Nvidia Driver files reveals Win8 kernel version number

[vista18000]

Several nvidia users report windows 8 kernel version information might be leaked in the latest Quadro driver ver. 265.90. In the nv_disp.inf file, several sections reveals the existence of Windows NT.6.2. Currently we are not sure whether it is just a interim kernel number or the final one. It has been rumored windows 8 may contain a completely re-designed kernel with a kernel version of NT 7.0. Besides, various information about feature sets in win8 has surfed in recent months but they are not officially confirmed. However, from the disclosed driver information, we can make sure that instead of 64-bit exclusively, windows 8 client will contain a 32-bit version for backward compatibility.

Several screenshots here:) (In courtesy of www.mydrivers.com)

[Hell-In-A-Handbasket]

...where is the suprise?

It would be stupid to not to assume that windows 8 has not been in testing for at least 2 years

[Detection]

32bit... so there goes the rumour that Windows 8 will be 64bit only

[George P Global Moderator]

It might as well just be a early alpha build and thus we have no big version number changes yet. Or they could be sticking with the 6.x version number for the same reason they made win7 6.1 and not 7.0, for compatibility.

[treemonster]

ofc they are testing win8 well in advance. people still act as if nvidia was the only hardware maker with crap drivers for the first year vista was out.

[Ci7]

32bit... so there goes the rumour that Windows 8 will be 64bit only

depend if you mean by running only '64bit app' , which off course they never will in the short and mid range

you never know , may just test it internally and drop it as platform later

as they still need to test those part for 64bit windows anyway

or it could be for 'Windows 8 starter ' ?

It might as well just be a early alpha build and thus we have no big version number changes yet. Or they could be sticking with the 6.x version number for the same reason they made win7 6.1 and not 7.0, for compatibility.

devs deserve to be screwed , if they still to stick with that sooooooo '90s methods

[yowanvista]

Several nvidia users report windows 8 kernel version information might be leaked in the latest Quadro driver ver. 265.90. In the nv_disp.inf file, several sections reveals the existence of Windows NT.6.2. Currently we are not sure whether it is just a interim kernel number or the final one. It has been rumored windows 8 may contain a completely re-designed kernel with a kernel version of NT 7.0. Besides, various information about feature sets in win8 has surfed in recent months but they are not officially confirmed. However, from the disclosed driver information, we can make sure that instead of 64-bit exclusively, windows 8 client will contain a 32-bit version for backward compatibility.

Several screenshots here:) (In courtesy of www.mydrivers.com)

Link?

[+John Teacake MVC]

How the heck can it be the final version?

[Ci7]

i would suspect it would be NT6.2 or maybe 6.5 :p

guess windows 10 would break BC

so now it would be Windows 1 R2 hehehehee xD

How the heck can it be the final version?

who said anything about it being final version ????

[hdood]

Not to be anal, but this isn't the kernel version. It's the Windows version. The kernel isn't a separate component on Windows, and Windows 7 is not "OS version 7.0, kernel version 6.1." Windows 7 is just 6.1. When an application wants to know if it is running on Windows 7, it checks if the Windows version is 6.1.

Any claims that Windows 8 will contain a "completely re-designed kernel" is utter nonsense written by complete imbeciles. Come on. It will be an incremental update of the work that has been done over the last 20 years, like it should be.

And finally, who cares. The version number doesn't mean anything when it comes to the kernel or drivers, although Microsoft does tend to not increment the major version (6) unless they make major breaking changes that affect applications.

[ToneKnee]

Not to be anal, but this isn't the kernel version. It's the Windows version. The kernel isn't a separate component on Windows, and Windows 7 is not "OS version 7.0, kernel version 6.1." Windows 7 is just 6.1. When an application wants to know if it is running on Windows 7, it checks if the Windows version is 6.1.

Any claims that Windows 8 will contain a "completely re-designed kernel" is utter nonsense written by complete imbeciles. Come on. It will be an incremental update of the work that has been done over the last 20 years, like it should be.

And finally, who cares. The version number doesn't mean anything when it comes to the kernel or drivers, although Microsoft does tend to not increment the major version (6) unless they make major breaking changes that affect applications.

The kernel will be a major upgrade over the previous ones, that's why Windows 7 only got a .1 release rather than a new version. It's something to get excited about, but you are right, doesn't mean Microsoft have written a completely new kernel. It'll just be another example of MinNT (was that the name?) where people thought it meant a brand new kernel, but later turned out to be a name which Microsoft use to release a kernel, to later go back, trim the fat and streamline it to the next one.

[hdood]

The kernel will be a major upgrade over the previous ones, that's why Windows 7 only got a .1 release rather than a new version.

Windows 7 originally had 7.0 as the version number, but it was changed back to 6.1 because some poorly written applications (nothing to do with the kernel) checked for exactly 6 as the major version, even though they would have worked on Windows 7. Instead of adding more shims to patch programs (Windows already contains patches for around 7000 named applications and games), they just changed the version number since it doesn't actually mean anything at all anyway.

As for "major upgrades" of the kernel, Windows 7 does have some pretty radical and risky rewrites of critical parts of the kernel. It's not quite as minor as many think.

It'll just be another example of MinNT (was that the name?) where people thought it meant a brand new kernel, but later turned out to be a name which Microsoft use to release a kernel, to later go back, trim the fat and streamline it to the next one.

I think you mean MinWin and the ongoing work to refactor Windows code (mainly non-kernel code, as the kernel isn't the problem) to make it more modular with clearly defined dependencies. It's still the same Windows, not anything new. It just makes the code more manageable.