NT5.x Driver model

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Phalanx
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Joined: Sun Dec 19, 2004 12:42 am
Location: Australia

NT5.x Driver model

Post by Phalanx »

Currently what support is there in ReactOS for NT5.x drivers and how much work would it take to fully support them compared to NT4 drivers. I know pnp is an added requirement, but some work is already present there. Many device only have NT5.x drivers now, and this would limit there use. I also know this would cause problems with older equipment which uses NT4 drivers, but then you would have MS NT4 to use it (I know patchs for it are not common, but it is not really that big market compared to NT5.x). Also if your trying to a device with NT4 only drivers with devices with only NT5 drivers, you are stuck anyway. Another question is if it is possible to make a layer that allows NT4 drivers to load in an NT5.x driver model (by filling in the gaps by the kernel etc...).

Also how different are NT6 drivers meant to be compared to that of NT5.x/NT4. Is it going to cause large amounts of work in the future, or is it only a few structural changes?
Floyd
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NT4 vs NT5/6 drivers

Post by Floyd »

well, i have successfully used XP drivers on many devices in 2000. Both 2000 and XP use WDM (Windows Driver Model) drivers for devices. Whereas NT4 used normal device drivers. Not being a driver programmer, however, I can't tell you the difference. Tho NT5/2000 and XP can still use NT4 drivers (tho not always reliably) and I have successfully done so with video cards.
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mf
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Post by mf »

I have even successfully installed an NT 3.51 MIDI engine (legacy driver) onto Windows XP.
A-v-S
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Post by A-v-S »

Windows NT 5.x (2000/xp/2003) can use most drivers from older NT versions.
I once used NT4 drivers for a sound card, it works, but there is no DirectX support, cause it was not supported for NT4.
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