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by throwaway613834 3156 days ago
> You need to install a user mode drive to leverage already existing kernel code with your device.

You mean a user-mode application? A user-mode driver is something you write instead of a kernel-mode driver (when it's possible), not on top of it. (?)
1 comments
therein 3155 days ago
Windows has User-Mode Driver Framework and Kernel-Mode Driver Framework where UMDF exposes only a part of the kernel API.

KMDF drivers have to be signed with a CA that's not user installed while UMDF drivers may be.

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throwaway613834 3155 days ago
I'm already aware of this and I don't understand how this answers the question in the comment you replied to. Maybe you meant to reply to a different comment?
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NateyJay 3152 days ago
Yes, a user-mode driver is something you would write instead of a kernel mode driver, if you can. Kernel-mode code is the most powerful, but also poses the greatest security and stability threat to the computer, so Microsoft locks it down the hardest. If you don't need the extra power, you can write a use-mode driver that uses Microsoft-provided kernel components (Like Winusb.sys) and you don't have to go through the same security procedures.
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