The Old New Thing
Practical development throughout the evolution of Windows.
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Apr 24, 2026
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2
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Defending against exceptions in a scope_exit RAII type
But maybe it's not worth it.
Apr 23, 2026
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11
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Another crash caused by uninstaller code injection into Explorer
Inadvertently destroying a staircase while standing on it.
Apr 22, 2026
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2
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Mapping the page tables into memory via the page tables
So-called "fractal page mapping".
Apr 21, 2026
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28
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3
Sure, xor’ing a register with itself is the idiom for zeroing it out, but why not sub?
Somehow xor became the most popular version.
Apr 20, 2026
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1
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How did code handle 24-bit-per-pixel formats when using video cards with bank-switched memory?
You still have to use aligned accesses, even though the pixels might not be aligned.
Apr 17, 2026
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1
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4
Forgotten message from the past: LB_INITSTORAGE
Preallocating memory to avoid quadratic behavior.
Apr 16, 2026
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9
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What’s up with window message 0x0091? We’re getting it with unexpected parameters
Trespassing on system messages.
Apr 15, 2026
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0
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Why is there a long delay between a thread exiting and the WaitForSingleObject returning?
Maybe it didn't really exit.
Apr 14, 2026
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2
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3
Why was there a red telephone at every receptionist desk?
Not a direct line to Bill Gates's office.
