Windows Nt/2000 Native API Reference

by Gary Nebbett

Windows NT/2000 Native API Reference is absolutely unique. Currently, documentation on WIndows NT's native APIs can only be found through access to the source code or occasionally Web sites where... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1578701996
• ISBN13: 9781578701995
• Release Date: February 2000
• Publisher: Sams Publishing
• Length: 528 Pages
• Weight: 1.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Badly Needed Reference to the Dimly Illuminated World of NT

This book is the first and only reference of its type. It delves deep into the harsh and uncompromizing world of NT internals. No other book documents these APIs as clearly or acurately (Not even Microsoft's own documentation such as it is). This is suprizingly refreshing especially given that much of this information ISN'T DOCUMENTED AT ALL _ANYWHERE ELSE_!!! Thus even a mediocre reference would have been a welcome reprieve. However, there is nothing mediocre about this rendition. It is important to note what this book is not. It is not a beginners reference to win32. It will not teach you the how and why of windows programming, and it is not a good starting point for learning about NT internals (However, it is essential once you have understood the basic material and want to do more).For developers wanting to learn about basic windows programming I recommend "Win32 System Programming" by Johnson M. Hart (ISBN 0-201-70310-6). For those interested in the how and why of 2000 internals I suggest chapter eleven of "Modern Operating Systems" by Andrew S. Tanenbaum, 2nd ed. (ISBN 0-13-031358-0). Chapter 11, pp. 763-851, is a case study explaining how the concepts of OS theory as described in the rest of the chapters apply to Windows 2000.

Native API background

Things to note:0. Read the reviews after mine. People are right about what they say.1. Native API is (or now was) officially unpublished. Microsoft does not want you to know about this API. In fact, the publisher almost did not publish the book for fear of legal issues.2. Usually, you need to talk to Microsoft to learn of Native API calls. This book is easier than dealing with Microsoft.3. Native API evolves. Only Microsoft (and those who've obtained the proper source licenses) know of the new API functions that were added after this book went to print.4. Native API will help you do a lot of black-magic kernel-mode things, without having to hack/patch the OS. (think memory pools, devices, etc.)5. This book will not teach you how to do program kernel mode modules. Yet, cnsider this book to be an ESSENTIAL supplement for kernel mode things.

The missing DDK chapter

This is the missing chapter of the Windows 2000 device driver kit! Why doesn't Microsoft publish such a book? It documents ALL native API functions and relevant structures very accurately. The author must have spent several months of disassembly and reverse engineering. The book is a must-have reference for anyone writing NT/Win2K system-level software, like debuggers, spying/monitoring utilities, system info tools, drivers, and the like.However, keep in mind that it's a REFERENCE in its purest sense. Although there is some interspersed sample code, it's NOT a tutorial. You need to know already what you're doing before you will benefit from this book.

A must-read for anyone writing for NT

Disclaimer: I wrote one of the inside cover blurbs. Don't expect me to slam the book.The Native API Reference not only shows you the neat and very useful things that NT can do but does not expose through its Win32 personality; it also tells you which areas are covered by documented Win32 APIs, lessening, one hopes, the gratuitous use of officially undocumented functionality. Right from the start, you will find the NtQuery...() functions fascinating, and if you write kernel-mode code, you will *love* having a complete reference to the Zw...() functions -- no more cursing the horrible DDK documentation.Intended audience: If you don't know what a handle is, or how Win32 deals with I/O, synchronization, and the like, then this book is not for you; read Richter's _Advanced Windows_ first.My only wish is for MTP to have chosen a font slightly larger than Flyspeck 3, and maybe less of the black splotches that make the book's pages look like an unbroken string of obituaries.

Groundbreaking Book -- A MUST HAVE

This is the first, and only, book to document the previously undocumented native NT API. You wanna know how Microsoft implements the functionality in certain utilities? It's in here. The book is technically accurate and solid. While the book does contain a few examples, this book is NOT a tutorial. Its title precisely reflects its approach: This is a REFERENCE book. Thus, it will be most appropriate and easily used by advanced software developers, as well as those already knowledgeable about NT system internals. EVERY SINGLE native NT system service is covered. This book is awesome, groundbreaking... a true must have for any serious NT system programmer.A more complete review of this book appears in the Jan/Feb 2000 edition of The NT Insider.