On (16 May 97) Bo Lorentsen wrote to All...
 BL> Hello fellow programmers ...
 BL> Soon, I have to start a small project where I need to make a small
 BL> Windows NT 4.0 device driver (character streem), and I'll like to know
 BL> if any one here have tryed to make a device driver for the NT 4.0, and
 BL> is it posible to write it in C/C++, and if so, be so kind to share
 BL> some information with me. I normaly use my Watcom compiler and I like
 BL> to continue using it if posible, but on the other hand, if I need
 BL> another compiler then I will appreciate any hint given !
 BL> Books on this subject are quite hard to find, so I also like any hint
 BL> in this regard.
First of all, there's almost no such thing as an NT device driver being
a small project.  I've written a few NT device drivers, and they're
always a pain, and a lot more work than they should be.
The majority of NT device drivers are written in C or C++, and doing so
is no major problem.  All the NT drivers I've written were in C++.
However, I've never attempted to use Watcom for the purpose - nearly the
only documentation on the subject comes directly from Microsoft, so it
assumes that you'll use Microsoft's compiler as well.  Offhand I can't
think of any reason you couldn't use a different compiler, but doing so
may make your life more difficult.
Nearly the only documentation on NT device drivers is in MSDN
Professional (or above.)  All you have to do is install the DDK and
spend the next three months or so reading the online documentation. 
With a little luck your driver will be extremely similar to one of the
samples MS provides so you can simply modify what they send, and make it
do the job for you.
If you decide to use the MS compiler, you _might_ also want to check out
a device driver Wizard somebody wrote a while back.  Basically it will
automatically create the skeleton of a driver for you, which does help
out considerably at getting started at things.
    Later,
    Jerry.
... The Universe is a figment of its own imagination.
--- PPoint 1.90
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