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Microsoft no longer signs Windows drivers for Process Hacker

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Re: Microsoft no longer signs Windows drivers for Process Hacker

#531

Earlier quoted context omitted.

SetWindowPos with HWND_TOPMOST fails with Access Denied. CreateWindowInBand also fails with Access Denied.

That's so weird. No idea why they restricted that but not the other ways of setting a window to always stay on top. Like whatever Firefox's picture-in-picutre uses. EDIT: I guess they want to prevent you from doing interesting things like staying on top of the lockscreen. This article sheds some light on the Z ordering changes since win8 https://blog.adeltax.com/window-z-order-in-windows-10/

16 new Window bands (layers) is excessive. "Activate Windows" and Cortana each get their very own.

Locking other vendors out of that functionality (eg. can't create a Notifications panel alternative) is anti-competitive and degrades one of the best features of Windows (the ability for others to improve it as they see fit).

Re: Microsoft no longer signs Windows drivers for Process Hacker

#532
post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The same question has been answered in the linked GitHub issue, though the comment was marked as off topic. It's special administrative console, more in depth info what that actually is in the comment. https://github.com/processhacker/processhacker/discussions/7...

The highlighted comment has been marked as off-topic and requires logging in to view, which I'm disinclined to do from mobile. Is there a summary elsewhere?

Here you go:

  DavidXanatos
  on 16 Aug
  
  Interesting driver,
  is the process termination feature of PH the only thing MSFT has a problem with?
  I mean if its the only thing they don't like, may be its worth moving that feature into a separate tool or a plugin with an own unsigned driver?
  Also changing the name would be an option, if than all the problems can be avoided.
  @dmex
  dmex
  on 16 Aug
  Maintainer
  
      the only thing MSFT has a problem with
  
  MS refused to discuss anything and have ignored every email so who knows what their problem is.
  
      if its the only thing they don't like
  
  It's not the only thing.... There are recent changes to APIs that block and limit features when the caller isn't taskmgr.exe.
  
  Either way this discussion is offtopic from the KPH updates.

Re: Microsoft no longer signs Windows drivers for Process Hacker

#533

Earlier quoted context omitted.

LOL @ "narrow side-projects" such as VSCode and Powershell ?

Yup, we're still far from having open source Windows, Active Directory, SQL Server, Teams, Github, Office... or any "central" product essential to their business offers.

I can live without Teams, Github, Office, Sql Server, Active Directory - all have alternatives and in most cases better. Teams, really ?

Re: Microsoft no longer signs Windows drivers for Process Hacker

#534

Earlier quoted context omitted.

qBittorrent developers just said fuck it three years ago, and let the world burn with unsigned installer. I suggest everyone to join the civil disobedience. If you don't, you'll soon find out you can't run your programs.

User mode code is a different scenario. There are three possibilities: - unsigned code pops up with a big warning 'your pc will explode' or something like that when you try to run it. - signed code does not need a cross signed certificate. Any CA can include the code signing oids and voila. This displays as yellow but the CN is extracted as the publisher name. - Finally EV certificates give you 'instant reputation' i…

"...(it was Linux at home, windows at work, now Linux for both)."

That's my ideal plan but for many reasons it's been a long road for me and others I know.

In controlled environments where the outcomes are either narrow or clearly defined then money can be thrown at the problem to ensure that Linux penetration is 100%. Unfortunately, I'd hate to count the number of times I've seen this objective come unstuck for many reasons, thus an annoying residual of Windows installations remain.

Generally, it's not the lack of Linux applications that's the problem but more a mixture of compatibility issues brought about by a diverse range of hardware types and vintages thereof combined with either a lack of Linux drivers or the poor performance thereof - for instance the nVidia driver and Linux's native NTFS driver that's now old and leaves much to be desired (yes, I'm aware of Paragon's NTFS diver and I'm hoping that it will, in part, improve matters).

Also, ordinary users still have significant difficulties in installing Windows apps in WINE not to mention getting printer drivers to work. I don't know how many times I've heard "I tried to install the CD that came with the printer and it didn't work".

It would be nice to see the Linux community spend more time on these compatibility issues for if we could solve many of them then we'd see an upsurge in Linux usage on the desktop.

Even I haven't eliminated Windows completely. As far as I'm concerned this is now a high imperative given that Windows has morphed from being an independent operating system into a fully-fledged functional appendage of the Microsoft Corporation.

Re: Microsoft no longer signs Windows drivers for Process Hacker

#535
post #23

The article mentions Process Explorer. Since Sysinternals were bought by Microsoft many years ago and the tools are distributed directly via Microsoft, such tools are unlikely to have an issue being signed. A brief history of the process for those not following it. Originally for kernel-mode drivers, you needed a code signing certificate cross signed by Microsoft's root . This means that the certificate follows a cha…

"Since Sysinternals were bought by Microsoft many years ago and the tools are distributed directly via Microsoft, such tools are unlikely to have an issue being signed."

It's a damn shame that Russinovich sold out to Microsoft as that broke Sysinternals' independence. It seems clear to me that Sysinternals was getting a bit too clever for Microsoft's liking and by buying Russinovich out then meant that it could control the process. Likewise, Process Explorer is being silenced for similar reasons, and denying certificates is obviously cheaper.

Re: Microsoft no longer signs Windows drivers for Process Hacker

#536
post #212

I've had to authorize lots of Steam games this month in 'Windows Security' protected folders just so be able to save replays, or basic controls configuration. I think MS is going for the kill against Steam this time. And this is with Windows 10. Windows 11 will require MS permission, and some Steam games will simply never work there. But you will be able to purchase them again in the MS Store.

Arguably this is Valve's fault because they insist on putting a ton of stuff in secure folders (under Program Files) instead of where they belong (in the user's home/data directories) They've had a LONG time to fix this.

All the permissions blocked I just described were in "My Documents".

What you mention happens with default installs, true. I just install all steam related in "C:\Steam", so I was convinced folder permissions would not affect me.

This is something new. Apps should not require special permissions to use "My Documents".

Re: Microsoft no longer signs Windows drivers for Process Hacker

#537
post #522
post #434

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Call me when you can run real drivers in DOSBox-X. That's exactly what i don't want. >And, still, XDOSemu+FreeDOS runs circles over DOSBox and DOSBox-x. No, not really have you even installed FreeDOS once? BTW the FreeDOS developers will perfectly tell you that they have no interest in being dos game focused...and you can feel that 50% of all games just refuse to run...that's not the case with MSDOS 5.22.

I can feel that your comment is utterly bullshit. FreeDOS runs the 99% of software and drivers available for DOS.

Feelings are not reality ;)

BTW: What DOS are you talking about?

Re: Microsoft no longer signs Windows drivers for Process Hacker

#538
post #500
post #370

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, you make my point. What you linked to is definitely not telemetry.

So is your point that what Microsoft is doing is in fact spyware and not technically "telemetry", since what I linked to is what they are actually doing? In that case, to avoid confusion, we should stop referring to it as telemetry.

Yes, agreed. In that example, that was spyware, but calling "telemetry" spyware by default is wrong.

Re: Microsoft no longer signs Windows drivers for Process Hacker

#539
post #370

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, you make my point. What you linked to is definitely not telemetry.

> What you linked to is definitely not telemetry. So, the OP was correct in calling it just spyware? Why do people jump into defending corporations that repeatedly abuse their customers when they do unknowable hidden actions?

We're not defending any company here, don't twist my words. I am saying "telemetry" is not spyware, if it actually serves its purpose. Companies abusing "telemetry" to extract more information than they should is a different story.

Re: Microsoft no longer signs Windows drivers for Process Hacker

#540
post #424
post #336

Earlier quoted context omitted.

VMWare vs Native Linux running last Gnome is a very, very different experience in my laptop. VMWare is crippled performance wise, doesn't detect autorotate, and using it in full-screen requires me to resize the VMWare window every time I reboot the VM. VMWare also doesn't detect all the buttons in my mouse.

My first Linux distribution was Slackware 2.0 bought in 1995's Summer, and have used VMware since 2010, so all anecdotes.

That's a complete non-sequitur and doesn't mean VMWare is as fast and featured as a native installation.

I also started with Slackware.

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