Kernel driver
Also searched as: kernel driver · kernel-mode driver · ring 0 driver · kernel level
What it means
Software that runs in the trusted core of Windows (the kernel) rather than out in normal app space. Hardware needs them; some anti-cheats and some "tweak tools" install them too.
More detail
A driver at this level can read and change almost anything, so a buggy or shady one is a big deal — it can blue-screen your PC or hand deep access to malware. This is why a random "FPS booster" that ships a kernel driver is a real risk, not a convenience. Compy ships no kernel driver, which is also why it can't read certain things like CPU temperature on its own.
The Compy Blackbook holds 174 graded entries like this one, judged against your hardware — and every change it does make is reversible, with the receipt to prove it.
See Compy →