Display drivers that run on Windows Vista and later can be written according to either the Windows Vista and later display driver model or the Windows 2000 Display Driver Model. Display drivers written according to the Windows Vista and later display driver model run only on Windows Vista and later, while display drivers written according to the Windows 2000 display driver model run on Windows 2000 and later, which includes Windows Vista and later. However, to take advantage of new Windows Vista and later software and hardware features, you must write your display drivers according to the Windows Vista display driver model.

The following sections describe the Windows Vista display driver model:

Note  The Windows Vista and later display driver model does not use services of the Graphics Device Interface (GDI) engine; therefore, the GDI section is not relevant to writing display drivers for the Windows Vista and later display driver model.