and could lead to legal problems for you.

I would think that in order to write drivers for Windows, you'd need to be familiar with at least some aspects of the Windows kernel.

Have you been in touch with, or spoken to, anyone who writes driver software?

It seems like you know a couple of languages.  How many lines is the largest program you've written, so far?

[san_crazy]

well, I had written around 1000 lines of code to complete a project in C using structures and pointers.

[BC_Programmer]

well, I had written around 1000 lines of code to complete a project in C using structures and pointers.

1000 lines is about the number of lines it takes to make a Windows Program that does nothing but show a window...

alright- any experience with the Windows API? or IRPs or PTEs? Or IRQLs? Ring 0 and Ring 2? VTables? User Mode Vs Kernel Mode?


Also, you won't be able to debug it- Drivers will Blue Screen if they cause an error.

[Aegis]

Don't get me wrong, san -- I admire that you want to do this!  I, too, would like to write open-source drivers, and hardly know where to start, because I haven't programmed anything for about 25 years.

It seems like BC Programmer knows more specifics about the Windows environment than me -- I just have general knowledge.

I just don't want you to get two or three months into this thing, and find out you're in way too deep, with no real resources to help you out.

[san_crazy]

alright- any experience with the Windows API? or IRPs or PTEs? Or IRQLs? Ring 0 and Ring 2? VTables? User Mode Vs Kernel Mode?


Also, you won't be able to debug it- Drivers will Blue Screen if they cause an error.

i dont know either of this, well you better tell me what are the things in C i should give the emphasis on most to start off my work.  and after then what else I should go for?

[BC_Programmer]

The DDK. I've already said this. You'll need to download the DDK- and, if you don't have it, the SDK.

You'll need to essentially learn the Windows API and the Driver Development Kit, both of which could take a VERY long time.

There are a few technical articles on MSDN that discuss drivers, but they are fairly limited- most of the knowledge about developing drivers likely lies with the hardware vendors that have been doing it for years.

Developing drivers for windows is probably one of the most difficult things you can do- you need an intimate understanding of the windows kernel and how drivers in Ring 0 communicate with User mode application and vice versa.


which C compiler are you using?

[san_crazy]

turbo c (tcc)

would you suggest such forums where most of the vendors come online?

[BC_Programmer]

turbo c- NOT happening. You can't compile win32 programs with Turbo C, AFAIK.

[san_crazy]

then which compiler I should use?

well, by now   I have downloaded set up files of microsoft DDK SP1 and microsoft virtual PC to work upon but there is a problem installing DDK SP1.
at the microsoft site where I downloaded the ISO file from, instruction is there to burn the ISO file to a CD or DVD and then install it. I am doing as i have been instructed but after burning the ISO file on CD when I try to install it, it is not getting run however I have been rather asked for the application on which it would be run.
do you have some idea about this issue?

and what about the help forums?

[BC_Programmer]

Compiler to use would likely be the Microsoft compiler- for C/C++, it's really the only compiler that can generate code that will work for a driver...


is the installer an MSI file?

[san_crazy]

its not an MSI file.  its just an ISO file
here it is

http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/devtools/ddk/default.mspx

[BC_Programmer]

you need to burn the ISO file using a CD mastering program. I recommend IMGBurn- a google search should give you a download link for it.

[san_crazy]

ok, I will try it. I had burned it using nero express though.

well, would you please give the the exact link of microsoft C/++ compiler? 
I have searched it and got confused between few ones that which of them I should download?

[BC_Programmer]

Just pick the one that will work with your computer. Myself, I prefer the compiler from Visual Studio 6.

Bear in mind it is a compiler, as opposed to an IDE- you'll need to edit your source with another editor, and then use the command line to compile.

[san_crazy]

ok, I gonna download that

by the way, I have been working with compilers and editors(not with visual C/C++ though) far a little long time and hence familiar with these.

please dont be tired out of me as I keep asking you again and again.
well, after downloading this compiler where I should start from?

please let me know about some important sites of hardware manufacturers and driver makers.

thanks in advance

[Aegis]

You'll have to try Epson, HP, and Lexmark for printers; Nvidia and Radeon / ATI for video; and Creative Labs for sound.  I'm pretty sure all the manufacturers have forums.  How much the developers interact, I don't know.

[san_crazy]

what will the most simple hardware device that I should make the driver for and its manufacturer?

keyboard?...mouse?....USB ports?,....HDD?......RAM.......?  or any thing else?

[BC_Programmer]

after downloading the compiler- I really don't know- I've never written drivers myself- all I know about them is information I read in my MSDN library collection. You might need to refer to the Device Driver Kit documentation- it might not get you started, but it will give you valuable information.


most simple- couldn't say, really.


It's possible to make a device driver that emulates a device- once you research the Driver Kit documentation and learn about the whole framework MS has setup- it might make more sense.

[san_crazy]

oh...there is whole package of visual studio which pobably is not what I want, it is too long to download and moreover, I dont need the whole
I just want compiler.   I not sure though I am saying rite here.

would you mind to give the exact link for compiler only?

[ALAN_BR]

Hi

I worked with DOS before there was Windows, and saw some stupid mistakes in "tutorials" upon the writing of drivers.

I think Windows has probably made things worse and there are more pitfalls now.

I STRONGLY recommend that you do NOT choose the simplest hardware device.
Instead choose a device that is not essential, and preferably has the least interactions with the rest of Windows.
A keyboard is essential and should not be experimented with, unless you have an alternative way of booting into BIOS.
If you are not using serial ports, perhaps you could create a driver to use a serial port, e.g. reading a file from disc, and sending the data via your driver to an old fashioned printer.

I am only suggesting possibilities to consider, and warning you need to take care you do not irretrievably damage Windows.
There are people with more experience that may give much better guidance.

I respect your ambitions, and wish you well.

Regards
Alan

[san_crazy]

I STRONGLY recommend that you do NOT choose the simplest hardware device.
Instead choose a device that is not essential, and preferably has the least interactions with the rest of Windows.

well, to get such an isolation from windows I have installed Microsoft virtual PC  where I could be able to work on a separate environment.

If you are not using serial ports, perhaps you could create a driver to use a serial port, e.g. reading a file from disc, and sending the data via your driver to an old fashioned printer.

if  I am not wrong, I think there hardly be such ports (possibly serial port for mouse, i am not sure though) being used.
well , tell me which are serial ports and which are parlell ports used in CPU?....I know few of them but i think you better tell me.

I am only suggesting possibilities to consider, and warning you need to take care you do not irretrievably damage Windows.
There are people with more experience that may give much better guidance.

your suggestions are welcomed!

I respect your ambitions, and wish you well.

thanks!!

[ALAN_BR]

Hi

My laptop has no serial port, and as a result :-
I do not see a 9 pin connector at the back;
Device Manager knows nothing of COM serial ports,
but it tells me my Parallel Port LPT1 is working O.K., and I can see its 25 pin connector.

I suggest you look for a 9 pin connector,
and look at the Device manager on your P.C.

I suggest a Google for "serial port interface XP".
That gave me 324000 hits, some of which suggest you can still get a serial interface for use with Windows XP.
Many of these hits are for virtual emulators in software to simulate hardware, but some appear to indicate the availability of physical interfaces that can be plugged in, and of drivers that may be installed under Windows XP,
which should give a nice starter.
Alternatively, if you are working on a virtual P.C., then a virtual software emulator might be relevant.
 
One of the Google hits which shows the layout of a 9 pin connector is
http://interface.centraltreasure.com/free_comport_software.html

I strongly recommend that if you add a physical COM port interface, you should not start developing and debugging your driver until you have first proven that the hardware is not broken.
If you have or can download a "professional" driver interface you can test whether the serial port actually works - if something is broken and the "professional" driver cannot succeed, then simply creating and debugging your driver on a "broken" system is a waste of time.

Regards
Alan

[san_crazy]

Alternatively, if you are working on a virtual P.C., then a virtual software emulator might be relevant.
 

ok, tell me one thing

whenever we plug-in/out the devices like USB to USB port then there is a detection like
   a new hardware found

when a CD ROM is inserted on CD drive then it is detected and its file are also being shown up automatically.

when an EitherNet network cable is plugged-in on its relevant port there is a detection like
 a network cable is plugged/unplugged.

I just wanna ask, whether all these detections are carried out by drivers for corresponding devices or there is any thing else?

[ALAN_BR]

I do not know if similar hardware detection applies to a serial port.

Other experts here will probably know.

Alternatively, if you have a serial port, you could plug a serial device (e.g. mouse or keyboard) and see if it is announced.

ALTERNATIVE SUGGESTION

Do you really have to work on copyrighted proprietary Windows, with all the Giga Buck protection that M.$ and its army of lawyers could bring down on the heads of yourself and your college supervisors at the slightest hint that you might reverse engineer their intellectual property ?

Could you instead develop drivers for Open source operating systems such as Linux, where you will find many people that are enthusiasts who are willing to help others with creating device drivers.

NB This is the M.$. Windows forum.  Alternatives on Computer Hope site are "Drivers" and "BSD, Linux, and Unix"

Regards
Alan

[Aegis]

Have a look at this VIDEO.  They concentrate more on Vista, especially toward the end of the video, but I think it's a good overview of what's going on when a device is plugged into the computer.