With each new release of Windows there are always changes to the driver model. Sometimes a new API is exposed, other times an entire new framework is introduced. Microsoft does a great job of ensuring that backwards compatibility is maintained whenever possible, but over time changes must inevitably be made to older drivers. We have ported many drivers for customers and helped breath new life into codebases that would otherwise have become obsolete.
Legacy File System Filter to Minifilter Conversions
The filter manager minifilter architecture has been around for over a decade. Throughout this time legacy file system filters have been allowed to co-exist with minifilters, but the window on that policy is closing. Very soon legacy filters will be completely blocked from loading on new versions of Windows. Kernel Drivers can help migrate your existing legacy file system filter to the minifilter model and enable your driver to continue working for years to come.
32-bit to 64-bit Conversions
Many older drivers utilize undocumented and unsupported techniques which are no longer viable on x64 versions of Windows. One such common practice is patching the system service dispatch table to hook API calls. 64-bit versions of Windows have a security component called PatchGuard which will notice these modifications and blue-screen the system. As well, hardware-centric drivers may make use of inline assembler code to optimize certain code paths. On x64 Windows this code needs to be refactored as inline assembler is no longer allowed. Kernel Drivers can help with any of these scenarios ranging from simply updating your build environment to more complex architecture redesigns.
Pre-Vista to Windows 7/8/10 Conversions
In the past 10 years a huge amount of new, powerful functionality has been exposed at the kernel level. Older drivers often miss out on more efficient, robust, and feature-rich techniques that have been introduced in the time since they were originally designed. Kernel Drivers can analyze your codebase and work to upgrade your driver to the latest techniques on newer operating systems, while still maintaining legacy support for the older systems.
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