ACPI Driver Interface in Windows Vista

Updated: April 30, 2007

File name: ACPIDriver_Vista.doc
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This paper documents the mechanism for executing ACPI control methods and handling events from a kernel driver in the Windows Vista operating system. Kernel-mode device drivers are able to evaluate ACPI control methods via IOCTLs. Typically, a driver evaluates ACPI control methods to initiate or configure platform-specific functionality.

An ACPI control method is a definition of how to interrogate or adjust system hardware. Control methods are written in the ACPI Machine Language and are interpreted by the ACPI driver in Windows. These objects are loaded from the system definition in firmware into the ACPI namespace.

Drivers can evaluate ACPI control methods within the namespace of the device object on which they are loaded. This also includes control methods in the namespace of child objects.

This information applies for the following operating systems:
Windows Server 2008
Windows Vista

Included in this paper:

• Evaluating ACPI Control Methods from a Driver

• Evaluating Control Methods with Input Arguments

• Implementing Processor Power Management for Windows Vista

• Evaluating Control Methods on Child Objects

• Handling Events