Tutorial: Write a Hello World Windows Driver (Kernel-Mode Driver Framework)

Article
12/19/2024

This article describes how to write a small Universal Windows driver using Kernel-Mode Driver Framework (KMDF) and then deploy and install your driver on a separate computer.

Prerequisites

Follow the steps to install Windows Driver Kit (WDK). Debugging Tools for Windows is included when you install the WDK.
Install Visual Studio 2022. When you install Visual Studio 2022, select the Desktop development with C++ workload, then under Individual Components add:
- MSVC v143 - VS 2022 C++ ARM64/ARM64EC Spectre-mitigated libs (Latest)
- MSVC v143 - VS 2022 C++ x64/x86 Spectre-mitigated libs (Latest)
- C++ ATL for latest v143 build tools with Spectre Mitigations (ARM64/ARM64EC)
- C++ ATL for latest v143 build tools with Spectre Mitigations (x86 & x64)
- C++ MFC for latest v143 build tools with Spectre Mitigations (ARM64/ARM64EC)
- C++ MFC for latest v143 build tools with Spectre Mitigations (x86 & x64)
- Windows Driver Kit

Create and build a driver

Open Microsoft Visual Studio. On the File menu, choose New > Project.
In the Create a new project dialog box, select C++ in the left dropdown, choose Windows in the middle dropdown, and choose Driver in the right dropdown.
Select Kernel Mode Driver, Empty (KMDF) from the list of project types. Select Next.

Tip

If you can't find driver project templates in Visual Studio, the WDK Visual Studio extension didn't install properly. To resolve this, launch Visual Studio Installer, select Modify, add Windows Driver Kits in the Individual Component tab, and select Modify.
In the Configure your new project dialog box, enter "KmdfHelloWorld" in the Project name field.

Note

When you create a new KMDF or UMDF driver, you must select a driver name that has 32 characters or less. This length limit is defined in wdfglobals.h.
In the Location field, enter the directory where you want to create the new project.
Check Place solution and project in the same directory and select Create.

Visual Studio creates one project and a solution. You can see them in the Solution Explorer window. (If the Solution Explorer window isn't visible, choose Solution Explorer from the View menu.) The solution has a driver project named KmdfHelloWorld.
In the Solution Explorer window, select and hold (or right-select) the KmdfHelloWorld solution and choose Configuration Manager. Choose a configuration and platform for the driver project. For example, choose Debug and x64.
In the Solution Explorer window, again select and hold (or right-select) the KmdfHelloWorld project, choose Add, and then select New Item.
In the Add New Item dialog box, select C++ File. For Name, enter "Driver.c".

Note

The file name extension is .c, not .cpp.

Select Add. The Driver.c file is added under Source Files, as shown here.

Write your first driver code

Now that you've created your empty Hello World project and added the Driver.c source file, you'll write the most basic code necessary for the driver to run by implementing two basic event callback functions.

In Driver.c, start by including these headers:
```
#include <ntddk.h>
#include <wdf.h>
```
Tip

If you can't add Ntddk.h, open Configuration -> C/C++ -> General -> Additional Include Directories and add C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\Include\<build#>\km, replacing <build#> with the appropriate directory in your WDK installation.

Ntddk.h contains core Windows kernel definitions for all drivers, while Wdf.h contains definitions for drivers based on the Windows Driver Framework (WDF).

Next, provide declarations for the two callbacks you'll use:

DRIVER_INITIALIZE DriverEntry;
EVT_WDF_DRIVER_DEVICE_ADD KmdfHelloWorldEvtDeviceAdd;

Use the following code to write your DriverEntry:

NTSTATUS 
DriverEntry(
    _In_ PDRIVER_OBJECT     DriverObject, 
    _In_ PUNICODE_STRING    RegistryPath
)
{
    // NTSTATUS variable to record success or failure
    NTSTATUS status = STATUS_SUCCESS;

    // Allocate the driver configuration object
    WDF_DRIVER_CONFIG config;

    // Print "Hello World" for DriverEntry
    KdPrintEx(( DPFLTR_IHVDRIVER_ID, DPFLTR_INFO_LEVEL, "KmdfHelloWorld: DriverEntry\n" ));

    // Initialize the driver configuration object to register the
    // entry point for the EvtDeviceAdd callback, KmdfHelloWorldEvtDeviceAdd
    WDF_DRIVER_CONFIG_INIT(&config, 
                           KmdfHelloWorldEvtDeviceAdd
                           );

    // Finally, create the driver object
    status = WdfDriverCreate(DriverObject, 
                             RegistryPath, 
                             WDF_NO_OBJECT_ATTRIBUTES, 
                             &config, 
                             WDF_NO_HANDLE
                             );
    return status;
}

DriverEntry is the entry point for all drivers, like Main() is for many user mode applications. The job of DriverEntry is to initialize driver-wide structures and resources. In this example, you printed "Hello World" for DriverEntry, configured the driver object to register your EvtDeviceAdd callback's entry point, then created the driver object and returned.

The driver object acts as the parent object for all other framework objects you might create in your driver, which include device objects, I/O queues, timers, spinlocks, and more. For more information about framework objects, see Introduction to Framework Objects.

Tip

For DriverEntry, we strongly recommend keeping the name as "DriverEntry" to help with code analysis and debugging.

Next, use the following code to write your KmdfHelloWorldEvtDeviceAdd:
```
NTSTATUS 
KmdfHelloWorldEvtDeviceAdd(
    _In_    WDFDRIVER       Driver, 
    _Inout_ PWDFDEVICE_INIT DeviceInit
)
{
    // We're not using the driver object,
    // so we need to mark it as unreferenced
    UNREFERENCED_PARAMETER(Driver);

    NTSTATUS status;

    // Allocate the device object
    WDFDEVICE hDevice;    

    // Print "Hello World"
    KdPrintEx(( DPFLTR_IHVDRIVER_ID, DPFLTR_INFO_LEVEL, "KmdfHelloWorld: KmdfHelloWorldEvtDeviceAdd\n" ));

    // Create the device object
    status = WdfDeviceCreate(&DeviceInit, 
                             WDF_NO_OBJECT_ATTRIBUTES,
                             &hDevice
                             );
    return status;
}
```
EvtDeviceAdd is invoked by the system when it detects that your device has arrived. Its job is to initialize structures and resources for that device. In this example, you simply printed out a "Hello World" message for EvtDeviceAdd, created the device object, and returned. In other drivers you write, you might create I/O queues for your hardware, set up a device context storage space for device-specific information, or perform other tasks needed to prepare your device.

Tip

For the device add callback, notice how you named it with your driver's name as a prefix (KmdfHelloWorldEvtDeviceAdd). Generally, we recommend naming your driver's functions in this way to differentiate them from other drivers' functions. DriverEntry is the only one you should name exactly that.

Your complete Driver.c now looks like this:

#include <ntddk.h>
#include <wdf.h>
DRIVER_INITIALIZE DriverEntry;
EVT_WDF_DRIVER_DEVICE_ADD KmdfHelloWorldEvtDeviceAdd;

NTSTATUS 
DriverEntry(
    _In_ PDRIVER_OBJECT     DriverObject, 
    _In_ PUNICODE_STRING    RegistryPath
)
{
    // NTSTATUS variable to record success or failure
    NTSTATUS status = STATUS_SUCCESS;

    // Allocate the driver configuration object
    WDF_DRIVER_CONFIG config;

    // Print "Hello World" for DriverEntry
    KdPrintEx(( DPFLTR_IHVDRIVER_ID, DPFLTR_INFO_LEVEL, "KmdfHelloWorld: DriverEntry\n" ));

    // Initialize the driver configuration object to register the
    // entry point for the EvtDeviceAdd callback, KmdfHelloWorldEvtDeviceAdd
    WDF_DRIVER_CONFIG_INIT(&config, 
                           KmdfHelloWorldEvtDeviceAdd
                           );

    // Finally, create the driver object
    status = WdfDriverCreate(DriverObject, 
                             RegistryPath, 
                             WDF_NO_OBJECT_ATTRIBUTES, 
                             &config, 
                             WDF_NO_HANDLE
                             );
    return status;
}

NTSTATUS 
KmdfHelloWorldEvtDeviceAdd(
    _In_    WDFDRIVER       Driver, 
    _Inout_ PWDFDEVICE_INIT DeviceInit
)
{
    // We're not using the driver object,
    // so we need to mark it as unreferenced
    UNREFERENCED_PARAMETER(Driver);

    NTSTATUS status;

    // Allocate the device object
    WDFDEVICE hDevice;    

    // Print "Hello World"
    KdPrintEx(( DPFLTR_IHVDRIVER_ID, DPFLTR_INFO_LEVEL, "KmdfHelloWorld: KmdfHelloWorldEvtDeviceAdd\n" ));

    // Create the device object
    status = WdfDeviceCreate(&DeviceInit, 
                             WDF_NO_OBJECT_ATTRIBUTES,
                             &hDevice
                             );
    return status;
}

Save Driver.c.

This example illustrates a fundamental concept of drivers: they're a "collection of callbacks" that, once initialized, sit and wait for the system to call them when it needs something. A system call could be a new device arrival event, an I/O request from a user mode application, a system power shutdown event, a request from another driver, or a surprise removal event when a user unplugs the device unexpectedly. Fortunately, to say "Hello World," you only needed to worry about driver and device creation.

Next, you'll build your driver.

Build the driver

In the Solution Explorer window, select and hold (or right-select) Solution 'KmdfHelloWorld' (1 project) and choose Configuration Manager. Choose a configuration and platform for the driver project. For this exercise, choose Debug and x64.
In the Solution Explorer window, select and hold (or right-select) KmdfHelloWorld and choose Properties. In Wpp Tracing > All Options, set Run Wpp tracing to No. Select Apply and then OK.
To build your driver, choose Build Solution from the Build menu. Visual Studio shows the build progress in the Output window. (If the Output window isn't visible, choose Output from the View menu.) When you've verified that the solution built successfully, you can close Visual Studio.
To see the built driver, in File Explorer, go to your KmdfHelloWorld folder, and then to x64\Debug\KmdfHelloWorld. The folder includes:
- KmdfHelloWorld.sys -- the kernel-mode driver file
- KmdfHelloWorld.inf -- an information file that Windows uses when you install the driver
- KmdfHelloWorld.cat -- a catalog file that the installer uses to verify the driver's test signature

Tip

If you see DriverVer set to a date in the future when building your driver, change your driver project settings so that Inf2Cat sets /uselocaltime. To do so, use Configuration Properties->Inf2Cat->General->Use Local Time. Now both Stampinf and Inf2Cat use local time.

Deploy the driver

Typically when you test and debug a driver, the debugger and the driver run on separate computers. The computer that runs the debugger is called the host computer, and the computer that runs the driver is called the target computer. The target computer is also called the test computer.

So far you've used Visual Studio to build a driver on the host computer. Now you need to configure a target computer.

Follow the instructions in Provision a computer for driver deployment and testing (WDK 10).

Tip

When you follow the steps to provision the target computer automatically using a network cable, take note of the port and key. You'll use them later in the debugging step. In this example, we'll use 50000 as the port and 1.2.3.4 as the key.

In real driver debugging scenarios, we recommend using a KDNET-generated key. For more information about how to use KDNET to generate a random key, see the Debug Drivers - Step by Step Lab (Sysvad Kernel Mode) topic.
On the host computer, open your solution in Visual Studio. You can double-click the solution file, KmdfHelloWorld.sln, in your KmdfHelloWorld folder.
In the Solution Explorer window, select and hold (or right-click) the KmdfHelloWorld project, and choose Properties.
In the KmdfHelloWorld Property Pages window, go to Configuration Properties > Driver Install > Deployment, as shown here.
Check Remove previous driver versions before deployment.
For Target Device Name, select the name of the computer that you configured for testing and debugging. In this exercise, we use a computer named MyTestComputer.
Select Hardware ID Driver Update, and enter the hardware ID for your driver. For this exercise, the hardware ID is Root\KmdfHelloWorld. Select OK.

Note

In this exercise, the hardware ID does not identify a real piece of hardware. It identifies an imaginary device that will be given a place in the device tree as a child of the root node. For real hardware, do not select Hardware ID Driver Update; instead, select Install and Verify. You'll see the hardware ID in your driver's information (INF) file. In the Solution Explorer window, go to KmdfHelloWorld > Driver Files, and double-click KmdfHelloWorld.inf. The hardware ID is located under [Standard.NT$ARCH$].
```
[Standard.NT$ARCH$]
%KmdfHelloWorld.DeviceDesc%=KmdfHelloWorld_Device, Root\KmdfHelloWorld
```
On the Build menu, choose Deploy Solution. Visual Studio automatically copies the files required to install and run the driver to the target computer. Deployment may take a minute or two.

When you deploy a driver, the driver files are copied to the %Systemdrive%\drivertest\drivers folder on the test computer. If something goes wrong during deployment, you can check to see if the files are copied to the test computer. Verify that the .inf, .cat, test cert, and .sys files, and any other necessary files, are present in the %systemdrive%\drivertest\drivers folder.

For more information about deploying drivers, see Deploying a Driver to a Test Computer.

Install the driver

With your Hello World driver deployed to the target computer, now you'll install the driver. When you previously provisioned the target computer with Visual Studio using the automatic option, Visual Studio set up the target computer to run test signed drivers as part of the provisioning process. Now you just need to install the driver using the DevCon tool.

On the host computer, navigate to the Tools folder in your WDK installation and locate the DevCon tool. For example, look in the following folder:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\Tools\x64\devcon.exe

Copy the DevCon tool to your remote computer.
On the target computer, install the driver by navigating to the folder containing the driver files, then running the DevCon tool.
1. Here's the general syntax for the devcon tool that you'll use to install the driver:
  
  devcon install <INF file> <hardware ID>
  
  The INF file required for installing this driver is KmdfHelloWorld.inf. The INF file contains the hardware ID for installing the driver binary, KmdfHelloWorld.sys. Recall that the hardware ID, located in the INF file, is Root\KmdfHelloWorld.
2. Open a Command Prompt window as Administrator. Navigate to your folder containing the built driver .sys file and enter this command:
  
  devcon install kmdfhelloworld.inf root\kmdfhelloworld
  
  If you get an error message about devcon not being recognized, try adding the path to the devcon tool. For example, if you copied it to a folder on the target computer called C:\Tools, then try using the following command:
  
  c:\tools\devcon install kmdfhelloworld.inf root\kmdfhelloworld
  
  A dialog box will appear indicating that the test driver is an unsigned driver. Select Install this driver anyway to proceed.

Debug the driver

Now that you've installed your KmdfHelloWorld driver on the target computer, you'll attach a debugger remotely from the host computer.

On the host computer, open a Command Prompt window as Administrator. Change to the WinDbg.exe directory. We'll use the x64version of WinDbg.exe from the Windows Driver Kit (WDK) that was installed as part of the Windows kit installation. Here's the default path to WinDbg.exe:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\Debuggers\x64
Launch WinDbg to connect to a kernel debug session on the target computer by using the following command. The value for the port and key should be the same as what you used to provision the target computer. We'll use 50000 for the port and 1.2.3.4 for the key, the values we used during the deploy step. The k flag indicates that this is a kernel debug session.

WinDbg -k net:port=50000,key=1.2.3.4
On the Debug menu, choose Break. The debugger on the host computer will break into the target computer. In the Debugger Command window, you can see the kernel debugging command prompt: kd>.
At this point, you can experiment with the debugger by entering commands at the kd> prompt. For example, you could try these commands:
To let the target computer run again, choose Go from the Debug menu or press "g," then press "enter."
To stop the debugging session, choose Detach Debugger from the Debug menu.

Important

Make sure you use the "go" command to let the target computer run again before exiting the debugger, or the target computer will remain unresponsive to your mouse and keyboard input because it is still talking to the debugger.

For a detailed step-by-step walkthrough of the driver debugging process, see Debug Universal Drivers - Step by Step Lab (Echo Kernel-Mode).

For more information about remote debugging, see Remote Debugging Using WinDbg.

Debugging Tools for Windows

Debug Universal Drivers - Step by Step Lab (Echo Kernel-Mode)

Write your first driver

Share via

Tutorial: Write a Hello World Windows Driver (Kernel-Mode Driver Framework)

Prerequisites

Create and build a driver

Write your first driver code

Build the driver

Deploy the driver

Install the driver

Debug the driver

Feedback

Additional resources

Share via

Tutorial: Write a Hello World Windows Driver (Kernel-Mode Driver Framework)

Prerequisites

Create and build a driver

Write your first driver code

Build the driver

Deploy the driver

Install the driver

Debug the driver

Related articles

Feedback

Additional resources