Edit

WHQL test signature program

  • Article

The Windows Hardware Quality Labs (WHQL) test signature program supports test-signing of drivers that will subsequently be submitted for a WHQL release signature. Independent hardware vendors (IHVs) that participate in this program can submit driver packages to be test-signed.

Install a driver from a WHQL test-signed driver package by following these steps:

  1. To install the test-signed driver correctly, secure boot must be disabled on the computer. See Disable Secure Boot.

  2. The testsigning boot configuration option must be set on the test computer. See Setting the testsigning boot configuration option.

  3. Once rebooted, system will display a watermark in the bottom right corner of the screen indicating test mode, the Windows SKU, and Windows build information.

  4. Install the driver that was test-signed by the Hardware Developer Center (HDC).

For information about how to obtain a WHQL test signature, send email to winqual@microsoft.com and include "Test Signature" in the subject line.

Disable Secure Boot

  1. If BitLocker is enabled on the boot disk it needs to be suspended before disabling secure boot in UEFI. For more information, see Suspend BitLocker protection for non-Microsoft software updates.

  2. Secure boot must be disabled to install the WHQL test certificate. For more information, see Disabling Secure Boot.

Setting the testsigning boot configuration option

The Microsoft Test Root Authority is accepted when test-signing is enabled by setting the testsigning boot configuration option on the computer in which the test-signed driver package is to be installed. This option is enabled by following these steps:

  1. Open an elevated command prompt window. To open an elevated command prompt window, create a desktop shortcut to cmd.exe, select and hold (or right-click) the cmd.exe shortcut, and select Run as administrator.

  2. In the elevated command prompt window, run the following commands to configure for test signed drivers and reboot the system:

    bcdedit /set testsigning on
shutdown /r /t 00