Device Capture (Windows)

This guide walks you through capturing device register data from your Apollo on Windows using WinRing0. This data helps us support Apollo models we don't have physical access to.

The capture script is read-only — it reads status and configuration registers from the device. It makes zero writes to hardware.

What is WinRing0?

WinRing0 is an open-source kernel driver that provides userspace access to PCIe configuration space and memory-mapped I/O registers. It is widely used by hardware monitoring tools such as HWiNFO, Open Hardware Monitor, and LibreHardwareMonitor.

Source code: https://github.com/GermanAizek/WinRing0

Security considerations

WinRing0 installs a kernel-mode driver (WinRing0x64.sys) that allows userspace programs to read (and potentially write) hardware registers. This is a privileged capability. You should:

• Only install WinRing0 on a machine you trust
• Use the setup script provided, which installs to a known location
• Uninstall WinRing0 after capturing (instructions below)
• Verify the download hash matches what is documented

The capture script uses WinRing0 in read-only mode — it calls only read functions and never writes to any register.

Step 1: Install WinRing0

Open PowerShell as Administrator and run the setup script:

cd open-apollo\tools\contribute\windows
.\setup.ps1

The setup script downloads WinRing0, verifies the file hash, and installs the kernel driver service. It places files under C:\Program Files\OpenApollo\WinRing0\.

Step 2: Run the capture

Make sure your Apollo is connected via Thunderbolt and powered on. UAD software should be installed (the driver must be active).

In the same Administrator PowerShell:

python capture.py

Or with a custom output path:

python capture.py --output C:\Users\You\Desktop\apollo-capture.json

The script will:

1. Verify it is running as Administrator
2. Check that WinRing0 is installed
3. Scan the PCI bus for a Universal Audio device
4. Read PCI configuration space (vendor ID, device ID, BAR addresses)
5. Read BAR0 status registers (firmware version, device type, serial, DSP status, sample rate)
6. Save everything to a JSON file

Step 3: Review the capture

Before submitting, open the JSON file and review its contents. It contains:

• System info: Windows version, architecture, Python version
• Device info: Apollo model, PCI location, vendor/device IDs
• PCI configuration: Standard PCI identification fields
• BAR0 registers: Firmware version, device type, serial number, DSP status, sample rate

It does not contain: personal information, audio data, filesystem paths, user account names, or any data unrelated to the Apollo hardware.

Step 4: Uninstall WinRing0

After capturing, remove WinRing0 from your system.

Open PowerShell as Administrator:

Stop-Service -Name WinRing0_1_2_0 -Force
sc.exe delete WinRing0_1_2_0
Remove-Item -Recurse "$env:ProgramFiles\OpenApollo\WinRing0"

Restart your computer (optional but recommended).

Verify removal:

Get-Service -Name WinRing0_1_2_0
# Should return: "Cannot find any service with service name..."

What data is captured (technical details)

The capture script reads the following BAR0 register offsets:

It also reads the first 64 bytes of PCI configuration space, which contains standard PCI fields: vendor ID, device ID, BAR addresses, and subsystem information.

All reads use WinRing0's read-only functions. No writes are performed to any register.

See tools/contribute/windows/WHAT-THIS-DOES.md in the repository for additional details.

Next steps

• Submitting Your Data — how to submit your capture
• How to Contribute — other ways to help