Checked Build of Windows

Note

Checked builds were available on older versions of Windows, before Windows 10 version 1803. Use tools such as Driver Verifier and GFlags to check driver code in later versions of Windows.

This section describes how the Microsoft Windows checked build (also known as the debug build) of the Windows operating systems differs from the free build (also known as the retail build) of this operating system. The section describes how the unique features of the checked build can assist in developing and debugging drivers on x86 and x64 platforms. The section also lists several methods for installing and using the checked build in different driver development and debugging environments.

In this section

• Checked and Free Build Differences
• Using the Checked Build of Windows
• Installing the Checked Build of Windows
• Checked Build Breakpoints and Messages
• Checked Build ASSERTs