Softice like menu from Boot Driver

Hello

How can i get user input and display strings from a Boot Driver like
softice does while windows starts ?

All the methods i saw in this list work for System drivers - drivers
that were loaded after the windows keyboard driver and 8042 port
driver were loaded.
When i tried to use ZwCreateFile to access Device\KeyboardClass0, it
again worked only when i loaded the driver as system and not as boot.

how do the guys from numega does that ?

thanks for any help.

This has been discussed here many times, use the archive!


Don Burn (MVP, Windows DDK)
Windows 2k/XP/2k3 Filesystem and Driver Consulting
Remove StopSpam from the email to reply

“Sharon Sahar” wrote in message news:xxxxx@ntdev…
> Hello
>
> How can i get user input and display strings from a Boot Driver like
> softice does while windows starts ?
>
> All the methods i saw in this list work for System drivers - drivers
> that were loaded after the windows keyboard driver and 8042 port
> driver were loaded.
> When i tried to use ZwCreateFile to access Device\KeyboardClass0, it
> again worked only when i loaded the driver as system and not as boot.
>
> how do the guys from numega does that ?
>
> thanks for any help.
>

Hi Sharon,
The keyboard class driver is not loaded yet when boot-start drivers start,
therefore you cannot access Device\KeyboardClass0.
If you want to read input you’ll have to do it from system-start driver or
access the hardware programatically yourself - which is not something you
want to do.
In any case don’t forget that the user might have more than one keyboard and
that they are not necessarily PS2 keyboards (you should support USB
keyboards as well).

As for displaying strings - use ZwDisplayString/HalDisplayString and don’t
forget to use InbvEnableDisplayString to acquire and release the ability to
display strings.

Shahar

-----Original Message-----
From: xxxxx@lists.osr.com
[mailto:xxxxx@lists.osr.com] On Behalf Of Sharon Sahar
Sent: Wednesday, February 09, 2005 12:40 AM
To: Windows System Software Devs Interest List
Subject: [ntdev] Softice like menu from Boot Driver

Hello

How can i get user input and display strings from a Boot Driver like
softice does while windows starts ?

All the methods i saw in this list work for System drivers - drivers that
were loaded after the windows keyboard driver and 8042 port driver were
loaded.
When i tried to use ZwCreateFile to access Device\KeyboardClass0, it again
worked only when i loaded the driver as system and not as boot.

how do the guys from numega does that ?

thanks for any help.


Questions? First check the Kernel Driver FAQ at
http://www.osronline.com/article.cfm?id=256

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