Version Numbers for Audio Drivers
Windows operating systems support three types of audio driver models: the VxD, WDM, and NT4 (Microsoft Windows NT 4.0) driver models. The version number that you assign to your audio adapter driver depends on the driver model that you use, the Windows release that you target, and perhaps the Microsoft DirectX release as well. The following four tables list driver version numbers by driver model.
Driver Model: VxD Drivers for Windows 95
| DirectX Release | Driver Version Numbers |
|---|---|
Windows 95 without DirectX support |
4.00.00.0096 to 4.02.00.0094 |
DX1 |
4.02.00.0096 to 4.02.00.9999 |
DX2 |
4.03.00.1097 to 4.03.00.9999 |
DX3 |
4.04.00.1097 to 4.04.00.9999 |
DX5 |
4.05.00.1000 to 4.05.00.9999 |
DX6 |
4.06.00.1000 to 4.06.00.9999 |
Driver Model: VxD Drivers for Windows 98
| DirectX Release | Driver Version Numbers |
|---|---|
DX5 |
4.05.01.2500 to 4.05.99.9999 |
DX6 |
4.06.00.1000 to 4.06.00.9999 |
Driver Model: WDM Drivers for Windows Me/98, and Windows 2000 and Later
| Windows Release | Driver Version Numbers |
|---|---|
Windows 98 |
4.10.00.2500 to 4.10.00.9999 |
Windows 2000 |
5.00.00.3500 to 5.00.00.9999 |
Windows Me |
4.90.00.3500 to 4.90.00.9999 |
Windows XP |
5.10.00.3500 to 5.10.00.9999 |
Windows Vista |
6.00.00.3500 to 6.00.00.9999 |
Windows 7 |
7.00.00.3500 to 7.00.00.9999 |
Windows 8 |
8.00.00.3500 to 8.00.00.9999 |
Driver Model: NT4 Drivers (Windows NT 4.0 Only)
| Windows Release | Driver Version Numbers |
|---|---|
Windows NT 4.0 |
4.00.00.1400 to 4.00.00.9999 |
For device drivers that do not support DirectX, the version number should be greater than or equal to 4.00.00.0096 and less than or equal to 4.02.00.0094. Device drivers that support DirectX version 1.0 should have a version number in the range 4.02.00.0096 to 4.02.00.9999. Device drivers that support later versions of DirectX should have version numbers in the range appropriate for the distributed version of DirectX, as shown in the preceding tables.
All WDM drivers should have version numbers that are greater than or equal to 4.10.00.2500, which is the low end of the Windows 98 version-number range.
Note that WDM drivers that are written for earlier versions of Windows run correctly on later versions as well. For example, a WDM driver that is written to run in Windows 2000 also runs in Microsoft Windows XP and later.
DirectX Version 1.0 drivers work in systems with DirectX 2.0 installed. However, DirectX 2.0 drivers do not work correctly unless DirectX 2.0 is installed. The same is true for DirectX 3.0 and later releases.
A cross-platform driver should set its version number to the highest version number for the platforms on which the driver runs. For example, a vendor should use a driver-version number of 5.00.00.Xxxx for a driver that supports Windows 2000, Windows 98, Windows 98 SE, and Windows Me.
This section includes: