replace the VHD/diskpart disk image pipeline with a directory-based vvfat root, we'll see when it breaks, fix /O2, add an all_tests, generalize the fat32 driver into a fat 16+32 driver, change policy on volume drivers, collapse KCPU's fields into a single atomic KE_CPU_STATE state machine, move scheduler ticking to per-CPU LAPIC timers, gate verbose SMP topology logging behind selftest diagnostics and add SMP pool-checkpoint validation around AP admission, add checked intrusive list helpers behind a new KE_DEBUG_LIST_CHECKS flag, add ObInitializeObjectHeader/ObTryReferenceObject, add waitable display clock objects and a SYS_OPEN_DISPLAY_CLOCK syscall for vsync-style waits, refactor kernel input into a per-queue KE_INPUT_CONTEXT with its own key/mouse ring buffers and DPC-driven key repeat, add KeInputQueuePeekEvent/ReadEvent/WaitKey and a SYS_QUERY_GLOBAL_INPUT_STATE syscall, split the kernel pool allocator out of mm_virt, new video files!

code/public/ntlite/ddk/ddk.h

@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@
 #include <ntlite/ddk/time.h>
 #include <ntlite/ddk/timer.h>
 
-#define NTL_DDK_VERSION 1u
+#define NTL_DDK_VERSION 2u
 
 // Root DDK table passed to kernel drivers by the driver loader.
 typedef struct NTL_DDK {

code/public/ntlite/ddk/object.h

@@ -4,8 +4,9 @@
 
 #include <stddef.h>
 #include <stdint.h>
+#include <stdbool.h>
 
-// Kernel object type identifiers used by the legacy object header.
+// Kernel object type identifiers used by the shared object header.
 typedef enum OBJECT_TYPE {
     ObjectTypeProcess      = 1,
     ObjectTypeThread       = 2,
@@ -27,16 +28,35 @@ typedef enum OBJECT_TYPE {
     ObjectTypeImageSection = 18,
     ObjectTypeTimer        = 19,
     ObjectTypeModule       = 20,
+    ObjectTypeDisplayClock = 21,
 } OBJECT_TYPE;
 
-// Legacy object header embedded by current driver/device objects.
+typedef enum OBJECT_LIFETIME_STATE {
+    ObjectAlive = 1,
+    ObjectDying,
+    ObjectDead
+} OBJECT_LIFETIME_STATE;
+
+#define OBJECT_FLAG_INSERTED 0x00000001u
+#define OBJECT_FLAG_UNLINKED 0x00000002u
+
+// Object header embedded by kernel and driver-owned reference-counted objects.
 typedef struct OBJECT {
     OBJECT_TYPE Type;
     volatile long RefCount;
+    volatile long LifetimeState;
+    volatile long Flags;
     void (*Destroy)(struct OBJECT* self);
 } OBJECT;
 
-// Increments an object's reference count.
+// Initializes an embedded object header with one live reference.
+__declspec(dllexport) void ObInitializeObjectHeader(OBJECT* object, OBJECT_TYPE type);
+
+// Acquires a reference only while the object is alive and inserted.
+// The caller must stabilize the pointer through its owning lock or reference.
+__declspec(dllexport) bool ObTryReferenceObject(OBJECT* object);
+
+// Increments an object's reference count and stops on stale-object misuse.
 __declspec(dllexport) void ObReferenceObject(OBJECT* object);
 
 // Decrements an object's reference count and destroys it when it reaches zero.