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Display Name (?):

Windows User Mode Driver Framework

Short Name (?):

UMWdf

Executable (?):

wdfmgr.exe

Library (?):

None.

Depends On (?):

Remote Procedure Call (RPC)

Supports (?):

None.

Description (?):

Enables Windows user mode drivers.

OS (?):

NT4 Server, 2000 Server

Startup (?):

Default	Home	Workstation	Server	Minimal	Tweaked	Automatic
Automatic	Automatic	Automatic	Automatic	Disabled	Disabled	Disabled

Explanation (?):

The Windows user mode driver framework provides the ability for Windows to load drivers in user mode rather than in kernel mode. This means that if a user plugs in a device then they can install the driver for the device without it affecting the overall system. Normally drivers run at the system's level and this gives the drivers and the devices that use them very low-level access. Given this implementation the user could install a driver for themselves and it would operate at their privileges, much like how their applications run. This would be useful for USB keys, portable hard-drive, portable media players, cell phones, and other plug and play devices that shouldn't necessarily have kernel level drivers. This service is implemented in the .NET framework and is aimed for Windows XP, but it should be available in Longhorn.

By default this service is running and consumes memory. For the majority of users this service will provide no abilities, at least not in the near future. However, for the greatest compatability this service should remain as an automatic service. But, you can safely disable it. If you are using a computer where everyone is an administrator then the features provided by this service are fairly useless and you may want to disable the service to save memory. In some future devices this service may be required so if you ever have a device that fails to detect when plugged in then you may want to make sure this service is running.