PREƒast Step-by-Step
Updated: April 27, 2007
PREƒast can be extremely valuable as a kernel-mode development tool, because it can find errors that are difficult to test and debug, and it can identify assumptions that may not always be valid. Finding such errors during development is much cheaper than trying to find them by testing, or having to fix them in the field after your customers discover them in a released product. PREƒast can be used as soon as you can compile your source code; the code does not need to be linked or run in order for PREƒast to be able to analyze it. Code can be written in C or C++.
These papers provide an introduction to PREƒast with driver-specific rules, with step-by-step instructions for running PREƒast, guidelines and examples for analyzing PREƒast results, and tips for using PREƒast during the development process.
| • | Starting with the February CTP release, the Windows Driver Kit (WDK) includes an updated version of PREƒast that is better integrated with the build environment, detects a number of new errors, and can be configured to enable or disable driver-specific or kernel-specific warnings. The warning numbers have also changed. Developers using this and later versions of the WDK should download PREƒast Step-by-Step (v8.0).doc. |
| • | The Windows Driver Kit (WDK) includes an updated version of PREƒast with different startup instructions. Developers using the WDK should download PREƒast Step-by-Step (V2.1).doc. |
| • | Developers using the Microsoft Windows Server 2003 SP1 Driver Development Kit (DDK) should download PREƒast Step-by-Step (v1.5).doc. |
This information applies for the following operating systems:
Microsoft Windows Vista (PREƒast Step-by-Step V2.1 and later)
Windows Server 2003
Windows XP
Windows 2000
Included in this white paper:
| • | Why You Should Use PREƒast |
| • | What PREƒast Can Detect |
| • | Using PREƒast |
| • | Analyzing PREƒast Results |
| • | Examples: Interpreting PREƒast Results |
| • | PREƒast Best Practices |
