All MSDN Magazine Topics

• Inside Windows 7: Introducing The Taskbar APIs
  Yochay Kiriaty & Sasha Goldshtein - July 2009
  This is Part 2 of a multipart article series on Windows 7. The focus of Part 2 is the Windows 7 taskbar.
  
  
• Data Points: Building An Out-of-Browser Client With Silverlight 3
  John Papa - June 2009
  Silverlight 2 applications are restricted to running inside a browser. However, Silverlight 3 applications can run inside the browser or out. Here we build a social networking app as a standalone Silverlight 3 application.
  
  
• Windows With C++: The Virtual Disk API In Windows 7
  Kenny Kerr - April 2009
  This month we look inside the Windows 7 beta to examine the Virtual Disk API and the Microsoft Virtual Hard Disk (VHD) format.
  
  
• Access Control: Understanding Windows File And Registry Permissions
  John R. Michener - November 2008
  Understanding the ACLs that govern permissions and rights before an operation is allowed to proceed is critical to enhancing security.
  
  
• Going Places: Ink-Enabled Apps For Tablet PC
  Gus Class - October 2008
  We show you how to create ink-enabled apps quickly with the Tablet PC SDK and the InkEdit and InkPicture ActiveX controls.
  
  
• Windows with C++: Decoding Windows Vista Icons with WIC
  Kenny Kerr - June 2008
  In this month's installment, Kenny Kerr sings the praises of the new Visual C++ 2008 Feature Pack, which brings modern conveniences to Visual C++.
  
  
• C++ Plus: Beef Up Windows Apps with the Visual C++ 2008 Feature Pack
  Kenny Kerr - May 2008
  Kenny Kerr sings the praises of the new Visual C++ 2008 Feature Pack, which brings modern conveniences to Visual C++.
  
  
• Foundations: Templates for Uncommon Controls
  Charles Petzold - January 2008
  Charles Petzold demonstrates how Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) templates let you turn common controls into uncommon visual objects.
  
  
• .NET Matters: IFileOperation in Windows Vista
  Stephen Toub - December 2007
  The author creates a managed wrapper to use the new IFileOperations interface in Windows Vista from managed code.
  
  
• Windows with C++: Windows Template Library 8.0
  Kenny Kerr - December 2007
  Kenny Kerr takes a look at Windows Template Library (WTL) support for new Windows Vista control enhancements, including task dialogs, Aero wizards, and open file dialogs.
  
  
• Windows with C++: Task Scheduler 2.0
  Kenny Kerr - October 2007
  The new Task Scheduler in Windows Vista can do so much more than previous versions. We introduce some basic concepts and building blocks you can put to use in your own scheduled task projects.
  
  
• Gadgets: Build Your Own Windows Vista Sidebar Gadget
  Donavon West - August 2007
  A Sidebar gadget is a powerful little too that's surprisingly easy to create. Get in on the fun with Donavon West.
  
  
• WPF: Flexible Content Display With Flow Documents
  Markus Egger - August 2007
  Markus Egger discusses all the flexibility and power of flow documents in Windows Presentation Foundation
  
  
• OPC: A New Standard For Packaging Your Data
  Jack Davis and Andrey Shur - August 2007
  Open Packaging Conventions (OPC) defines a structured means for storing application data together with related resources. Learn about the benefits here.
  
  
• Foundations: Declarative WCF Security
  Juval Lowy - August 2007
  Juval Lowy designs easily configured security settings for applications built on Windows Communication Foundation.
  
  
• Windows with C++: Windows Vista Control Enhancements
  Kenny Kerr - August 2007
  With the release of Windows Vista, C++ developers will be happy to know there's plenty of magic left to perform. This new column will provide the necessary insight.
  
  
• Mobility: Make Your WPF Apps Power-Aware
  Andre Michaud - July 2007
  Here Andre Michaud shows you how to use power notifications to make your applications power aware.
  
  
• Mobility: Make Your WPF Apps Power-Aware
  Andre Michaud - July 2007
  Here Andre Michaud shows you how to use power notifications to make your applications power aware.
  
  
• NTFS: Enhance Your Apps With File System Transactions
  Jason Olson - July 2007
  Presented here is an overview of Transactional NTFS and how it revolutionizes transactions.
  
  
• Security: Applying Cryptography Using The CNG API In Windows Vista
  Kenny Kerr - July 2007
  Cryptography Next Generation (CNG) is meant to be a long-term replacement for the CryptoAPI, providing replacements for all of the cryptographic primitives it offered.
  
  
• Speak Up: Support Dictation With Text Services Framework
  Eric Brown - July 2007
  Learn how to make your apps speech-aware by supporting Windows Speech Recognition and the Text Services Framework.
  
  
• Service Station: WCF Bindings In Depth
  Aaron Skonnard - July 2007
  The WCF programming model makes it easy to configure services with a variety of wire formats and message protocols, thanks to binding.
  
  
• Bugslayer: Wait Chain Traversal
  John Robbins - July 2007
  Windows Vista has a new API called Wait Chain Traversal (WCT), which allows you to determine when and why a process is deadlocked. Read on.
  
  
• Foundations: Extending the WPF Animation Classes
  Charles Petzold - July 2007
  Learn what the WPF Animation Classes can do, what they can't, and how to extend them.
  
  
• CONCURRENCY: Synchronization Primitives New To Windows Vista
  Robert Saccone and Alexander Taskov - June 2007
  Windows Vista has lots of goodies for native C++ developers including condition variables, slim reader/writer locks, and one-time initialization.
  
  
• Cutting Edge: Transactional Workflows
  Dino Esposito - June 2007
  When modeling business logic, workflows inevitably represent transactional tasks, so you need to know how to code transactional semantics in the Windows Workflow Foundation.
  
  
• Service Station: WCF Addressing In Depth
  Aaron Skonnard - June 2007
  This month Aaron Skonnard looks at addressing details surrounding endpoint communication, many of which enable more advanced messaging scenarios.
  
  
• Foundations: ActivityExecutionContext in Workflows
  Matt Milner - June 2007
  This month Matt Milner explains a critical component in the execution, persistence, and compensation of workflows.
  
  
• WPF: Customizing Controls For Windows Presentation Foundation
  Shawn Wildermuth - May 2007
  
  
  
• Security Briefs: Events in Windows Vista
  Keith Brown - May 2007
  
  
  
• Foundations: WCF Transaction Propagation
  Juval Lowy - May 2007
  
  
  
• Identity: Secure Your ASP.NET Apps And WCF Services With Windows CardSpace
  Michèle Leroux Bustamante - April 2007
  Windows CardSpace replaces traditional authentication with a more consistent and streamlined login process and improves trust between end-users, applications and services. Michèle Leroux Bustamante explains.
  
  
• Aero Glass: Create Special Effects With The Desktop Window Manager
  Ron Fosner - April 2007
  In this article we introduce the Desktop Window Manager, the new interface that manages how windows are rendered on the Windows Vista desktop.
  
  
• XmlLite: A Small And Fast XML Parser For Native C++
  Kenny Kerr - April 2007
  XmlLite provides a high-performance, low-overhead XML reader and writer geared for applications written in native C++. Learn more here.
  
  
• Event Tracing: Improve Debugging And Performance Tuning With ETW
  Dr. Insung Park and Ricky Buch - April 2007
  Event Tracing for Windows (ETW) provides general-purpose, high-speed tracing of events raised by both user-mode applications and kernel-mode device drivers. Learn how ETW can improve your development and debugging work.
  
  
• .NET Matters: Restart Manager and Generic Method Compilation
  Stephen Toub - April 2007
  This month Stephen Toub answers questions pertaining to the Windows Vista Restart Manager API and generic method compilation.
  
  
• IIS 7.0: Explore The Web Server For Windows Vista And Beyond
  Mike Volodarsky - March 2007
  
  
  
• Digital Media: Add Video To Controls And 3D Surfaces With WPF
  Lee Brimelow - March 2007
  
  
  
• Bugslayer: GUI Control to Major Tom
  John Robbins - March 2007
  
  
  
• Foundations: Tracking Services in Windows Workflow Foundation
  Matt Milner - March 2007
  
  
  
• Service Station: The Service Factory for WCF
  Aaron Skonnard - February 2007
  This month Aaron Skonnard continues his exploration of software factories with a look at the Web Service Software Factory for Windows Communication Foundation.
  
  
• Foundations: Build a Queued WCF Response Service
  Juval Lowy - February 2007
  With queued calls in Windows Communication Foundation you can perform work in a disconnected manner by sending messages through Microsoft Message Queuing. Juval Lowy explains.
  
  
• { End Bracket }: Let My People Code
  Charles Petzold - February 2007
  Charles Petzold discusses why limiting resources can spawn great creativity.
  
  
• Least Privilege: Teach Your Apps To Play Nicely With Windows Vista User Account Control
  Chris Corio - January 2007
  User Account Control in Windows Vista keeps the OS safe from intentional and accidental configuration changes.
  
  
• Vista and Office: View Data Your Way With Our Managed Preview Handler Framework
  Stephen Toub - January 2007
  Stephen Toub shows you how to write your own Preview handlers for Windows Vista and Outlook 2007.
  
  
• SideShow Gadgets: Get Started Writing Gadgets For Windows SideShow Devices
  Jeffrey Richter - January 2007
  SideShow Gadgets for Windows Vista are cool. Writing your own is even better. Find out how it's done.
  
  
• Desktop Security: Create Custom Login Experiences With Credential Providers For Windows Vista
  Dan Griffin - January 2007
  Why is a change to the Windows logon plug-in interface so exciting? Because with credential providers you can customize the logon experience for your users.
  
  
• Worldly Windows: Extend The Global Reach Of Your Applications With Unicode 5.0
  Julie D. Allen, Michael S. Kaplan, Cathy Wissink - January 2007
  When using global applications, people want to communicate with others on their terms, in their own languages. Unicode 5.0 brings that ideal closer to reality.
  
  
• Editor's Note: A New Year—A New Vista
  Joshua Trupin - January 2007
  Josh Trupin revs the engine to get us all ready for Windows Vista.
  
  
• Foundations: Using Templates to Customize WPF Controls
  Charles Petzold - January 2007
  This month we welcome Charles Petzold to MSDN Magazine with his first column on building apps for Windows Vista and the .Microsoft NET Framework 3.0.
  
  
• Windows Workflow: Build Custom Activities To Extend The Reach Of Your Workflows
  Matt Milner - December 2006
  This article covers the core components required for building custom activities in Windows Workflow Foundation.
  
  
• Locale Hero: Enable Global Apps With Locale Builder And Windows Vista
  Kieran Snyder and Shawn Steele - December 2006
  Everything you need to know about locales in Windows Vista.
  
  
• Smart Storage: Protect Your Data Via Managed Code And The Windows Vista Smart Card APIs
  Dan Griffin - November 2006
  Smart cards are a compelling alternative to the reliance on passwords, which are the weakest link in authentication systems. Get the Windows smart card programming basics here.
  
  
• Cutting Edge: A Tour of Windows Workflow Activities
  Dino Esposito - November 2006
  Windows Workflow Foundation supports virtually any scenario where human opera¬tors are involved. Learn how to use it to tame your workflows.
  
  
• Security Briefs: Limited User Problems and Split Knowledge
  Keith Brown - November 2006
  
  
  
• WCF Essentials: What You Need To Know About One-Way Calls, Callbacks, And Events
  Juval Lowy - October 2006
  Object and component-oriented programming have only one way for clients to call a method, but Windows® Communication Foundation introduces two more. In this article Juval Lowy explains how they work.
  
  
• Peer To Peer: Harness The Power Of P2P Communication In Windows Vista And WCF
  Justin Smith - October 2006
  P2P applications face a number of barriers preventing their wide adoption as a productivity solution. Fortunately Windows Vista improves the situation, as you’ll learn here.
  
  
• App Fundamentals: Build A Great User Experience With Windows Presentation Foundation
  Michael Weinhardt - October 2006
  The Windows Presentation Foundation application model distinguishes between standalone and browser applications and between menu driven and hyperlink driven navigation, resulting in a more satisfying experience for your users.
  
  
• Web Service Workflows: Deploy Distributed Business Processes With Windows Workflow And Web Services
  Israel Hilerio - October 2006
  Due to the distributed nature of a business process it makes sense for a workflow to be deployed as a distributed application. See how Windows Workflow and Web Services hold the key.
  
  
• Security Briefs: CardSpace, SqlMembershipProvider, and More
  Keith Brown - October 2006
  This month Keith Brown fields some reader questions on InfoCard turned CardSpace and passwords for SqlMembershipProvider.
  
  
• Service Station: Serialization in Windows Communication Foundation
  Aaron Skonnard - August 2006
  Windows Communication Foundation supports several serialization mechanisms and provides a simple, interoperable foundation for future service-oriented applications. Here Aaron Skonnard explains it all.
  
  
• Security Briefs: Security in Windows Communication Foundation
  Keith Brown - August 2006
  Windows Communication Foundation provides three major protections— confidentiality, integrity, and authentication. This month Keith Brown explains what they can do for you.
  
  
• Beyond WinFX: Transactions, Aero Wizards, And Task Dialogs In Windows Vista
  Kenny Kerr - July 2006
  
  
  
• WCF Essentials: Discover Mighty Instance Management Techniques For Developing WCF Apps
  Juval Lowy - June 2006
  Instance management refers to a set of techniques used by Windows Communication Foundation to bind a set of messages to a service instance. This article introduces the concept and shows you why you need instance management.
  
  
• CLR Inside Out: Windows Vista Globalization Features
  Shawn Steele - June 2006
  Windows XP and the Microsoft .NET Framework both have APIs that support globalization. Windows Vista™ will further extend globalization support by introducing several new features.
  
  
• Analyze This: Find New Meaning In Your Ink With Tablet PC APIs In Windows Vista
  Markus Egger - May 2006
  
  
  
• Security Briefs: Step-by-Step Guide to InfoCard
  Keith Brown - May 2006
  In my April 2006 column I began a discussion of InfoCard, the upcoming identity metasystem, which is being prepared for release in the Windows Vista™ timeframe. If you haven’t read that column, you should definitely start there because I’m going to assume you’re familiar with the basics I covered.
  
  
• Cutting Edge: Windows Workflow Foundation, Part 2
  Dino Esposito - April 2006
  In last month's column, I presented a helpdesk workflow sample that focused on Windows® Forms client applications. This month I'll discuss ASP. NET workflow applications and the ability to expose a workflow as a Web service and invoke a Web service from a workflow.
  
  
• Security Briefs: A First Look at InfoCard
  Keith Brown - April 2006
  The Web can be annoying at times. I'm certain that I'm not alone in my frustration with filling out the same old forms on every Web site I visit. Like most other techies, I've acquired many tools over the years to help combat this repetition, and I even wrote my own password manager for my hundreds of different identities on the Web.
  
  
• Cutting Edge: Windows Workflow Foundation
  Dino Esposito - March 2006
  In the January 2006 issue, Don Box and Dharma Shukla introduced Windows® Workflow Foundation and discussed the overall architecture of the framework and its constituent components (see WinFX Workflow: Simplify Development With The Declarative Model Of Windows Workflow Foundation).
  
  
• Distributed .NET: Learn The ABCs Of Programming Windows Communication Foundation
  Aaron Skonnard - February 2006
  Windows Communication Foundation unifies the existing suite of .NET distributed technologies into a single programming model to improve the developer experience. This article introduces WCF so you'll be prepared to take advantage of all the new capabilities.
  
  
• WinFX Workflow: Simplify Development With The Declarative Model Of Windows Workflow Foundation
  Don Box and Dharma Shukla - January 2006
  Windows Workflow Foundation allows you to write workflow-based programs in terms of domain-specific activities that are implemented in CLR-based programming languages such as C# and Visual Basic. Here Don Box and Dharma Shukla get you started.
  
  
• Dazzling Graphics: Top Ten UI Development Breakthroughs In Windows Presentation Foundation
  Ian Griffiths and Chris Sells - January 2006
  The Windows Presentation Foundation provides new techniques for UI-based developing applications and makes better use of current hardware and technologies. In this article, Ian Griffiths and Chris Sells explain 10 of the most significant advances that make WPF superior to its Win32 predecessors.
  
  
• Talking Windows: Exploring New Speech Recognition And Synthesis APIs In Windows Vista
  Robert Brown - January 2006
  Windows Vista includes a built-in speech recognition engine exposed through a number of new APIs that will let your users interact with your app using speech rather than a keyboard or mouse. Here Robert Brown explains speech recognition and introduces you to the APIs to use in your upcoming Windows Vista applications.
  
  
• XPS Documents: A First Look at APIs For Creating XML Paper Specification Documents
  Bob Watson - January 2006
  Windows Vista includes improved document technology called the XML Paper Specification that is designed to provide users with a consistent document appearance regardless of where and how the document is viewed, solving the age-old problem of document portability and display consistency. Here Bob Watson explains.
  
  
• Service Station: All About ASMX 2.0, WSE 3.0, and WCF
  Aaron Skonnard - January 2006
  The release of the Microsoft® . NET Framework 2. 0 reshapes the Web services landscape in several interesting, and perhaps confusing, ways. So this month I'm going to field some of the most common questions related to ASP.
  
  
• Code Name Longhorn: A First Look at Writing and Deploying Apps in the Next Generation of Windows
  Dino Esposito - January 2004
  The next version of the Microsoft Windows operating system, code-named "Longhorn," marks a significant change not only in terms of how the operating system works, but also in the way in which applications are built. The Longhorn version of Windows includes a new storage system, natural search technology, and an increased emphasis on security and trustworthy computing. Here the author provides an overview of Longhorn, focusing on the build-once, deploy n-times application model. In addition, he discusses the new language, code-named "XAML," that's used to create UI elements, then presents some working samples.
  
  
• Code Name Indigo: A Guide to Developing and Running Connected Systems with Indigo
  Don Box - January 2004
  This article describes a collection of new programming frameworks that are part of "Longhorn," the upcoming version of Windows. "Indigo," the code name for this framework, provides rich support for service-oriented design that is complementary to traditional object-oriented approaches. Indigo marries the best features of .NET Remoting, ASMX, and .NET Enterprise Services into a unified programming and administration model. Indigo's deep support for standard protocols, including HTTP, XML, and SOAP, makes it easier to integrate applications and services without sacrificing security or reliability.
  
  
• Code Name Avalon: Create Real Apps Using New Code and Markup Model
  Charles Petzold - January 2004
  The presentation subsystem in the next version of Windows, code-named "Longhorn," offers powerful new capabilities to developers. This subsystem, code-named "Avalon," allows developers to take advantage of its capabilities through a new markup language code-named "XAML." In addition, modern object-oriented programming languages such as C# and Visual Basic .NET can be used to tie everything together. Because most applications written to Avalon will probably be a mix of XAML and programming code, this article discusses XAML tags used to control page layout along with the procedural code written to respond to events.
  
  
• C++ Q&A: Typename, Disabling Keys in Windows XP with TrapKeys
  Paul DiLascia - September 2002
  
  
  
• Windows XP: Escape from DLL Hell with Custom Debugging and Instrumentation Tools and Utilities, Part 2
  Christophe Nasarre - August 2002
  Building on his article published in the June issue, which demonstrated several ways to get process and DLL-related information from APIs such as PSAPI, NTDLL, and TOOLHELP32, the author presents some unusual ways to get system-oriented info that you can easily integrate in your own toolkit. There are three tools included as samples: LoadLibrarySpy, which monitors an application and detects which DLLs are really loaded; WindowDump, which retrieves the content and a detailed description of any window; and FileUsage, which redirects console-mode applications to tell you which process is using any opened file.
  
  
• DirectShow: Core Media Technology in Windows XP Empowers You to Create Custom Audio/Video Processing Components
  Michael Blome and Mike Wasson - July 2002
  DirectShow is an API that enables Windows applications to control a wide variety of audio/video input devices including (but not limited to) DV camcorders, Web cams, DVD drives, and TV tuner cards. It provides out-of-the-box support for a variety of formats, from WAV and AVI to Windows Media. DirectShow is also extensible, enabling third parties to support their own specialized devices, formats, or processing components. This article introduces the basic concepts behind DirectShow and gives a step-by-step tutorial showing how to create your own video effect filter.
  
  
• .NET Zero Deployment: Security and Versioning Models in the Windows Forms Engine Help You Create and Deploy Smart Clients
  Chris Sells - July 2002
  Windows Forms applications solve many of the problems inherent in building Web applications the old fashioned way?with HTML. To demonstrate the use of Windows Forms over the Web, the author takes his existing app, Wahoo!, and ports it to Windows Forms. In doing so, he discusses versioning, linked files, security, storage isolation, the deployment model, and everything else you need to get started building your own Windows Forms apps for the Web.
  
  
• Windows XP: Escape from DLL Hell with Custom Debugging and Instrumentation Tools and Utilities
  Christophe Nasarre - June 2002
  DLL conflict problems can be tough to solve, but a large number of tools are available to help. There are also many Windows APIs that you can use to build custom debugging tools. Three such tools are discussed here and provided as samples. DllSpy lists all the DLLs loaded in the system and the processes that are using them. ProcessSpy enumerates the running processes and exposes the DLLs they are using, and ProcessXP displays the list of concurrent running sessions for Windows XP.
  
  
• Scripting: Windows Script Host 5.6 Boasts Windows XP Integration, Security, New Object Model
  Dino Esposito - May 2002
  Windows Script Host (WSH) 5.6, a major upgrade for the WSH environment, provides some significant improvements over previous versions. A brand new security model that is tightly integrated with security in Windows XP allows administrators to place fine-grained restrictions on scripts reducing the risk from malicious code. In addition, local scripts can now run on remote machines, and enhancements to the object model reduce the amount of boilerplate code needed when writing professional code. This overview of WSH 5.6 explains these changes and how .NET and scripting work together.
  
  
• COM+ 1.5: Discover Powerful Low-Level Programming in Windows XP with New COM+ APIs
  Craig Andera and Tim Ewald - April 2002
  The new version of COM+ that ships as part of Windows XP includes APIs for low-level context programming. These functions allow you to create contexts that use COM+ runtime services, independent of objects and without registering anything in the COM+ Catalog. Designed for advanced COM+ developers who understand the COM+ context model, these APIs make it easy to integrate runtime services with code in nonstandard ways. This article explains how these low-level context APIs work, discusses when you'd want to use them, and provides a .NET-based wrapper to make it simpler to use the APIs from C#.
  
  
• Office XP: Build a Custom DLL to Expose Your Objects and Services Through Smart Tag Technology
  Paul Sanna - January 2002
  Smart Tags is a new technology delivered with Office XP that makes it easy for users to complete common tasks on familiar and relevant data regardless of the application they are using. Microsoft provides tools to make it easy to roll out simple Smart Tag applications using XML as a backbone. The Smart Tag SDK provides the detail needed to build a COM automation server for Smart Tags in Visual Basic or Visual C++. This article brings the reader through the SDK to outline the process of building a Smart Tag DLL using the tag recognizer and the action provider to create customized user experiences.
  
  
• Windows XP: Kernel Improvements Create a More Robust, Powerful, and Scalable OS
  Mark Russinovich and David Solomon - December 2001
  The Windows XP kernel includes a number of improvements over Windows 2000 that promote better scalability and overall performance. This article covers these changes and explains how they improve startup time, increase registry size limits, and promote more efficient disk partitioning. Windows XP provides support for 64-bit processors, which is covered here along with a discussion of how side-by-side assemblies end DLL Hell. Also new in the Windows XP kernel is a facility that will roll back driver installations to the Last Known Good state of the registry, making driver installation safer. Other topics include the new volume shadow copy facility, which provides for more accurate backups and improvements in remote debugging.
  
  
• Editor's Note: Windows XP is Here, Again!
  - December 2001
  
  
  
• Windows XP Overview: Take Advantage of New Windows XP Features in Your Apps Today
  Douglas Boling - November 2001
  Windows XP includes both improvements to the operating system and several new features that enhance the user experience. The most noticeable change in Windows XP is the user interface, which includes a revised Start menu and updated Task Bar. The new look is possible because Windows XP can be skinned, which lets the interface be changed dramatically with a new facility called themes. Windows XP also introduces fast user switching, which allows multiple users to be logged onto their own sessions at the same time on the same machine and, as the name implies, they can switch back and forth quickly. Another new feature, ClearType, is discussed here as well.
  
  
• New Graphical Interface: Enhance Your Programs with New Windows XP Shell Features
  Dino Esposito - November 2001
  The Windows XP shell introduces many new features that both users and developers are sure to welcome. The interface supports a number of styles that will be new to users, and it also supports customization of those styles through a new concept called themes. There are more shell registry settings available to the user and developer, a facility for customizing infotips, and infotip shell extensions. In addition, folder views can be customized. This article covers these shell changes and includes a discussion of a number of other Windows XP additions. These include fast user switching, which lets users log on and off quickly, and AutoPlay support for a variety of devices and file types not previously supported.
  
  
• Beyond Windows XP: Get Ready Now for the Upcoming 64-Bit Version of Windows
  Stan Murawski - November 2001
  In this article the author modifies an industry standard middle-tier application server benchmark called Nile. The goal was to get it to build and run correctly on the 64-bit edition of the Microsoft .NET Advanced Server running on computers with Intel Itanium processors and still build as a 32-bit version to run on Pentium class x86 processors. While modifying Nile, the author discovered some of the tips he presents here. As the article explains, when modifying code for 64-bit Windows, data types are the key to success. The article discusses which types to use and when, along with new data types and the importance of memory alignment.
  
  
• Autoplay in Windows XP: Automatically Detect and React to New Devices on a System
  Stephane St-Michel and Brian Aust - November 2001
  The last few years have seen dramatic growth in digital multimedia content and an increasing number of devices generating such content. Accordingly, the Autoplay feature of Microsoft Windows has been enhanced to handle these scenarios. This article presents samples that use the new features and provides advice on how to take advantage of these additions. The topics covered include Autoplay support for audio CDs and for DVD movies, the Autoplay registration process, event handlers, and how your software can cancel Autoplay when you don't want certain files interrupted. The download includes tools for diagnosing problems and to help the reader understand the shell hardware detection service processing of hardware events.
  
  
• Under the Hood: New Vectored Exception Handling in Windows XP
  Matt Pietrek - September 2001
  
  
  
• Windows XP: Make Your Components More Robust with COM+ 1.5 Innovations
  Juval Lowy - August 2001
  The next version of COM+, COM+ 1.5, offers many improvements over COM+ 1.0. A comprehensive user interface that displays more data for each application as well as complete support for legacy components make the management of existing applications easier and more efficient. Enhanced queueing support provides more flexibility for managing queued calls, and pooling and recycling means better application lifetime management. Application partitioning in COM+ 1.5 surpasses that offered in COM+ 1.0, and transaction isolation can be configured for safer transactions. COM+ 1.5 also allows you to expose any COM+ component as a Web service, as long as it meets certain criteria. This article discusses these and other new features in COM+ 1.5 that take care of much of the plumbing code, allowing developers to concentrate on business components.
  
  
• C++ Q&A: Getting the Text of a Window in Another Application; Making Backspace Work in the Explorer Bar
  Paul DiLascia - August 2001
  
  
  
• Whistler: Build More Flexible Console Snap-ins with the MMC 2.0 Object Model
  Vivek Jhaveri - March 2001
  Microsoft Management Console (MMC) 2.0 provides a host of exciting new features for MMC users and snap-in developers. The new MMC 2.0 automation object model allows much of the user interface of MMC 2.0 to be accessed through script, and exposes events so that many tasks can now easily be automated. The new view extension model uses HTML to enable extensions to seamlessly integrate new user interfaces with those of existing snap-ins. MMC 2.0 also includes a specific view extension snap-in, the Extended View snap-in, which provides an interface similar to Web folders. Drag and drop support has been expanded, and console files now use the XML file format. Enhancements to console taskpads make it easier to accomplish tasks.