Use the windows driver in my own OS

[easyworm]

I have ported ucos to protected mode and made it run
in the bochs. Because I can not use the BIOS, so I wrote
the VGA driver, but this work is boring, so I want to use
windows driver in my own os, I think if I simulate some
system call(int 20??), I can make it. Would you give me some advice, thank you so much!

[Tim]

The system calls in question are not int 20h etc. but the Windows kernel API. Download the Windows DDK from http://www.microsoft.com/ (can't remember the exact URL but a search there should find it) and read the documentation.

However, supporting Windows drivers will be a lot more difficult than writing your own.

[Pype.Clicker]

i've been trying to download these drivers devkit, but all i can get is some IIS 404 page ... maybe Microsoft would like me to download them using Windows/IE5 rather than Linux/Mozilla :p

btw, before using such stuff, read *carefully* the EULA so that you don't spend years implementing software that will be illegal because you used the knowlegde micro$oft "gave" you in order to develop a concurrent product ...

[Tim]

I think Microsoft would prefer you to order the DDK on CD instead of downloading it -- they will withdraw the download option soon, if they haven't already done so.

[Pype.Clicker]

hmm ... and pay $25 to get it, i guess ... and having no rights of using it but for developping a driver for m$ that i won't even be allowed to port to another OS ?? no, thanks ... i prefer focus on Linux drivers if this is how those guys think computing should work >:-(

[Tim]

As far as I know, there's nothing to stop you porting Windows driver source code to other operating systems. There was a rumour of a clause in the Visual C++ EULA that stopped you using it to write code for non-Microsoft operating systems, but I don't think that's anything more than a rumour.

In any case, having seen both Microsoft and Linux driver source, I'd much rather work with Windows drivers than Linux.

[easyworm]

Thank you again!
I have disassmblied some video driver, I found that
they have just a little system calls. I think I can do it.
I have wrote a dosloader which can load my os(ported from ucos) in pure dos. My os is compiled in VC6++, so
it is a pe file. The os is running in ring 0 mode and the page mode is enable.

[easyworm]

I have written a vxd driver which has 7 system calls
:
VPICD_Physically_Mask
VPICD_Phys_EOI
VPICD_Physically_Unmask
_PageAllocate for PhysAddr
VPICD_Force_Default_Behavior
_PageFree
VPICD_Virtualize_IRQ
these system api is easy to be simulate!!!

[Tim]

Nice! Let us know how you get on with this...