From the Editor The next edition of the Microsoft Hardware Newsletter (MHN) will be published in January 2011. There will be no MHN in December 2010. Enjoy the rest of your year. - The MHN Team
News for Hardware and Driver Developers New Forum for WDK and Driver Development Community support for the Windows Driver Kit (WDK) and driver developers is now available in a new MSDN Forum that replaces the retired MSDN newsgroup for driver development. We encourage you to participate in this new forum by posting questions, answers, and comments. The WDK team at Microsoft is committed to monitoring and supporting this forum to provide timely responses to your questions. Access the forum: http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/wdk
Windows Summit 2010: New Sessions Available The following new sessions for the Device and Software tracks are available to help expand your skill set. Windows Summit 2010 is a virtual event that is intended for technology professionals who design, develop, and test Windows 7 computers, devices, and software. Windows Summit includes specialized content tracks for device, systems, and software professionals. - Devices and Printers Workshop: Authoring Metadata Packages for the Devices and Printers Folder
This workshop shows you how to create a customized device experience for the Devices and Printers folder by using the new Microsoft Devices and Printers Metadata Authoring Wizard. - Easier Web Development Using Internet Explorer 9 Developer Tools
Internet Explorer 9 includes several developer tools to help you build efficient, robust websites and web applications. This session shows you how to use Internet Explorer 9 debugging, performance, and network monitoring tools to optimize your web applications. New Internet Explorer 9 Sessions Learn about advanced graphics techniques and get more creative as you develop Internet Explorer 9 web applications. Discover how to make touch input easier through new demos and resource information. Windows Summit content is always available, any time you choose. Access is free. Simply register and begin. To see a full list of sessions and to learn more, visit: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-summit/default.aspx?ocid=sum10_mhnnews.
Showcase Your Devices on Windows Product Scout The Windows Product Scout website showcases a select group of great software and hardware products that are available for Microsoft Windows and that help extend and enhance the Windows 7 experience for customers. Similar to Windows PC Scout, this website helps customers discover great products from Windows partners, like you. Partner participation: To showcase your devices on the Windows Product Scout website, the devices must meet the following criteria: - Have earned the "Compatible with Windows 7" logo.
- Be available for purchase from a major retail or e-tail outlet in the United States.
- Be a best-in-class example that uses a Windows 7 technology, such as the following examples:
- Custom Device Stage: Digital still camera, printers, webcams, and input devices
- Play To: Televisions, AV receivers, and digital media adaptors
- Windows Connect Now: Routers and printers
- Windows Media Center: TV tuners
- Windows Touch: Monitors
The Windows Product Scout team evaluates products that are nominated, so not all nominations are accepted for the site. If your product meets the preceding criteria, Windows Product Scout can help promote your product to customers. Visit the Windows Product Scout website: http://www.windowsproductscout.com Nominate products or learn more: Send an e-mail message to wpscout@microsoft.com.
Recently Published on WHDC Programmer's Guide to Eventing Windows eventing allows you to expose key information about the state of your program and the system. This paper provides information about Windows eventing for the Windows family of operating systems, including its architecture and terminology. It also contains a step-by-step tutorial that shows you how to author and raise events to the Windows Event Log. Read more: http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/system/sysperf/eventing-guide.mspx
Enabling PCI Express Native Control in Windows The Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) Operating System Capabilities (_OSC) method is used to communicate which of the features or capabilities that are available in the platform can be controlled by the operating system. This method is defined in the ACPI Specification, Revision 4.0. This paper describes the PCI Express features that can be controlled by the PCI Express Native Control feature in Windows Vista, Windows Sever 2008, and later versions of Windows. These features are defined in the PCI Express Base Specification and are controlled by the operating system through the ACPI _OSC method. Read more: http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/connect/pci/pcie-native-control.mspx
Machine.inf Update Submission Procedure This paper provides guidelines about the procedure for device and chipset manufacturers to submit changes to the Machine.inf file for inclusion in a future release of the Windows operating system. This paper covers only the submission of changes to Machine.inf. It does not cover the submission of changes to Agp.inf, Usb.inf, Mshdc.inf, or any other INF file. This revision updates the paper to apply to future releases of the Windows operating system or service packs. Read more: http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/system/sysinternals/machine_inf.mspx
Loading a UASP Storage Driver as a Class Driver on Its Corresponding xHCI Stack This paper provides information about how to load a USB Attached SCSI Protocol (UASP) storage driver as a class driver on its corresponding Extensible Host Controller Interface (xHCI) stack for Windows operating systems. It provides guidelines for hardware manufacturers and software vendors to develop their own USB driver stacks for xHCI controllers. By following these guidelines, you can create UASP storage drivers that automatically load when USB storage devices that support UASP are enumerated by the xHCI USB driver stacks. Read more: http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/connect/usb/loading-uasp-driver.mspx
What's New in Blogs for Hardware and Driver Developers "Setting Up Kernel Debugging with USB 2.0" by Yang You in "Microsoft Windows USB Core Team Blog" Hello, my name is Yang You and I am a program manager for USB Diagnostics. One of the questions we often receive is: How do I use USB for kernel debugging for testing drivers and diagnosing system crashes. There are several ways to debug Windows. You can use a COM/Serial port, a 1394/Firewire cable, or USB 2.0 debugging cable/port. Although, setting up USB debugging can take a bit more investment and time, USB might be the only externally exposed port that is capable of debugging on certain laptops and netbooks. There are some MSDN topics about: Setting Up a USB 2.0 Debug Cable Connection and Attaching to a Target Computer (Kernel Mode). The goal of this article is to provide step-by-step instructions about how to set up kernel debugging to use USB 2.0. Read more: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/usbcoreblog/archive/2010/10/25/setting-up-kernel-debugging-with-usb-2-0.aspx Get Debugging Tools for Windows: http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/DevTools/Debugging/default.mspx
Windows Logo Program News Storage Requirements Updated on LogoPoint The following Storage requirements have been updated on LogoPoint. These changes correspond to testing updates that are provided in Windows Logo Kit (WLK) 1.6. These changes do not go into effect until WLK 1.6 becomes required for the logo program.
Storage-0001: The General Device Requirements section has been updated by adding requirements that impact USB 3.0 storage devices. Storage-0003: The Block Storage (Disk and RAID) Devices section has been updated. Storage-0022: The SAS Host Bus Adaptors section, PATA Controllers section, and SATA Controllers section have been updated. Storage-0024: The Block Storage (Disk and RAID) Devices section has been updated.
Update on Windows Touch Test Changes in Windows Logo Kit 1.6 The Window Logo Program team would like to thank all of the partners who have been giving feedback on the Windows Logo Kit (WLK) 1.6 Windows Touch test. After reviewing all of the feedback, the team has decided not to implement the test at this time. Instead, the version of the test in WLK 1.5 will continue.
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