How to pre-install Win32 DLL for Metro App.

Question

How to install Win32 DLL with restricted API for Metro App on a machine, so that a Metro App can use the already installed Win32 DLL? Wrapping the Win32 DLL with WinRT component DLL  and pre-installing the WinRT comp DLL on the system will work. However, that is not anoption. The Win32 DLL will be installed with the driver (need to be in sync with the Driver)  and hence the necessity of pre-installing it.

Thanks!

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Aptexan

Answer 1

Aptexan,

What bus does your device use?

Best Wishes - Eric

Answer 2

What if you install the Metro-specific wrappers with the metro app, and the win32 DLL in the old good way, by the driver's INF file?

-- pa

Answer 3

I do not know too much of driver details, but pretty sure its PCIe. I am wondering how does the driver details affect any of the Win32 DLL issues I mentioned earlier? 

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Aptexan

Answer 4

As far as I understand the only way to call (in Metro App) a non-windows and non-C-runtime DLL is packaging the DLL with the Metro app. So if you are suggesting a metro-specific  wrapper, how would that wrapper call public API of the Win32 DLL which was already installed on the machine with the driver?

Thanks!

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Aptexan

Answer 5

I do not know too much of driver details, but pretty sure its PCIe. I am wondering how does the driver details affect any of the Win32 DLL issues I mentioned earlier? 

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Aptexan

The device type and bus determines whether a restricted API is the proper choice.  It would not be a good choice for a camera as we have a built in API for that.

Answer 6

The following article contains an alternative solution:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/hardware/hh833785.aspx