Brother
Professional
- Messages
- 2,590
- Reaction score
- 539
- Points
- 113
How 64 devices made Windows impenetrable.
A recent video on Dave's Garage channel discussed an interesting Microsoft development tool, the USB 'Death Cart'. The video was attended by two famous Windows developers who talked about the design and purpose of this device.
The mail cart was crammed with more than 60 USB devices of various types and functions connected in series. Computers connected to it often immediately gave out a blue screen of death, especially in early times.
The show's host is Dave Plummer, known for his contributions to the Windows Task Manager, Windows Pinball, Calculator, and ZIP folders. He was joined in the video by Raymond Chen, who has been working on Windows development for more than 30 years and is the author of the book "The Old New Thing".
Chen recalls that with the advent of USB and its support in Windows, it became important to ensure that this technology is as reliable as possible. The Death Cart was created to test the resilience of Windows to numerous USB devices. It included three mice, four keyboards, printers, disks, and various USB peripherals. To control the cart, a USB gaming steering wheel was attached to it.
This cart was used to 'terrorize' Windows developers. Chen said that it was brought to the developer's office and connected to the computer being tested. The result of this connection was an almost instantaneous triggering of the blue screen of death, which gave the cart its nickname.
Chen also mentioned that the cart was used to prepare computers for debugging after crashes. In the USB testing lab, it could randomly connect and disconnect the cart, causing computer crashes. The next morning, developers came and debugged the crashed machines, which helped stabilize USB support in Windows.
Chen humorously noted that after fixing one USB bug, the system "crashed for a different reason" the next time.
Older readers may be familiar with the failure to connect a USB scanner during Bill Gates Comdex presentation. Chen suggests that this incident may have inspired the creation of the Death Cart.
A recent video on Dave's Garage channel discussed an interesting Microsoft development tool, the USB 'Death Cart'. The video was attended by two famous Windows developers who talked about the design and purpose of this device.
The mail cart was crammed with more than 60 USB devices of various types and functions connected in series. Computers connected to it often immediately gave out a blue screen of death, especially in early times.
The show's host is Dave Plummer, known for his contributions to the Windows Task Manager, Windows Pinball, Calculator, and ZIP folders. He was joined in the video by Raymond Chen, who has been working on Windows development for more than 30 years and is the author of the book "The Old New Thing".
Chen recalls that with the advent of USB and its support in Windows, it became important to ensure that this technology is as reliable as possible. The Death Cart was created to test the resilience of Windows to numerous USB devices. It included three mice, four keyboards, printers, disks, and various USB peripherals. To control the cart, a USB gaming steering wheel was attached to it.
This cart was used to 'terrorize' Windows developers. Chen said that it was brought to the developer's office and connected to the computer being tested. The result of this connection was an almost instantaneous triggering of the blue screen of death, which gave the cart its nickname.
Chen also mentioned that the cart was used to prepare computers for debugging after crashes. In the USB testing lab, it could randomly connect and disconnect the cart, causing computer crashes. The next morning, developers came and debugged the crashed machines, which helped stabilize USB support in Windows.
Chen humorously noted that after fixing one USB bug, the system "crashed for a different reason" the next time.
Older readers may be familiar with the failure to connect a USB scanner during Bill Gates Comdex presentation. Chen suggests that this incident may have inspired the creation of the Death Cart.
