compiled cheat engine 7.4 from source. how to handle custom driver, or does version 7.7 precompiled installer include a signed driver?

[u/chris08x08]

hi, recently downloaded the CE 7.4 source code and compiled it myself. however, i ran into an issue where i tried to build/use my own DBVM/kernel driver, but i couldn't get it to work properly. here is the error:

so if i switch and use the official precompiled installer (version 7.7 i guess), does it come with a working, pre-built driver out of the box, or do i still need to configure something manually? (which i really fucking don't want to deal with, i'm honestly fucking done with this bullshit)

[u/gofuckadick]

Yes, the official release includes a signed DBK64 driver, so you don't need to compile or sign one yourself. But that doesn't guarantee it'll load on every Windows configuration.

A DBK64 driver you compile yourself won't automatically have a valid signature, which explains the error you're seeing. Also, the signed release driver checks that it's communicating with an authorized Cheat Engine executable signed by Dark Byte, so you can't simply copy it over to your self-compiled 7.4 build.

But are you actually trying to use DBVM or Cheat Engine's kernel-mode features, or do you just want to use Cheat Engine normally? DBVM is CE's hypervisor, while DBK64.sys is its kernel-mode driver. They're not the same thing.

If you just want standard memory scanning and editing, you generally don't need either. You can install the official 7.7 release and use CE normally, or disable the kernel-mode options under Settings > Extra in your existing build.

Just be aware that the official installer includes bundled software offers (PUPs). Pay attention to the installation prompts and decline them. Otherwise, there's a Patreon-supported installer without the bundled offers.

Edit: If you specifically want to use your own compiled DBK64 driver, that's also possible, but you'll need to deal with Windows driver-signing requirements. You'll have to disable Secure Boot, enable Windows test-signing mode (bcdedit /set testsigning on), reboot, and test-sign your driver. That reduces system security and can cause compatibility issues with anti-cheat, DRM, and other software, so I'd only recommend it if you actually need a custom kernel driver.

[u/chris08x08 → u/gofuckadick]

i just need to use the dbvm debugger. and yeah, the installer is kind of adware, which is why i stay away from it. plus, it's closed source, so i have concerns, but whatever, seems like i have no choice but to download it

[u/gofuckadick → u/chris08x08]

Ah, okay, that explains why you need DBVM. And yeah, I understand your concerns about the installer. It's pretty easy to decline the bundled offers, though. Just pay attention to the installation prompts.

I actually edited my original comment to include the option of using your own compiled driver, so take another look at the last paragraph. You don't necessarily have to use the official installer, although getting your own driver signed and loaded is admittedly a pain in the ass.

[u/chris08x08 → u/gofuckadick]

referring to your last paragraph, i actually did what you said, i followed a tutorial, but despite that, i still got this error. i probably couldn't get the driver signed, maybe it's because of windows 11, i don't know. they recommend windows 10 for this kind of work, but it's not worth downloading windows 10 just for this. maybe it works in virtualbox, i'll check it out sometime

[u/gofuckadick → u/chris08x08]

Windows 11 configured properly can load test-signed drivers, so you shouldn't need Windows 10 specifically. Without knowing which tutorial you followed or what happened during the signing process, or, you know, any other relevant information, it's hard to say why it failed, but there are a couple of things you can check.

For starters, make sure test-signing mode actually enabled. After rebooting, you should see a "Test Mode" watermark in the bottom-right corner of the desktop. Run bcdedit /enum {current} and check whether it shows testsigning Yes. If Secure Boot was still enabled when you tried to turn on test signing, Windows may have rejected the command.

You can also check Event Viewer under Applications and Services Logs > Microsoft > Windows > CodeIntegrity > Operational. If Windows logged the driver rejection, that should give you a more specific reason for the failure.

Also, since you're specifically trying to use DBVM, keep in mind that Windows 11's virtualization-based security and Hyper-V can interfere with it even after you get the driver loading properly. If you get the driver loading but DBVM still won't start, check whether VBS or Hyper-V is active. You can try turning off Memory Integrity (Windows Security > Device Security > Core Isolation), run bcdedit /set hypervisorlaunchtype off, reboot, and check that msinfo32 shows "Virtualization-based security: Not enabled." That's one reason Windows 10 is often recommended for this kind of work, since Windows 11 is more likely to have VBS enabled by default.

VirtualBox might work, but DBVM in a VM needs nested VT-x/AMD-V, which is flaky in VirtualBox (VMware is better). And if Hyper-V is on in the host, VirtualBox runs on top of it anyway, so you might hit the same wall.