Windows Internals PDF Free 26: A Must-Read Book for Windows Developers, Administrators, and Security Professionals
Windows Internals PDF Free 26: A Comprehensive Guide
If you are interested in learning how Windows works under the hood, you might want to read Windows Internals, a book series that covers the architecture and core internals of Windows operating systems. In this article, we will give you a brief introduction to Windows Internals, explain why you should read it, and show you how to get Windows Internals PDF free 26.
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What is Windows Internals?
Windows Internals is a book series that was originally written by Helen Custer and David Solomon, and later joined by Mark Russinovich and Alex Ionescu. The book series provides an in-depth look at the design and implementation of the Windows kernel, user mode components, and supporting tools. It also explains how Windows interacts with hardware devices, manages processes and threads, allocates memory, handles security, performs input/output operations, and more.
Why should you read Windows Internals?
Windows Internals is not a typical user guide or reference manual. It is a book for advanced users, developers, system administrators, security professionals, and anyone who wants to understand how Windows works behind the scenes. Reading Windows Internals can help you:
Gain a deeper knowledge of the Windows system architecture and its general components.
Explore internal data structures using tools like the kernel debugger.
Debug and troubleshoot system problems using crash dumps and event logs.
Optimize system performance by analyzing resource usage and bottlenecks.
Enhance system security by understanding how Windows implements access control, encryption, authentication, and auditing.
Develop device drivers and applications that interact with the kernel and user mode components.
How to get Windows Internals PDF free 26?
Windows Internals is published by Microsoft Press and is available for purchase on their website or other online platforms. However, if you want to get Windows Internals PDF free 26, you can try some of these methods:
Search for free PDF downloads on file-sharing websites or torrent sites. However, be careful of malware or viruses that might be attached to the files.
Use online PDF converters or web scrapers to extract the content from the official website or other sources. However, be aware of potential copyright infringement or quality issues.
Borrow the book from a library or a friend who has a copy. However, you might have to wait for availability or return it after a certain period.
Windows Internals Book Series
Windows Internals is one of the most popular and authoritative books on Windows operating systems. It has been updated several times to cover the latest versions of Windows and provide new information on various topics. In this section, we will give you a brief history of the book series, an overview of the editions, and a summary of the contents of the latest edition.
History of the book series
The first edition of Windows Internals was called Inside Windows NT and was published in 1992, prior to the release of Windows NT 3.1. It was written by Helen Custer, who worked as a technical writer at Microsoft. The book provided an overview of the design and architecture of Windows NT, which was a new operating system that aimed to provide a secure, reliable, and portable platform for enterprise and personal computing.
The second edition of Inside Windows NT was published in 1998 and was written by David Solomon, who was a consultant and trainer on Windows internals. It updated the book to cover Windows NT 4.0 and added more technical depth and details on various topics, such as processes, threads, memory management, security, and I/O.
The third edition of Inside Windows NT was renamed to Inside Windows 2000 and was published in 2000. It was co-authored by David Solomon and Mark Russinovich, who was a software engineer and co-founder of Sysinternals, a website that provided free tools and utilities for Windows users. The book added new topics, such as startup and shutdown, service internals, registry internals, file-system drivers, and networking. It also covered kernel changes in Windows 2000, such as the Windows Driver Model (WDM), Plug and Play, power management, Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI), encryption, the job object, and Terminal Services.
The fourth edition of Windows Internals was published in 2005 and covered Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. It retained the same authors as the third edition and added new topics, such as Hyper-Threading, Non-Uniform Memory Access (NUMA), Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS), Encrypting File System (EFS), kernel patch protection, heap management, and more.
The fifth edition of Windows Internals was published in 2009 and covered Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008. It added Alex Ionescu as a co-author, who was a former Microsoft employee and a kernel developer. The book updated the existing topics to reflect the changes in the new versions of Windows and added new topics, such as User Account Control (UAC), kernel transaction manager, service hardening, BitLocker Drive Encryption, ReadyBoost, SuperFetch, Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR), Data Execution Prevention (DEP), and more.
The sixth edition of Windows Internals was published in two parts: part 1 in 2012 and part 2 in 2017. Part 1 covered the core components of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2, such as processes, threads, memory management, security, I/O system, storage management, cache manager, and file systems. Part 2 covered the supporting components of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2, such as networking, startup and shutdown, crash dump analysis, resource management, performance analysis tools, and more.
The seventh edition of Windows Internals was also published in two parts: part 1 in 2017 and part 2 in 2020. Part 1 covered the architecture and core internals of Windows 10 and Windows Server 2016. Part 2 covered the boot process, new storage technologies, and system and management mechanisms.
Overview of the editions
The following table summarizes the main features of each edition of Windows Internals:
Edition Year Authors Covered Versions Pages --- --- --- --- --- Inside Windows NT 1992 Helen Custer Windows NT 3.1 384 Inside Windows NT Second Edition 1998 David Solomon Windows NT 4.0 688 Inside Windows 2000 Third Edition 2000 David Solomon Mark Russinovich Windows 2000 800 Windows Internals Fourth Edition 2005 David Solomon Mark Russinovich Windows XP Windows Server 2003 976 Windows Internals Fifth Edition 2009 Mark Russinovich David Solomon Alex Ionescu Windows Vista Windows Server 2008 1264 Windows Internals Sixth Edition Part 1 2012 Mark Russinovich David Solomon Alex Ionescu Windows 7 Windows Server 2008 R2 752 Contents of the latest edition
The latest edition of Windows Internals is the seventh edition, which covers Windows 10 and Windows Server 2016. It is divided into two parts, each with its own chapters and topics. The following table summarizes the contents of the latest edition:
Part Chapters Topics --- --- --- Part 1 Chapter 1: Concepts and Tools Introduction to Windows internals, system architecture, kernel mode and user mode, system mechanisms, management mechanisms, tools and techniques for analyzing Windows internals. Chapter 2: System Architecture Overview of the Windows system architecture, hardware abstraction layer (HAL), kernel mode drivers, executive services, kernel, object manager, security reference monitor, local procedure call (LPC) facility, process manager, thread manager, I/O manager. Chapter 3: Processes and Jobs Process structure and states, process creation and termination, process attributes and operations, process security and access rights, job objects and silos. Chapter 4: Threads Thread structure and states, thread scheduling and priorities, thread creation and termination, thread attributes and operations, thread security and access rights. Chapter 5: Memory Management Virtual memory management, address translation, memory allocation and deallocation, memory protection and access rights, memory-mapped files and sections, working set manager, memory compression. Chapter 6: I/O System Overview of the I/O system architecture, I/O request packets (IRPs), I/O processing stages and paths, I/O completion mechanisms, I/O cancellation and timeout. Chapter 7: Security Overview of the Windows security model, security descriptors and access control lists (ACLs), security tokens and access tokens, security identifiers (SIDs) and privileges, impersonation and delegation. Part 2 Chapter 8: Boot Process Overview of the boot process stages and components, firmware boot loader (UEFI), Windows boot loader (Winload), Windows boot manager (Bootmgr), Windows OS loader (Winresume), kernel initialization (Ntoskrnl), session manager initialization (Smss). Chapter 9: Storage Technologies Overview of the storage technologies supported by Windows, basic disks and dynamic disks, partition styles (MBR and GPT), disk volumes and volume sets, file systems (NTFS, FAT32, exFAT), storage spaces. Chapter 10: System Mechanisms Overview of the system mechanisms used by Windows to provide various functionalities and services, registry internals, power management, Windows subsystems, kernel transaction manager, service internals, application compatibility, application verifier, Windows Error Reporting, event tracing for Windows. Chapter 11: Management Mechanisms Overview of the management mechanisms used by Windows to monitor and control system resources and activities, performance counters, Windows Management Instrumentation, Group Policy, Task Scheduler, Windows Resource Protection, Windows Installer. Windows Internals Concepts and Tools
In this section, we will briefly introduce some of the key concepts and tools that are essential for understanding Windows internals. These include the system architecture, system mechanisms, management mechanisms.
System architecture
The system architecture of Windows is based on a layered design that separates the hardware-dependent components from the hardware-independent components. The main layers are:
The hardware abstraction layer (HAL), which provides a uniform interface for accessing hardware devices and functions.
The kernel mode drivers, which provide low-level services for interacting with hardware devices.
The executive services, which provide high-level services for managing system resources.
The kernel, which provides core services for scheduling threads, synchronizing objects, handling exceptions and interrupts, and supporting kernel mode drivers.
The object manager security reference monitor local procedure call (LPC) facility process manager thread manager I/O manager which are components of the executive services that provide specific functionalities.
The components that run in kernel mode have direct access to the hardware and can execute privileged instructions. They also share a common address space that is protected from user mode components.
System mechanisms
The system mechanisms are the methods and techniques that Windows uses to implement various functionalities and services in kernel mode. Some of the important system mechanisms are:
Trap dispatching which is the process of transferring control from user mode to kernel mode when a software exception a hardware exception or a system call occurs.
Interrupt dispatching which is the process of transferring control from the current thread to an interrupt service routine (ISR) when a hardware interrupt occurs.
System service dispatching which is the process of transferring control from the trap handler to a system service routine (SSR) when a system call occurs.
Object management which is the process of creating manipulating and destroying kernel objects that represent system resources.
Security management which is the process of enforcing access control and auditing policies on system resources and activities.
Interprocess communication (IPC) which is the process of exchanging data and signals between processes or threads.
Memory management which is the process of allocating and deallocating virtual and physical memory for processes and kernel components.
I/O management which is the process of transferring data between user mode buffers and hardware devices or files.
Management mechanisms
The management mechanisms are the methods and techniques that Windows uses to monitor and control system resources and activities in user mode. Some of the important management mechanisms are:
Performance counters which are numerical values that measure various aspects of system performance, such as CPU usage, memory usage, disk activity, network activity, and more.
Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) which is a framework that provides a common interface for accessing and manipulating system information, configuration, and events.
Group Policy which is a mechanism that allows administrators to define and enforce policies for users, computers, and applications in a networked environment.
Task Scheduler which is a service that allows users to schedule tasks to run at specified times or events.
Windows Resource Protection (WRP) which is a feature that prevents unauthorized modification of system files, registry keys, and other critical resources.
Windows Installer (MSI) which is a service that allows users to install, update, repair, or remove applications and components on Windows systems.
Windows Internals Core Components
In this section, we will briefly introduce some of the core components of Windows internals that are responsible for managing the most fundamental aspects of the system. These include processes, threads, and jobs; memory management; security; and I/O system.
Processes, threads, and jobs
A process is an instance of an executable program that runs in its own address space and has its own set of resources, such as handles, environment variables, and security context. A thread is a unit of execution within a process that has its own stack, registers, state, and priority. A job is a collection of processes that can be managed as a group, such as imposing resource limits, applying security policies, or terminating them together.
Windows uses processes to isolate applications from each other and provide them with a virtual view of the system. Windows uses threads to execute code in parallel and share data within a process. Windows uses jobs to control the behavior and resource consumption of processes.
Memory management
Memory management is the process of allocating and deallocating virtual and physical memory for processes and kernel components. Virtual memory is the logical view of memory that each process sees. Physical memory is the actual memory hardware that stores data. Windows uses memory management to provide each process with a large and private address space, to protect processes from accessing each other's memory, to optimize the use of physical memory, and to support various features such as memory-mapped files, shared memory, and memory compression.
Security
Security is the process of enforcing access control and auditing policies on system resources and activities. Access control is the mechanism that determines who can access what resources and how. Auditing is the mechanism that records who accessed what resources and when. Windows uses security to protect system integrity, confidentiality, and availability from unauthorized or malicious users or applications.
I/O system
I/O system is the process of transferring data between user mode buffers and hardware devices or files. Hardware devices are physical components that perform input or output operations, such as keyboards, mice, disks, network cards, and printers. Files are logical representations of data stored on disks or other media. Windows uses I/O system to abstract the details of hardware devices and file systems from user mode applications, to provide a consistent and uniform interface for accessing devices and files, to manage device drivers and device stacks, to perform asynchronous synchronous and buffered I/O operations, and to support various features such as Plug and Play, power management, volume shadow copies, and encryption.
such as memory-mapped files, copy-on-write, and write-behind.
File systems
File systems are components of the I/O system that provide logical representations of data stored on disks or other media. Windows supports various types of file systems, such as NTFS, FAT32, exFAT, ReFS, UDF, and CDFS. Windows uses file systems to provide users with different options for organizing and accessing data, to implement security and compression features on files and directories, to support features such as hard links, junctions, symbolic links, mount points, and reparse points, and to integrate with other components such as the cache manager, the volume shadow copy service, and the encrypting file system.
Networking
Networking is the process of communicating and exchanging data between computers or devices over a network. Windows supports various types of networking technologies, such as TCP/IP, IPv4, IPv6, DHCP, DNS, WINS, NetBIOS, SMB, NFS, HTTP, FTP, and more. Windows uses networking to provide users with different options for connecting and sharing data with other computers or devices, to implement security and encryption features on network communications, to support features such as remote access, remote desktop, remote procedure call, and network location awareness, and to integrate with other components such as the I/O system, the security subsystem, and the Windows subsystem.
Crash dump analysis
Crash dump analysis is the process of examining the contents of a crash dump file, which is a snapshot of the system state at the time of a system crash or failure. Windows supports various types of crash dump files, such as complete memory dumps, kernel memory dumps, small memory dumps, and active memory dumps. Windows uses crash dump analysis to help users and developers diagnose and troubleshoot system problems by providing information such as the exception code, the faulting module, the call stack, the register values, and the memory contents.
Conclusion
In this article, we have given you a comprehensive guide on Windows Internals PDF free 26. We have introduced you to Windows Internals, a book series that covers the architecture and core internals of Windows operating systems. We have explained why you should read Windows Internals and how to get Windows Internals PDF free 26. We have also given you a brief overview of the book series, its editions, and its contents. We hope that this article has sparked your interest in learning more about Windows internals and that you will find Windows Internals PDF free 26 useful and informative.
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Q: How can I get the latest edition of Windows Internals? A: You can purchase the latest edition of Windows Internals (seventh edition) from the Micros