Windows Internals
Windows Internals by Russinovich, Solomon and Ionescuby Russinovich, Solomon and Ionescu
Ranked 3 of 4 operating systems textbooks by recommenders
People recommend it as a deep guide to how Windows works inside, with general lessons in OS design. No caveat was raised.
People recommend it as a deep guide to how Windows works inside, with general lessons in OS design. No caveat was raised.
6 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 6
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 4 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 6 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 4 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Explains Windows internals and OS design
“Windows Internals being about Windows teaches you generally good lessons in OS design”
Comment from 26 May 2026 in “Nobody cracks open a programming book anymore” “Before Windows Internals book we all know”
Comment from 24 Apr 2026 in “Windows 9x Subsystem for Linux” “Windows Internals will be your friend, if you want to know more.”
Comment from 6 Feb 2026 in “Microsoft open-sources LiteBox, a security-focused library OS” Well-known standard reference for Windows
“Windows Internals will be your friend, if you want to know more.”
Comment from 6 Feb 2026 in “Microsoft open-sources LiteBox, a security-focused library OS” “Before Windows Internals book we all know”
Comment from 24 Apr 2026 in “Windows 9x Subsystem for Linux” Series covers modern Windows editions
“I recommend the book series of the same name by Pavel Yosifovich”
Comment from 15 Feb 2026 in “Windows NT/OS2 Design Workbook” “For more modern Windows, Windows Internals Parts 1 and 2”
Comment from 14 Feb 2026 in “Windows NT/OS2 Design Workbook”
Other operating systems textbooks people recommend
The three most recommended other operating systems textbooks, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating Systems: Three Easy Piecesby Remzi Arpaci-Dusseau and Andrea Arpaci-Dusseau | 11 | 1 | 92% | 7 | — | Approved |
| Operating Systems: Design and Implementationby Andrew Tanenbaum | 7 | 2 | 78% | 4 | — | — |
| Windows Internalsby Russinovich, Solomon and IonescuThis page | 6 | 0 | 100% | 4 | — | — |
| Operating Systems: Internals and Design Principlesby William Stallings | 2 | 2 | 50% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
6 of the 8 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“Windows Internals being about Windows teaches you generally good lessons in OS design”
“It starts from disassembly of WIN.COM studying the insides of DOS”
“Before Windows Internals book we all know”
“I recommend the book series of the same name by Pavel Yosifovich”
“For more modern Windows, Windows Internals Parts 1 and 2”
“Windows Internals will be your friend, if you want to know more.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.