Windows 10X will give up support for desktop drivers and only support DCH drivers

According to previous rumors, the Windows 10X version has now completed the final version development, and after it is delivered to OEM manufacturers, Microsoft will make minor repairs through updates.

It is also true that more news about this version is gradually being revealed, for example, this version no longer supports Win32 desktop software and there is no plan to support it in the future.

This means that only UWP and native ARM64 software can be run for users, so Windows 10X is not the best choice for most consumers.

However, Microsoft seems to be preparing to continue to enhance the restrictions of this version. The latest news is that any desktop version of the driver cannot be directly installed and used on Windows 10X.

According to Microsoft’s official documents, Microsoft has reorganized the classification of drivers, and different types of driver platforms and certification requirements are different.

For example, Windows 10 Desktop supports universal drivers and desktop drivers, while the X version can only run DCH (Declarative Componentized Hardware supported apps) drivers.

The design principle requirements of the universal driver include compliance with DCH rules, compliance with the principle of driver isolation, compliance with API classification requirements, and Microsoft certification.

Considering that the Windows 10X version is mainly pre-installed through OEM drivers, the drivers on this system must be certified by Microsoft.

However, for users, if they want to install the Windows 10X version or use some non-well-known company accessories, the driver may be a problem.

For example, if the accessory manufacturer does not develop a universal driver, it may be unable to use the Windows 10X version without a driver.

This kind of regulation by Microsoft is actually not a technical limitation. This strategy is actually based on security considerations by Microsoft and can be used to circumvent potential security issues.

The Windows 10X version is positioned at the entry-level and education markets. For middle school students, some software unintentionally installed may bring viruses and other malicious software.

This version itself does not support desktop software installation, but the driver may still bring viruses, and now ordinary drivers will be rejected directly by Microsoft.

Now only the universal drivers certified by Microsoft can be installed, which actually limits the software installation channels and can greatly reduce security issues.

Of course, as mentioned above, this may also cause confusion for some users and accessory manufacturers, which must develop a special DCH driver for accessory manufacturers.