GPU-Z 2.50.0 - Does not load on Windows Dev Kit 2023 (Qualcomm Processor)

[qubits]

I tried running GPU-Z on the Windows Dev Kit 2023 which has a Qualcomm 8Cx Gen3 Processor and Adreno GPU

The application installs but does not start. It immediately displays an error dialog and when that is closed, it displays a second error message.

Error Dialog 1: Application immediately exits
"Could not start driver: This driver has been blocked from loading"

Error Dialog 2: Next Error displays the following message
"Could not delete driver: The specified service has been marked for deletion"

The following events are logged in event viewer

1. Service Control Manager event
"The GPU-Z-v2 service failed to start due to the following error:
This driver has been blocked from loading"

2. Application Popup event
"The description for Event ID 1060 from source Application Popup cannot be found. Either the component that raises this event is not installed on your local computer or the installation is corrupted. You can install or repair the component on the local computer.

If the event originated on another computer, the display information had to be saved with the event.

The following information was included with the event:

\??\C:\Users\users\AppData\Local\Temp\GPU-Z-v2.sys

The message resource is present but the message was not found in the message table"

3. Information event
"The description for Event ID 26 from source Application Popup cannot be found. Either the component that raises this event is not installed on your local computer or the installation is corrupted. You can install or repair the component on the local computer.

If the event originated on another computer, the display information had to be saved with the event.

The following information was included with the event:

\??\C:\Users\users\AppData\Local\Temp\GPU-Z-v2.sys failed to load

The message resource is present but the message was not found in the message table"

Basic Specifications
OS Name: Windows 11 Pro
System Model: Windows Dev Kit 2023
System Type: ARM64-based PC
System: SKU 2043
Processor: Snapdragon 8Cx Gen 3 Compute Platform, 2995 MHz, 8 Core (s), 8 Logical Processor(s)
Installed Physical Memory: 32GB
Baseboard Manufacturer: Microsoft Corporation

The same error occurs in standalone mode

 

[Naki]

What makes you think GPU-Z will or should work on ARM CPUs?

 

[StefanM]

Drivers for hardware, games, and apps may only work if they're designed for a Windows 11 Arm-based PC. Check directly with the organization that developed the driver to find relevant Arm64 updates.

source: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/arm/dev-kit/

 

[W1zzard]

No arm support in gpuz at this time.
That dev kit is kinda expensive. What’s the cheapest option for me to play with arm on windows?

 

[Naki]

No arm support in gpuz at this time.
That dev kit is kinda expensive. What’s the cheapest option for me to play with arm on windows?

I think Samsung Galaxy Book Go laptop (14.0" LED Screen - Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 7C Gen 2 Processor - 4GB Memory - 128GB eMMC) - might be it.
Costs around $315 US but this is with a discount, and sold in the USA.

The price in Europe might not be quite the same low one.

 

[thewan]

No arm support in gpuz at this time.
That dev kit is kinda expensive. What’s the cheapest option for me to play with arm on windows?

that should be the older devkit, the ECS LIVA QC710 which was 220USD. It used to be available on the Microsoft store, but I guess it has been replaced by that newer more expensive dev kit. Maybe you can find one used or refurb, or even new somewhere else?

https://www.ecs.com.tw/en/Product/LIVA/LIVA_QC710/overview

seems to be really slow based on this review, should be fine to test apps on probably.

Qualcomm QC710 Developer Kit Review

Qualcomm's QC710 Developer Kit for Windows-on-ARM apps is a fully functional PC, but it shows just how poorly Windows-on-Snapdragon devices continue to perform versus established AMD and Intel systems.

www.pcmag.com

the alternative would be the Dot 1 Mini PC which can be bought directly from their website, also starting 220 USD. Its probably the same insides as the above QC710:

Dot 1 Mini PC

Apcsilmic presents Dot 1 Mini PC which is energy-efficient and a fanless mini PC. The tiny PC packs incredible performance with an ARM processor to run Windows 11 seamlessly. Dot 1 provides enhanced connectivity with 4G LTE support and multiple ports. Get the best ARM Windows 11 Mini PC now.

www.apcsilmic.com

Apcsilmic Dot 1 - A Windows 11 Arm mini PC powered by Snapdragon 7c SoC - CNX Software

Apcsilmic Dot 1 is an affordable Snapdragon 7c powered Windows 11 Arm Mini PC that offers an alternative to ECS LIVA Mini Box QC710 Desktop Snapdragon 7c

www.cnx-software.com

note that the FAQ states as per CNX link above:

Yes, it comes with a pre-installed Windows 11 but the Windows OS will be unlicensed. Users need to purchase a Windows license from Apcsilmic or Microsoft in order to activate Windows OS.

 

[qubits]

No arm support in gpuz at this time.
That dev kit is kinda expensive. What’s the cheapest option for me to play with arm on windows?

Ok. There are two official Dev Kits for Windows on Snapdragon.
The Snapdragon Dev Kit QC710 by Qualcomm which runs on Windows 10 and the new Windows Dev Kit 2023 by Microsoft which runs on Windows 11.

The earlier Snapdragon Kit is the cheaper one but has less RAM. This appears to be discontinued and now replaced by the new version by Microsoft.
I'm not sure what price it will be in your region.

Qualcomm Snapdragon Windows on Arm Dev Kit QC710

Snapdragon Developer Kit for Windows PCs Now Available As Cost-Effective Resource | Qualcomm

Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. today announces commercial availability of the Snapdragon® Developer Kit for Windows on Snapdragon PCs. First debuted during the Company’s Virtual Announcement this summer, the Snapdragon Developer Kit is an ultra-small

www.qualcomm.com

Windows Dev Kit 2023

Available today: Windows Dev Kit 2023 aka Project Volterra

blogs.windows.com

What makes you think GPU-Z will or should work on ARM CPUs?

Hi Naki, the Windows Dev Kit 2023 edition supports emulation of x86/x64 binaries to run on ARM64.
I can run both x86 and x64 CPU-Z applications on the device. I was hoping this was also possible with GPU-Z.

I understand it's early days with this hardware, but it may be GPU-Z hasn't been optimised for it yet.

 

[Naki]

@qubits - OKay, I understand.

Please note there may be another issue here too.
GPU-Z officially supports only THREE GPU brands/makers, IIRC - Intel, AMD (including their older name/brand ATI), Nvidia.
So, adding a 4th one (it seems the GPU is also made by Snapdragon) may require extra work.

 

[thewan]

I tried running GPU-Z on the Windows Dev Kit 2023 which has a Qualcomm 8Cx Gen3 Processor and Adreno GPU

The application installs but does not start. It immediately displays an error dialog and when that is closed, it displays a second error message.

Error Dialog 1: Application immediately exits
"Could not start driver: This driver has been blocked from loading"

Error Dialog 2: Next Error displays the following message
"Could not delete driver: The specified service has been marked for deletion"

The following events are logged in event viewer

1. Service Control Manager event
"The GPU-Z-v2 service failed to start due to the following error:
This driver has been blocked from loading"

2. Application Popup event
"The description for Event ID 1060 from source Application Popup cannot be found. Either the component that raises this event is not installed on your local computer or the installation is corrupted. You can install or repair the component on the local computer.

If the event originated on another computer, the display information had to be saved with the event.

The following information was included with the event:

\??\C:\Users\users\AppData\Local\Temp\GPU-Z-v2.sys

The message resource is present but the message was not found in the message table"

3. Information event
"The description for Event ID 26 from source Application Popup cannot be found. Either the component that raises this event is not installed on your local computer or the installation is corrupted. You can install or repair the component on the local computer.

If the event originated on another computer, the display information had to be saved with the event.

The following information was included with the event:

\??\C:\Users\users\AppData\Local\Temp\GPU-Z-v2.sys failed to load

The message resource is present but the message was not found in the message table"

Hi Naki, the Windows Dev Kit 2023 edition supports emulation of x86/x64 binaries to run on ARM64.
I can run both x86 and x64 CPU-Z applications on the device. I was hoping this was also possible with GPU-Z.

I understand it's early days with this hardware, but it may be GPU-Z hasn't been optimised for it yet.

Your first post already answers the question why it doesn't work. Windows on arm emulates binaries, aka applications/software. It doesn't allow non-arm drivers to be used or installed.
applications/software =/= drivers

Windows Arm-based PCs FAQ - Microsoft Support

Learn about using a Windows Arm-based PC and get answers to common questions about Arm-based PCs.

support.microsoft.com

There are some limitations when you run a Windows 11 Arm-based PC:
Drivers for hardware, games and apps will only work if they're designed for a Windows 11 Arm-based PC. For more info, check with the hardware manufacturer or the organization that developed the driver. Drivers are software programs that communicate with hardware devices—they're commonly used for antivirus and antimalware software, printing or PDF software, assistive technologies, CD and DVD utilities, and virtualization software.
If a driver doesn’t work, the app or hardware that relies on it won’t work either (at least not fully). Peripherals and devices only work if the drivers they depend on are built into Windows 11, or if the hardware developer has released Arm64 drivers for the device.

GPU-Z loads its own driver to interface with GPUs and its therefore blocked from executing, as your error and event viewer states. The driver probably has to be ported to arm at least, or worse, rewritten from scratch for arm. Don't expect it to come to arm unless it can be done with minimal effort as the user base is too small and it is such a niche market currently with very few devices and manufacturers. Not to mention there is not much use case for it outside of curiosity, since you can't play much games at that performance level, native or not.

 

[thewan]

“Project Volterra” review: Microsoft’s $600 Arm PC that almost doesn’t suck

There’s a reason it isn’t a Surface PC, but it’s good for its intended purpose.

arstechnica.com

heres a review for the new devkit. It might be worth considering just for the superior performance compared to the old one. less frustration and slowness when testing and debugging apps maybe?

 

[qubits]

“Project Volterra” review: Microsoft’s $600 Arm PC that almost doesn’t suck

There’s a reason it isn’t a Surface PC, but it’s good for its intended purpose.

arstechnica.com

heres a review for the new devkit. It might be worth considering just for the superior performance compared to the old one. less frustration and slowness when testing and debugging apps maybe?

Yes, the new Visual Studio 2022 17.4 has a version built natively for ARM. With this one it can be used to Develop applications on the device and not only recommended for debugging like the earlier devices which had less onboard memory

 

[Naki]

Yes, the new Visual Studio 2022 17.4 has a version built natively for ARM. With this one it can be used to Develop applications on the device and not only recommended for debugging like the earlier devices which had less onboard memory

This Windows on ARM platform sounds promising to me.
They covered all bases - development system, laptops, desktop PCs, and even tablet PCs exist.

But with Microsoft you never know!
This could all disappear in a "puff of magic smoke" in 3-4 years' time.
It has happened before.. (Windows Phone? And Windows Mobile/Pocket PC prior to that.)