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From the Editor: New Digital Signature Requirements for Windows Vista
For both consumer and enterprise users of Windows around the world, protecting personal and corporate data remains a top concern. Digital signatures help ensure security on computer systems, because they allow administrators or end users who are installing Windows-based software to know whether a legitimate publisher has provided the software package.
To increase the safety and stability of the Microsoft Windows platform, beginning with Windows Vista:
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Users who are not administrators cannot install device drivers that don’t have digital signatures.
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Drivers must be signed for devices that stream protected content.
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Unsigned kernel-mode software will not load and will not run on x64-based systems.
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To optimize the performance of driver verification at boot time, boot-driver binaries must have an embedded Publisher Identity Certificate (PIC) in addition to the signed .cat file for the package.
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The scope of this new policy is far reaching. We have a new paper on the WHDC web site that describes how to manage the signing process for kernel-mode code for Windows Vista, and how to sign a driver package by using tools provided in the Windows Driver Kit (WDK). Download and study:
—Annie Pearson
for the WHDC team
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WHDC After Dark:
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0xdecafbad: Scientific update from the Coffee and Lipoprotein Metabolism (CALM) study. As they say on Energy Fiend: "Decaf is an abomination against nature."
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Fripp? Robert Fripp of King Crimson was here on campus recording sounds for Windows Vista. Watch the recording session on Channel 9.
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System Design for Windows Vista
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ExpressCard is the standard for fully hot-pluggable PC modular expansion for desktop and mobile systems. To implement a PCI Express (PCIe) hot-plug solution for ExpressCard or ExpressModule on a computer system, the vendor must ensure that the appropriate ACPI firmware is provided for managing the hardware and also account for the different capabilities of Windows operating systems. This new paper on WHDC provides recommendations for firmware developers and platform manufacturers who are implementing ExpressCard support on systems that run Windows.
See also: PCI, PCI-X, and PCI Express FAQ _OSC Method and PCI Express in Windows Vista
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Rob Short is the corporate vice president in charge of the kernel architecture team for Windows Vista. In December, Channel 9 recorded a very candid conversation with Rob and other members of the team who are responsible for making Windows Vista reliable, scalable, and secure.
See also: Kernel Enhancements for Windows Vista and Windows Server Longhorn
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WDF – for Driver Developers
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KMDF 1.0 is available on the WHDC Web site, including the complete software package as a download file and new documentation and white papers. KMDF drivers require minimal common code for default operations because most such code resides in the framework, where Microsoft can ensure that it is compatible with each successive release of Windows.
New papers include:
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Developer Previews and Downloads for Windows Vista
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The December CTPs for Windows Vista also included these additional components: Windows SDK, WinFX Run-time Components, and Visual Studio code name "Orcas" CTP WinFX Development Tools. New in this CTP is a preview of the Visual Designer for Windows Presentation Foundation (code name "Cider").
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Network Access Protection (NAP) is a policy enforcement platform built into Windows Vista and Windows Server Longhorn that allows you to better protect network assets from unhealthy computers by enforcing compliance with network health policies. To try NAP functionality, find out how to participate in the beta programs.
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Microsoft Windows PE 2.0 provides powerful preparation and installation tools for Windows Vista. TechNet provides this introduction to Windows PE, its capabilities, and its improvements over earlier preinstallation technologies. A prerelease version of Windows PE 2.0, built for Windows Vista, will be available for download and testing in January 2006 for all corporate customers participating in the Windows Vista prerelease program.
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The XML Paper Specification (XPS) describes the XPS Document format and how it is organized internally and rendered externally. This specification builds on the Open Packaging Conventions.
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More Downloads for Developers
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Driver Install Frameworks (DIFx) provides infrastructure and tools to simplify device and driver installation for both developers and users.
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The new Media Transfer Protocol (MTP) enables users to manage content on any portable device with storage.
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Download the complete Microsoft DirectX SDK, which contains the DirectX Runtime and all DirectX software that is required to create DirectX-compliant applications in C/C++ and C#.
See also: DirectX Developer CenterDirectX Beta Program
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The virtual machine network driver is an intermediate driver that virtualizes a physical network card (or connection).
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Edition for  January 20, 2006 |
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