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Getting Started with Software Tracing in Windows Drivers

Updated: October 27, 2006

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Updated: Oct 27, 2006

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Software tracing is an efficient way to examining the behavior of a running driver without the overhead of debug print statements or a checked build. This paper provides a general introduction to software tracing in kernel-mode drivers for the Windows family of operating systems using Event Tracing for Windows (ETW) and the Windows software trace preprocessor (WPP). It also describes advances in software tracing for Windows Vista.

This information applies for the following operating systems:
Windows Vista
Microsoft Windows Server 2003
Microsoft Windows XP
Microsoft Windows 2000

Future versions of this preview information will be provided in the Windows Driver Kit (WDK).

Included in this white paper:

•	Instrumenting a Driver for Software Tracing Using the WPP
•	Running a Software Tracing Session
•	Redirecting Trace Messages to a Kernel Debugger
•	Software Tracing Advances for Windows Vista
•	Summary of Tools for Software Tracing
•	Summary of Tracing Functions and Macros

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