Windows NT/2000 Native API Reference

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.

I needed detailed explanation for some functions that i needed in order to complete a driver i was developing and this book solved my riddles.Excellent!

This book is essential material for someone interested in knowing how NT really works. I discovered it a few years ago, and it immediately freed me from having to peer through a kernel debugger, darkly, trying to figure out interfaces.To my mind, the amount of information is right. I don't need tutorial information. I don't need a repeat of what is in, say, 'Inside Windows 2000'. This book is refreshing in that it tacitly assumes the existence of the intelligent reader.Though this book does not focus on kernel programming, quite likely you're going to be a kernel weenie if you're even interested in the material.I don't even find the book physically too small. It's a lot easier to read, physically, than those 'inside secrets of the gurus in 21 days' tombstones.

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.

It's good for learning about undocumented WinAPIs. But keep in mind that it's written for Windows 2000! so there's some outdated material there. I was also hoping for a PDF/text version that would be easier to search (when you obviously need to look up an API) but it didn't come with one. So I rarely use this book. Could've saved me some money.

This is not a regular text book about the Undocumented Windows NT. It does not tell anything about the system components or even how does the system works. I do not think this was by any means the target of the writer. It is clear to me that the writer spent lots of his time reverse engineering the NT native system APIs and in his book he is providing us with the outcomes of his work.If you are looking for a book about NT internals then you need to look for some other books. However, if you are a system engineer who spends most of his time doing kernel debugging using SoftIce or Microsoft Kernel Debugger then this book is definitely for you. If you know how to break at each NT native API using SoftIce (or Microsoft KD) and dump the parameters passed to the function then this book is an invaluable help to you. Otherwise, this book is not for you.Finally, this is the only available text book to the public that has published the prototype of most of NT native APIs. If you need to know those APIs then this book is for you. However, you need to consider the fact that maybe there are some mistakes so you need to verify each API prototype yourself.

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.

恐らく、邦訳としてはこういう本が出ることはもう無いと思います。WindowsのNT.DLLエクスポート APIを解説している、非常に貴重な本です。但し、内容はリファレンスに近いため、これらのAPIに触れたことのある方しか理解できない可能性があります。一部のAPIは、カーネルモードドライバから呼び出し可能であるため、WDMドライバを書いたことのある人は、ある程度わかると思います。

Leafing through this book, you can imagine the days and weeks spent with Soft-Ice and a checked build of Windows NT patiently and meticulously coaxing the secrets out of the world's least well-documented operating system. It is rather dry and could do with more code examples but is otherwise first rate. For best results mix with 'Undocumented Windows NT' by Prasad Dabak et al.