Is windows driver support still actual?

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X512
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Is windows driver support still actual?

Post by X512 »

ReactOS makes Windows driver support as one of its goal. It was actual at Windows XP time when most drivers (including OHCI/UHCI USB drivers) were distributed on CDs with hardware or at web page of hardware manufacturer. Today most Windows drivers are distributed with Windows Update and many drivers can't be directly downloaded at all. Windows itself include a lot of built-in drivers that are not distributed independently.

So most Windows drivers are part of Windows or Windows Update and can't be legally used without Windows license. Then what the point of supporting Windows drivers today? ReactOS reimplement many drivers from scratch such as USB, network, storage drivers. Even if Windows drivers works, it can't be distributed with ReactOS.
hbelusca
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Re: Is windows driver support still actual?

Post by hbelusca »

Then what the point of supporting Windows drivers today?
So that you can install vendor's drivers.
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X512
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Re: Is windows driver support still actual?

Post by X512 »

hbelusca wrote: Tue Feb 09, 2021 11:08 pm So that you can install vendor's drivers.
Where can I get it legally without Windows license? As I said, most vendors distribute their drivers via Windows Update.

Well, many video drivers are still available for download, but there are a lot of drivers directly made by Microsoft or available only by Windows update.
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dizt3mp3r
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Re: Is windows driver support still actual?

Post by dizt3mp3r »

That's not really important at this stage. ReactOS is in Alpha and so no-one with any sense is going to be trying to use it on a general basis with new hardware. Even if they tried, ReactOS is unlikely to support the newer hardware as ReactOS is not currently attempting to be fully compatible with current versions of Windows and drivers designed specifically for it.

When ReactOS is 'ready' it will first of all support drivers that were suitable for hardware available to 2003/XP, then as ReactOS matures and takes on more functionality, newer components may start to work and driver writers may make their drivers available to ReactOS.
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binarymaster
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Re: Is windows driver support still actual?

Post by binarymaster »

X512 wrote: Tue Feb 09, 2021 11:24 pm
hbelusca wrote: Tue Feb 09, 2021 11:08 pm So that you can install vendor's drivers.
Where can I get it legally without Windows license? As I said, most vendors distribute their drivers via Windows Update.

Well, many video drivers are still available for download, but there are a lot of drivers directly made by Microsoft or available only by Windows update.
If you have some piece of hardware that has Windows drivers available only from Windows Update, you likely have a preinstalled OEM licensed version of Windows, so you have legal right to get these drivers.

Even if you don't have Windows installed, you should have a OEM license for this hardware, either like a sticker with license key on the bottom of the case, or hardcoded into your system BIOS / UEFI (a SLIC table).
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