#define WINVER 0x0601 #define _WIN32_WINNT 0x0601 And using the TargetPlatformVersion in Visual Studio projects. This gives you modern tooling while still supporting Windows 7 (though some newer KMDF features will be unavailable). | Aspect | Win7 WDK (legacy) | Win10/11 WDK | |---------|------------------|---------------| | Build system | Build.exe + sources | MSBuild / VS projects | | Debugging | WinDbg 6.11 | WinDbg Preview | | WDF version | 1.9 | 1.33+ (KMDF) / 2.x (UMDF) | | OS target | Windows 7 – Server 2003 | Windows 7 through 11 | | Signing | SHA1 & SHA256 | SHA256 only (with SHA1 deprecated) |
If you're developing a new driver, avoid the original Windows 7 WDK and instead use a modern WDK with Windows 7 as a target OS . Only use the legacy WDK if maintaining a 10+ year old driver that cannot be recompiled with newer toolchains.