flynn017

I've decided to move to WordPress instead of blogger, because it seems to be faster, no Google+ integration is required (only reason I have a Google+ account is for Blogger) and inline LaTeX code seems to work. I also prefer the themes available on WordPress to Blogger too. I've transferred all my posts, links and comments to WordPress. This is actually the second move for this blog, where it originated as a basic HTML website with a poor hosting provider. I then had to rewrite all my webpages for that website onto blogger. Thankfully, an Import/Export feature is supported between Blogger and WordPress! WordPress URL - https://bsodtutorials.wordpress.com/

I thought I would create a list of Maths topics which were relevant for those who are wishing to study Computer Science. I've seen most people on online communities referring to topics which have very little relevance or completely pointless in relation to Computer Science. This list is based upon my experiences and a friend who studies Computer Science at University. I've listed the most popular Computer Science fields and their Maths topics below. General Computer Science: These are the topics which you will typically study in your first year, and therefore will have to do. Graph Theory Linear Algebra (Matrices and Vectors) Calculus I and maybe some Calculus II  Analytical Geometry Set Theory Big O Notation Radicals, Logarithms and Polynomials Logic Computer Graphics:  I'm not too sure about Graphics, but these are the subjects which do have some relevance. Fractal Geometry Linear Algebra Analytical Geometry Differentiable Geometry Hyperbolic Geometry Differential Equati...

I've created a comprehensive and complete WinDbg cheat sheet of the most general and useful extensions/commands which you'll be using regularly. I've added a few data structures to the list too. The list is organised by category, according to the different areas of debugging such as Memory or I/O. Download Link (OneDrive) - https://onedrive.live.com/?cid=7101A9E8FE03DB78&id=7101A9E8FE03DB78!105    If there are any suggestions or corrections to be made, then please leave a comment in the comments section. Additionally, I've been attempting to convert my blog posts into a .DOC format which can be printed, unfortunately I haven't added any images to conserve space and ink. However, I have tried to construct the blog posts so you know which row or column to check; dd commands with the IAT/EAT post for example.

Computers are increasingly being used to solve mathematical problems, and are becoming more prominent in solving problems in Number Theory and Graph Theory, as well as, fields of Physics and Biology. However, computers have been used to create seemingly random numbers for either games or security purposes; these seemingly random numbers are called Pseudo-Random. They may seem random but in fact they aren't random at all. To illustrate the difference between a true random number and a pseudo random number, look a look at the two images I've taken from Bo Allen's blog: True Random Number Pseudo Random Number The difference is very obvious and thus highlights the key differences between a true random generator and a pseudo random number generator. A pseudo random number generator uses a mathematical algorithm, which is able to produce seemingly random numbers. A true random number generator uses methods which can't be predicted, and therefore are truly random. The randomn...

Artificial Intelligence is both a topic of Computer Science and Philosophy, and begins to ask what really makes us human and if we are just a complex biological machine? Alan Turing first asked the question in his 1950 paper named Computing Machinery and Intelligence . The paper is much more accessible in comparison to his paper about Computability Theory and computable numbers, which are real numbers that can be calculated with a terminating algorithm, the computable numbers are also considered countable (number of axioms for this). This blog post won't be long, and I'll probably conclude with a link to my OneDrive account which has a copy of Alan Turing's paper. I'm going to be mostly be talking about the philosophy of Artificial Intelligence. There is one concept which has been of great interest to philosophers since the beginning of civilization, and that is the concept of consciousness, which is the ability to be able to be aware of our own existence. This concept ...

Instead of allowing my blog to completely go 'dead', I've decided to write a short post regarding my hiatus which is going to be used to improve of knowledge mathematics related to physics and computer science. The reason being is because I plan to finally go to University this September/October and study for a degree in Computer Science, and then eventually a Ph.D since I would like to research into the theory of Quantum Computing. To make things easier for myself and to give me an advantage when I do hopefully go to University, I feel it's better to learn the Mathematics beforehand since they are so crucial for a real understanding of the concepts in Theoretical Computer Science and Physics; Theoretical Physics is very mathematically orientated. At the moment, I'm doing Business at college which isn't exactly my intended career path, but I only chose the subject since the Mathematics courses and Computing courses (more like Microsoft Office) didn't teach a...

As you largely know and can guess from the title of my blog, this is primarily a BSOD Debugging blog, and this will always be the primary aim of this blog. However, you as you already know I tend to post topics not directly related to debugging, and will post other topics which interest me like Theoretical Computer Science and Security. I would like to make the following topics more abundant within my blog: -Theoretical Computer Science - System Security - Windows Internals topics will be more tightly focused, which will be areas which you'll mostly need to know for debugging and security purposes. - Debugging generally, for example looking at some of the common error messages. I've chosen to write more things about Theoretical Computer Science, since it's something I would like to do as a career, especially the field of Quantum Computing, since it will combine my interest in Computer Science and Quantum Mechanics. There's some great security tools which I would like to...

Since learning to debug for the first time can be quite difficult at first, I thought I would write a short blog post as a method of motivation and encouragement for those aspiring to be Windows Debuggers. I've arranged the post in a few simple points. Point #1 - Prior Knowledge Expectations Have a clear understanding of computers in general. I'm not asking you to be a expert in a certain field (although it would be extremely helpful), but have a clear understanding of how computers work and how hardware interacts with the operating system at a entry level standard. You should understand the basics of drivers and system security. Without any clear fundamental understanding of computers and Windows, you will certainly struggle to understand some of the more advanced topics. Some programming in C/C++ would be great benefit. Point #2 - Knowledge You don't have to know every single exact detail of how Windows works internally. Yes, you need to have a good understanding of how W...

This is hopefully going to be the upcoming blog posts for February : VTables and Virtual Functions Thread Storage Slots I/O Completion Ports IRP Queues PE Header Sections Registry Internals URBs and USB Internals I'm also going to explore the I/O Manager more, since I haven't written much about it, and to be honest haven't read anything properly which is related to I/O for a while.

I've resurrected this blog's Twitter account, and will be posting any blog updates on there, along with general security and Windows Internals information. I'll also retweet other blog updates and updates from security researchers and debuggers.  You be able to see which topics will be posted during the month, the general topic list so far is: Shadow SSDT Hooking Heap Types Page Fault Types Direct Memory Access Memory Barriers If you have a Twitter account, then please follow @BSODTutorials Thanks for the continued support!

Well, as we all know, it's the first day of 2014 tomorrow; New Year's Day. I thought I would write a very quick blog post wishing all my readers a Happy New Year, just in case I don't have time tomorrow to write one up. Happy New Year !

This blog has really grown, especially during this month, it's been late nights after the pub and work and even college, just staying up and trying to write as much information as possible (whilst being concise and to the point), since I have so many ideas and topics I would like to write about. Anyway, I hope you enjoy reading my blog so far, and I hope it's helped you understand debugging a little more, and turn that at first glance alien language of memory addresses and WinDbg commands into something more understandable. Thanks for the support, and please keep reading my blog, and leave a comment or two, if I've made a mistake somewhere or you would like to have a certain topic added.

This isn't exactly a tutorial related to debugging, it's more a canned speech which you could provide if you wish for the person your helping to upload any Kernel Memory dumps, which are far more useful than Minidumps. Be aware though, Minidumps are also created when a Kernel Memory dump has been configured. Step 1: Create a Microsoft account if you don't have one, and then sign into your SkyDrive account. Step 2: Once signed into your account, enter your Public folder and then use the Upload button to browse to the location of the dump files. It's best to place the dump files into a zipped folder before uploading, to improve upload and download times. Step 3: Once the file/folder has been successfully uploaded, then simply copy and paste the URL of your Public folder. The Public folder is accessible to anyone who knows the URL.

I think this may be the one example of the a user-mode program, actually being the sole cause of a BSOD. While it's technically impossible for a user-mode program to cause a BSOD directly, it can be possible for a user-mode program to cause a kernel-mode driver to act in a manner which would cause a BSOD. In this case, the a user had downloaded several cracked games (which contained infected files), I even gave a warning that cracked games tend to be malware, and it looked like I was exactly right. So, lets begin: one of the games had a application error which I opened with Visual Studio, it indicated that a thread attempted to access a virtual address which it didn't have access to. It's most likely kernel address space in my opinion, I may check this later.  As soon as, I noticed this it gave me assumptions that the game(s) are most likely malware, since I already established with the user they were cracked, and they were in full acknowledgment of this too.  Looking at th...

Microsoft should have hopefully updated their symbol servers on Wednesday 16th October , although, some BSOD debuggers are still reporting problems with the symbols. I know, some dump files do have symbol errors occasionally, but if your getting a large amount then I would contact Microsoft. I've also been very ill for the last few days due to a very contagious stomach bug, so I haven't been presence at all in the online world for the last few days.