Delve inside the Windows kernel with noted internals experts Mark Russinovich and David Solomon, in collaboration with the Microsoft Windows product development team. This classic guide—fully updated for Windows Server 2003, Windows XP, and Windows 2000, including 64-bit extensions—describes the architecture and internals of the Windows operating system. You’ll find hands-on experiments you can use to experience Windows internal behavior firsthand, along with advanced troubleshooting information to help you keep your systems running smoothly and efficiently. Whether you’re a developer or a system administrator, you’ll find critical architectural insights that you can quickly apply for better design, debugging, performance, and support.

Get in-depth, inside knowledge of the Windows operating system:

• Understand the key mechanisms that configure and control Windows, including dispatching, startup and shutdown, and the registry
• Explore the Windows security model, including access, privileges, and auditing
• Investigate internal system architecture using the kernel debugger and other tools
• Examine the data structures and algorithms that deal with processes, threads, and jobs
• Observe how Windows manages virtual and physical memory
• Understand the operation and format of NTFS, and troubleshoot file system access problems
• View the Windows networking stack from top to bottom, including mapping, APIs, name resolution, and protocol drivers
• Troubleshoot boot problems and perform crash analysis