14 DAY TRIAL // Windows Driver Kit (WDK) Version 7.1.0 is currently available for download from Microsoft. The collection of resources is designed for software developers and hardware manufacturers to tailor their products to Windows client and server operating systems. Essentially, Windows Driver Kit 7.1.0 streamlines the creation of both drivers and kernel software for Windows. The latest iteration of the WDK comes with support for Windows 7 RTM, but also Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2008, and Windows Server 2003.
The set of resources which has been packaged under the Windows Driver Kit label offers devs not only code samples, but also documentation, compilers, headers, libraries, build tools, build environments, etc. Developers already familiar with the WDK should check the list at the bottom of this article for an insight into the changes introduced by the latest version.
On the WDK page on the Microsoft Download Center, the software giant underlines the fact that WDK 7.1.0 doesn’t contain any actual drivers. The kit, however, does enable developers to build their own Windows 7 drivers, but only in the context in which they are already familiar with the world of C programming. Windows Driver Kit Version 7.1.0 is available for download as GRMWDK_EN_7600_1.ISO, an ISO image (619.8 MB) which needs to be burned on a DVD.
Doron Holan, an architect in the Device and Storage Technologies team, enumerated the changes in version 7.1.0 of the WDK:
“- Windows XP x64 is now supported as an installation platform;
- Debugger Changes: the Debugging Tools for Windows have been updated in this release of the WDK. The following changes were made: debugger Version changed to 6.12.2.633. See the release notes in the debugger package for more information. Updated ndiskd.dll;
- Miscellaneous bugfixes in UMDF and KMDF debugger extensions: KMDF (ability to print more than 50 requests on a queue; !wdfdevice correctly displays FileObjectClass Name; display if a request is cancelled if it is on the driver notified list) and UMDF (correctly display a umirps cancel callback; dump a devices Cleanup and Close callbacks; display the file object associated with a request);
- Redistributable Change: Update to offreg.dll;
- Build Environment Changes: updated MSVCRT.lib to fix driver crashes in Vista; updated ws2_32.lib; added ntddump.h; added NPIV.mof; added headers for Vista 7ip; fixed annotations on I/O routines; added wudftrace.ctl containing all umdf trace guids;
- Sample Changes and Issues - NDIS: Xframeii: bugs fixed; added NetVmini sample; sensor skeleton sample: memory leak issues fixed; KMDF Toaster sample: bug fixed; WDM Event sample: bug fixed; Port I/O sample driver: There is a syntax issue in the file …\src\general\portio\sys\genport.inx that prevents the driver from being successfully installed on pre-Windows 7 systems. The workaround is to replace all occurrences of “PORTIO_Device” with “PortIO_Inst”;
- Update to Sensor Adapter Test Suite.”
Windows Driver Kit (WDK) Version 7.1.0 is available for download here.