The Old New Thing

Practical development throughout the evolution of Windows.

Latest posts

Jul 1, 2026
Post comments count 2
Post likes count 1

It rather involved being on the other side of this airtight hatchway: Changing administrative settings

Raymond Chen

Unlocking the door from the inside.

Jun 30, 2026
Post comments count 0
Post likes count 1

2026 mid-year link clearance

Raymond Chen

Made it to another midpoint.

Jun 30, 2026
Post comments count 4
Post likes count 2

A compatibility note on the abuse of Windows window class extra bytes

Raymond Chen

Finding an illicit place to hide data.

Jun 29, 2026
Post comments count 2
Post likes count 2

The evolution of window and class extra bytes in Windows

Raymond Chen

The intended usage is encoded in the prefix.

Jun 26, 2026
Post comments count 21
Post likes count 5

The case of the DLL that was not present in memory despite not being formally unloaded, part 2

Raymond Chen

Tying two bugs together.

Jun 25, 2026
Post comments count 3
Post likes count 4

Raymond’s hot take on Hainanese chicken

Raymond Chen

Subtlety.

Jun 25, 2026
Post comments count 5
Post likes count 8

The case of the DLL that was not present in memory despite not being formally unloaded, part 1

Raymond Chen

Figuring out how it went missing.

Jun 24, 2026
Post comments count 0
Post likes count 1

Cancellation of Windows Runtime activities is asynchronous

Raymond Chen

You're asking for it to cancel, but it doesn't wait for confirmation.

Jun 23, 2026
Post comments count 10
Post likes count 3

Microspeak elaborated: Isn’t escrow just a release candidate by another name?

Raymond Chen

Yes, but the name is a psychological trick.