Killer blow for x64 compatability...

I had great hopes that x64 would progress from a niche OS, with Vista x64,
but Microsoft have killed that..

Why?

the "Works with Vista" logo..

There is now much less pressure on hardware manufacturers to produce x64
drivers, to get the "Certified For Vista" logo, they can now just get it
working with 32bit Vista, and slap a "Works With Vista" sticker on the box.

Poor show Microsoft...

When did that change? The VERY vocal supporters of MSFT's driver signing
requirement kept saying that part of theVista logo was x64 drivers...
Though that would not help any of us who bougth products that are not
currently being sold. Audigy 2ZS, older video cards, etc.


"Mark Gillespie" <> wrote in message
news...
>I had great hopes that x64 would progress from a niche OS, with Vista x64,
>but Microsoft have killed that..
>
> Why?
>
> the "Works with Vista" logo..
>
> There is now much less pressure on hardware manufacturers to produce x64
> drivers, to get the "Certified For Vista" logo, they can now just get it
> working with 32bit Vista, and slap a "Works With Vista" sticker on the
> box.
>
> Poor show Microsoft...

Yeah, I was also under the impression that x64 support was required for the
Vista logo program.

- Aaron

"Zapper" <losergroups@microsoft..com> wrote in message
news:edu$...
> When did that change? The VERY vocal supporters of MSFT's driver signing
> requirement kept saying that part of theVista logo was x64 drivers...
> Though that would not help any of us who bougth products that are not
> currently being sold. Audigy 2ZS, older video cards, etc.
>
>
> "Mark Gillespie" <> wrote in message
> news...
>>I had great hopes that x64 would progress from a niche OS, with Vista x64,
>>but Microsoft have killed that..
>>
>> Why?
>>
>> the "Works with Vista" logo..
>>
>> There is now much less pressure on hardware manufacturers to produce x64
>> drivers, to get the "Certified For Vista" logo, they can now just get it
>> working with 32bit Vista, and slap a "Works With Vista" sticker on the
>> box.
>>
>> Poor show Microsoft...
>

It is. I think it is x86 signing that is not required. Perhaps the OP read
things backwards.

"Aaron Kelley" <> wrote in message
news:...
> Yeah, I was also under the impression that x64 support was required for
> the Vista logo program.
>
> - Aaron
>
> "Zapper" <losergroups@microsoft..com> wrote in message
> news:edu$...
>> When did that change? The VERY vocal supporters of MSFT's driver signing
>> requirement kept saying that part of theVista logo was x64 drivers...
>> Though that would not help any of us who bougth products that are not
>> currently being sold. Audigy 2ZS, older video cards, etc.
>>
>>
>> "Mark Gillespie" <> wrote in message
>> news...
>>>I had great hopes that x64 would progress from a niche OS, with Vista
>>>x64, but Microsoft have killed that..
>>>
>>> Why?
>>>
>>> the "Works with Vista" logo..
>>>
>>> There is now much less pressure on hardware manufacturers to produce x64
>>> drivers, to get the "Certified For Vista" logo, they can now just get it
>>> working with 32bit Vista, and slap a "Works With Vista" sticker on the
>>> box.
>>>
>>> Poor show Microsoft...
>>
>
>

I think you're right too, Colin. I found the following on MSDN:

New for Device Installation

Microsoft Windows Vista requires that a system administrator
authorize the installation of an unsigned driver package.
This authorization requires administrator input each time an
unsigned driver is installed, which adversely affects the
productivity of developers and testers. To eliminate this
authorization step, the development process should include
signing driver packages with a code-signing certificate that
is created by using Microsoft Authenticode. In addition,
default kernel-mode code signing policy on x64-based
versions of Windows Vista requires that kernel-mode drivers
have a digital signature in order to load. For information
about how to sign drivers for public release and how to sign
drivers during development and test, see Driver Signing
(Windows Vista).


© 2006 Microsoft Corporation
Built on August 25, 2006

at:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/de...f006dd.xml.asp

Perhaps those that started the rumor could clarify their claims.


Colin Barnhorst wrote:
> It is. I think it is x86 signing that is not required. Perhaps the OPread
> things backwards.
>
> "Aaron Kelley" <> wrote in message
> news:...
>> Yeah, I was also under the impression that x64 support was required for
>> the Vista logo program.
>>
>> - Aaron
>>
>> "Zapper" <losergroups@microsoft..com> wrote in message
>> news:edu$...
>>> When did that change? The VERY vocal supporters of MSFT's driver signing
>>> requirement kept saying that part of theVista logo was x64 drivers...
>>> Though that would not help any of us who bougth products that are not
>>> currently being sold. Audigy 2ZS, older video cards, etc.
>>>
>>>
>>> "Mark Gillespie" <> wrote in message
>>> news...
>>>> I had great hopes that x64 would progress from a niche OS, with Vista
>>>> x64, but Microsoft have killed that..
>>>>
>>>> Why?
>>>>
>>>> the "Works with Vista" logo..
>>>>
>>>> There is now much less pressure on hardware manufacturers to producex64
>>>> drivers, to get the "Certified For Vista" logo, they can now just get it
>>>> working with 32bit Vista, and slap a "Works With Vista" sticker on the
>>>> box.
>>>>
>>>> Poor show Microsoft...
>>
>
>

At:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/de...b70c04.xml.asp


Driver Signatures and PnP Device Installation (Windows Vista)
[This is preliminary documentation and subject to change.]

Plug and Play (PnP) device installation on Windows Vista
uses a digital signature of a driver package catalog file to
verify the identity of the publisher of the driver package
and to determine whether the driver package was altered
after it was published. PnP device installation on Windows
Vista supports the following types of digital signatures for
driver packages:

* Signature types that can be used for drivers that are
released to the general public.
o Signatures generated by a Windows signing
authority for inbox drivers, the Windows Hardware Quality
Lab (WHQL) Logo Program, and Windows Sustained Engineering
updates.
o Signatures that are not generated by a Windows
signing authority, but that do comply with Windows Vista
kernel-mode code signing policy and PnP driver signing
requirements for x64-based versions of Windows Vista. This
type of signature is generated by using a Software Publisher
Certificate (SPC) that is obtained from a third-party CA
that is authorized by Microsoft to issue such certificates.
o Signatures that are not generated by a Windows
signing authority, but that do comply with PnP driver
signing requirements. This type of signature can be used to
sign kernel-mode drivers on 32-bit versions of Windows
Vista. This type of signature is generated by using a
commercial release certificate that is obtained from CA that
is a member of the Microsoft Root Certificate Program.

* Signatures for deploying drivers only within
corporate network environments, which are created by a
digital certificate that is created and managed by an
Enterprise CA. For information about creating an Enterprise
CA, see the "Code Signing Best Practices" white paper on the
Driver Signing Requirements for Windows Web site and the
readme selfsign_readme.htm, which is located in the
bin\selfsign directory of the WDK..
* Signature types that can be used in-house during the
development and test of drivers:
o Signatures generated by the WHQL test signature
program
o Signatures generated by a MakeCert test certificate
o Signatures created by a commercial test
certificate that is obtained from CA that is a member of the
Microsoft Root Certificate Program
o Signatures generated by Enterprise CA test
certificate

Windows Vista includes the following features that are
related to support for signatures that are generated by
third parties:

* Administrators can control which driver publishers
Windows Vista trusts. Windows Vista installs drivers from
trusted publishers without prompting. It never installs
drivers from publishers that the administrator has chosen
not to trust.
* Driver-signing policy is always set to Warn,
eliminating the Block and Ignore options that were available
in earlier versions of Windows. An administrator must always
authorize the installation of unsigned drivers or a driver
from publisher that is not yet trusted.
* All device setup classes are treated equally.
Certclas.inf does not exist in Windows Vista.

* When there are several compatible drivers to choose
from, the ranking algorithm that Windows Vista uses to pick
the best driver includes drivers with third-party
signatures. By default, Microsoft signatures take priority
over third-party signatures, but IT departments can
configure them to be equivalent.

Before installing a driver, Windows analyzes the driver’s
signature. If a signature is present, Windows uses the
signature to verify the driver package files. Based on the
results of this analysis, Windows categorizes the driver
signature, as follows:

* Signed by a Windows signing authority. These drivers
are either in-box, signed for release by WHQL, or signed by
Windows Sustained Engineering.
* Signed by a trusted publisher. These drivers have
been signed by a third party, and user has explicitly chosen
to always trust signed drivers from this publisher.
* Signed by an untrusted publisher. These drivers have
been signed by a third party, and the user has explicitly
chosen to never trust drivers from this publisher.
* Signed by a publisher of unknown trust. These drivers
have been signed by a third party, and the user has not
indicated whether to trust this publisher.
* Altered. These drivers are signed, but Windows has
detected that at least one file in the driver package has
been altered after the package was signed.
* Unsigned. These drivers are either unsigned or have
an invalid signature. Valid signatures must be created with
a certificate that was issued by a trusted CA.

Before Windows installs a driver on a computer the first
time, it preinstalls, or stages, the driver in the driver
store. To preinstall a driver, Windows copies the driver
package to the driver store and adds a copy of the INF file
to the system INF directory. Windows subsequently will
silently install a driver for a matching device by using the
copy of the driver package in the driver store. User
interaction is not required when Windows installs a
preinstalled driver on a device.

Whether Windows will preinstall a driver package depends on
the signature category, user credentials, and user
interaction, as follows:

* Signed by a Windows signing authority or a trusted
publisher. Windows silently preinstalls the driver for
system administrators and standard users (users without
administrator credentials). Windows does not display user
dialog boxes.
* Signed by an untrusted publisher. Windows does not
preinstall the driver package.
* Signed by a publisher of unknown trust. Windows
displays a dialog box to a system administrator that informs
the administrator that the publisher is not yet trusted. The
dialog box provides the administrator the option to install
the driver and the option to always trust the publisher.
Windows does not display a dialog box to a standard user and
does not preinstall the driver for the standard user.
* Altered or unsigned. Windows displays a dialog box
that appropriately warns a system administrator that the
signature could not be verified. The dialog box provides the
administrator the option to install or not to install the
driver. Windows does not display a dialog box to a standard
user and does not preinstall the driver for a standard user.


© 2006 Microsoft Corporation
Built on August 25, 2006
Build machine: CAPEBUILD



Mark Gillespie wrote:
> I had great hopes that x64 would progress from a niche OS, with Vista
> x64, but Microsoft have killed that..
>
> Why?
>
> the "Works with Vista" logo..
>
> There is now much less pressure on hardware manufacturers to produce x64
> drivers, to get the "Certified For Vista" logo, they can now just get it
> working with 32bit Vista, and slap a "Works With Vista" sticker on the box.
>
> Poor show Microsoft...

You can read more about drivers at:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/de...361b9a.xml.asp


Windows Driver Kit: Device Installation
Device Installation Overview

Before reading this section, see Providing a Driver Package
for an introduction to the concepts and requirements you'll
need to know concerning device installation.

Setup works with other system-supplied components and with
vendor-supplied components to install devices. Setup
installs devices when the system restarts and at any time
after a system restart when a user plugs in a Plug and Play
(PnP) device (or manually installs a non-PnP device).

In support of PnP, Setup proceeds with device installation
based on the devices in the system, rather than structuring
installation around the drivers. For example, rather than
loading a set of drivers and having those drivers detect the
devices that they support, Setup determines the devices that
are present in the system and loads and calls the drivers
for each device. Drivers such as the ACPI driver and other
PnP bus drivers help Setup determine which devices are present.

This section includes:

Driver Install Frameworks (DIFx)

Device Installation Components

Device Installation Files

Sample Device Installation Files

Device Installation Types

System Setup Phases

Example PnP Device Installation

How Setup Selects Drivers

How Setup Uses Digital Signatures

Driver Signing (Windows Vista)

Device Installations Requiring a Reboot

Installing Devices on 64-Bit Systems

Registry Keys for Drivers

RunOnce Registry Entries

Creating Directories for Driver Distribution Media


© 2006 Microsoft Corporation
Built on August 25, 2006


Mark Gillespie wrote:
> I had great hopes that x64 would progress from a niche OS, with Vista
> x64, but Microsoft have killed that..
>
> Why?
>
> the "Works with Vista" logo..
>
> There is now much less pressure on hardware manufacturers to produce x64
> drivers, to get the "Certified For Vista" logo, they can now just get it
> working with 32bit Vista, and slap a "Works With Vista" sticker on the box.
>
> Poor show Microsoft...

On Fri, 13 Oct 2006 17:25:24 +0100, Colin Barnhorst <colinbarharst
<@msn.com>> wrote:

> It is. I think it is x86 signing that is not required. Perhaps the OP
> read
> things backwards.
>

No there is still the "Certified For Vista" program which requires
certification and x64 drivers, but there is now a "Works With Vista"
badge, so manufacturers being lazy will simply use that instead of going
to both of getting drivers x64 and certified.