Eric Kjeldergaard writes: > I have to go with Loren, the BSOD certainly still comes up with > NT/2k/(especially)XP systems. I have had systems that would Blue > Screen about once a week. And, before someone (read Anthony) comes > out saying "You're using bum drivers or flaky apps" I definitely was. > I was, however, using ONLY things coming from the Windows Install CDs > or the Windows updates system which means that it's the OS itself that > is at fault.
No, it's not. The drivers are often written by third parties, even when they are provided with the OS. And if they contain bugs, they may crash the system. Unfortunately, modules that provide access to the hardware for the operating system must execute at the same level of privilege as the kernel; in other words, they must be "trusted." The OS has no defense against bugs in these modules. This is true in any OS, and it is often a problem for operating systems if the device drivers (or their equivalents) are unreliable. The OS itself is not faulting; the device drivers are doing that. But the OS has no choice but to trust the device drivers, otherwise they cannot fulfill their purpose. So if they fault, they often do so in kernel mode, and the OS is forced to take the system down for reasons of safety. -- Anthony _______________________________________________ freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to "[EMAIL PROTECTED]"
