Microsoft Windows SDK Blog : Visual Studio 2005

Windows SDK Configuration Tool May Report an Error When OS Display Format is not English

wsdkblog@microsoft.com — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 00:33:00 GMT

This post describes a problem with the Windows SDK Configuration Tool, which is used to set the version of Windows SDK headers, libraries and tools you wish to build with in the Visual Studio or Windows SDK build environments.

Issue: When you launch the Windows SDK Configuration Tool on a system which has Visual Studio 2005 or Visual Studio 2008 and the display format of the operating system is not English, an error may be thrown: “Your system does not have Visual Studio 2005 or Visual Studio 2008 installed."

This error will occur when the OS is Windows 7, Windows Vista, or Windows Server 2008, and Visual Studio 2005 or Visual Studio 2008 is installed. This error can be reproduced in the Windows 7 SDK and the Windows Server 2008 SDK.

Cause: With some non-English operating system display formats, the Windows SDK Configuration Tool is unable to parse the version number of Visual Studio as written in the registry.

Solution: There are two workarounds to the problem:

(1) Use the command-line version of Windows SDK Configuration Tool to change to the version of the Windows SDK you wish to target. For example to target the Windows 7 SDK go to the Windows SDK prompt by Clicking All Programs -> Select Microsoft Windows SDK v7.0 -> Select CMD shell. At the Windows SDK command prompt, type “ WindowsSdkVer.exe -version:v7.0 “ [without quotes]

(2) Change the OS Display Format to English (United States). Go to Control Panel and navigate to your Regional and Language Options. On the Formats tab ensure English (United States) is selected. You should now be able to use the Windows SDK Configuration Tool to target the appropriate build environment. Note: once you have changed the target you may return your OS Display Format to its original setting.

Send your thoughts to the Windows SDK Feedback alias. Tell us how you use the SDK and what we can do to improve your development experience. The MSDN Windows SDK Developer Center is the place to find resources and links to Windows SDK products, release notes, technical articles, and more.

Window SDK Team

Workaround: SDK build env fails on X86 XP with VS2005

wsdkblog@microsoft.com — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 02:30:00 GMT

This article applies to the Windows SDK for Windows Server 2008 and .NET Framework 3.5. Problem: If your usage scenario matches the one listed below, you will be unable to build in the Windows SDK command line build environment. If you type cl.exe in the SDK command window and press Enter, you will see this error:

This application has failed to start because mspdb80.dll was not found. Re-installing the application may fix this problem.

Computer setup required to repro issue:

1. Windows XP on x86 machine (which has version 5.1.2600.2180 of REG.exe)

2. Visual Studio 2005 installed, but Visual Studio 2008 is NOT installed

Cause: When the SDK build environment window is launched, the SDK file SetEnv.cmd launches Reg.exe. Reg.exe generates standard output when a valid KeyPath is specified and also generates error output when invalid Value is specified. In this scenario, the KeyPath is valid but the value doesn’t exist:

Command:

REG QUERY "%VSRegKeyPath%" /v 9.0

Output:

! REG.EXE VERSION 3.0

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\VisualStudio\SxS\VC7

Error: The system was unable to find the specified registry key or value

The second call to REG in setenv.cmd is grabbing the output from the call above and setting VSRoot=VERSION 3.0, which breaks the Windows SDK build environment. (Other versions of REG.EXE will immediately throw an error when an invalid KeyPath/Value combination is specified.)

Workaround: follow these instructions to manually edit SetEnv.cmd to remove the second call to REG:

Open up SetEnv.cmd in Notepad or another editor.
For this line:

FOR /F "tokens=2* delims= " %%A IN ('REG QUERY "%VSRegKeyPath%" /v 9.0') DO SET VSRoot=%%B

Either comment out using the REM command (like this):

REM FOR /F "tokens=2* delims= " %%A IN ('REG QUERY "%VSRegKeyPath%" /v 9.0') DO SET VSRoot=%%B

OR delete the line completely.

Save SetEnv.cmd.
Restart the Windows SDK command prompt.

||Karin Meier||Windows SDK PM||Build Environment.Samples.Community||

The MSDN Windows SDK Developer Center is the place to find resources and links to Windows SDK products, release notes, technical articles, and more.

Integrating Windows SDK and VS with new SDK Configuration tool

wsdkblog@microsoft.com — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 07:29:00 GMT

This article describes the use of the Windows SDK Configuration tool, which is included in the Windows SDK for Windows Server 2008 and .NET Framework 3.5 and works with Visual Studio 2005 and Visual Studio 2008, including Visual Studio 2008 Express SKUs.

A serious bug has been discovered with the Windows SDK Configuration Tool. This bug is not apparent as the tool appears to work correctly. Please read the blog post WinSDK bug notification: SDK Config Tool appears to work but fails, to learn more about the issue and find workaround steps.

What is the Windows SDK Configuration tool for?

The Windows SDK for Windows Server 2008 and .NET Framework 3.5, released in February, 2008, includes a new tool to help you develop more easily with Visual Studio. You can use this tool to set which version of Windows SDK headers, libraries and tools you want to build with in Visual Studio.

The Visual Studio 2008 editions are seamlessly integrated with the Windows SDK. VS2008 editions include the same Vista RTM headers and libraries that shipped in the Microsoft Windows Software Development Kit Update for Windows Vista released in March, 2007. (The SDK tools in VS2008 are more recent.) You can use these integrated Windows Vista headers and libraries right out of the box with Visual Studio 2008. If you want to use the content in another Windows SDK, the SDK Configuration Tool will allow you to do just that, by setting which SDK is the ‘current’ SDK to build with.

Updating the Windows SDK Content in Visual C++2008

You can build Win32 applications right out of the box with the Vista RTM SDK components that are embedded in Visual Studio 2008. It’s also easy to switch to the more recent components that ship with the Windows SDK for Windows Server 2008 and .NET Framework 3.5 by installing this SDK on your computer. If you install the SDK after you installed VS, you are ready to develop with the headers, libraries and tools in the SDK for Windows Server 2008. If you installed the Windows Server 2008 SDK before you install Visual Studio, you will need to use the SDK Configuration Tool to set the directories.

Windows SDK headers, libraries and tools

After installing the Windows SDK for Windows Server 2008 and Visual Studio 2008 (any SKU), you’ll have two sets of SDK resources installed by default to C:\Program Files\Microsoft SDKs\Windows\:

· \v6.0A contains the SDK resources installed by Visual Studio 2008

· \v6.1 contains the SDK resources installed by the Windows SDK for Windows Server 2008

Visual Studio 2008 will point to v6.0A headers, libraries and tools, which installed with VS by default. Use the SDK Configuration Tool to update the Visual C++ directories to point to the v6.1 headers, libraries and tools that shipped with the Windows SDK for Server 2008.

How does the SDK Configuration Tool work?

The tool works by altering the Visual Studio 2008 directories through a registry key setting. (The tool works differently with Visual Studio 2005. This will be covered in a future post.)

· On an X86 computer: HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Microsoft SDKs\Windows

· On an X64 or IA64 computer: HKLM\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Microsoft SDKs\Windows

The settings “CurrentVersion” and "CurrentInstallFolder" refer to the version and location of the registered Windows SDK headers, libraries and tools. These settings get updated during Windows SDK installation or when the Windows SDK Configuration Tool is used to choose which Windows SDK content users want to use with Visual Studio 2008.

SubKey	Window SDK Version
V6.0	Windows SDK for Windows Vista and Windows SDK for Windows Vista Update
V6.0A	Windows SDK Visual Studio Components
V6.1	Windows SDK for Windows Server 2008

Visual Studio 2008 looks at this key to determine how to set the following directories:

· Visual Studio Library Directory sets the paths to use when searching for library files while building a VC++ project. It corresponds to environment variable LIB.

· The Visual Studio Include Directory sets the paths to use when searching for include files while building a VC++ project. It corresponds to environment variable INCLUDE.

· The Visual Studio Executables Directory sets the path to use when searching for executable files while building a VC++ project. It corresponds to environment variable PATH.

The VC++ 2008 Library, Include and Tool path are set upon install to the Windows SDK content that ships embedded with Visual Studio 2008. If you want to change these paths you can do so manually through Visual Studio, or use the SDK Configuration Tool to set these directories.

The SDK Configuration Tool has a GUI interface that works with the Visual Studio Retail (non-Express) SKUs, and a command line interface that works with either the VS Retail or Express SKUs. (See Using Visual C++ 2008 Express with the Windows SDK for more information on working with Visual Studio Express.)

How to use the SDK Configuration Tool in GUI mode

To launch the SDK Configuration Tool GUI interface, go to Start, All Programs, Microsoft Windows SDK v6.1, Visual Studio Registration, Windows SDK Configuration Tool.

Use the drop box to pick which version of SDK content you want to integrate with Visual Studio, and click Make Current.

How to use the SDK Configuration Tool at the command line

The SDK Configuration Tool can be used with either the GUI or command line interfaces with Visual Studio 2005 Retail or Visual Studio 2008. The tool can only be used at the command line for Visual Studio 2008 Express SKUs. (See Using Visual C++ 2008 Express with the Windows SDK.)

1. Launch the Windows SDK Command Window (Start, All Programs, Microsoft Windows SDK v6.1, Command Window)

2. CD to \Program Files\Microsoft\Windows\v6.1\Setup>

3. Type: WindowsSdkVer.exe -version:v6.1

This will set the Windows SDK for Windows Server 2008 (v 6.1) as the “current” SDK for Visual Studio to use for headers, libraries and tools.

How to validate that Visual Studio Directories were successfully updated

Open the Visual Studio command window and check the PATH to see if the v6.1 directory has been added:

1. Start, All Programs, Visual C++ Express Edition 9.0, Visual Studio Tools, Visual Studio 2008 Command Prompt

2. At the prompt, type: PATH

How to Switch back to the SDK content that shipped ‘in the box’ with Visual Studio 2008

To restore the default directories, use the SDK Configuration Tool at the command line to make the v6.0A directories ‘current.’

1. Launch the Windows SDK Command Window (Start, All Programs, Microsoft Windows SDK v6.1, Command Window)

2. CD to \Program Files\Microsoft\Windows\v6.1\Setup>

3. Type: WindowsSdkVer.exe -version:v6.0A

Troubleshooting:

After Visual Studio Repair, environment variables are reset. If Visual Studio is Repaired (through Add/Remove Programs), the environment variables will point back to the default VS content. You will need to use the SDK Configuration tool if you want to point to the content in the Windows Server 2008 SDK.

After Windows SDK Repair, environment variables are reset. If the Windows SDK is ‘Repaired’ (through Add/Remove Programs), the environment variables will point to Windows SDK content. You will need to use the SDK Configuration tool if you want to point to the content that shipped with Visual Studio 2008.

Please send feedback on this tool.

The MSDN Windows SDK Developer Center is the place to find resources and links to Windows SDK products, release notes, technical articles, and more.

Some SDK samples require VS2005, not VS2008

wsdkblog@microsoft.com — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 07:26:00 GMT

If you're using the Windows SDK and Visual Studio 2008, you may have stumbled across a few unmanaged samples that don't build. You may see one of these errors:

fatal error C1083: Cannot open include file: 'mspbase.h': No such file or directory.

fatal error C1083: Cannot open include file: Mtype.h': No such file or directory.

fatal error C1083: Cannot open include file: ‘mfc80ud.lib’: No such file or directory.

Some unmanaged samples rely on mspbase.h, mtype.h, or mfc80ud.lib. These files are included with Visual Studio 2005 and do not ship with Visual Studio 2008.

Require Mspbase.h:
netds\Tapi\Tapi3\Cpp\Msp\MSPBase
netds\Tapi\Tapi3\Cpp\Msp\Sample
netds\Tapi\Tapi3\Cpp\pluggable

Require Mtype.h:
netds\Tapi\Tapi3\Cpp\tapirecv
netds\Tapi\Tapi3\Cpp\tapisend

Require mfc80ud.lib
Sysmgmt\Wmi\VC\AdvClient

K a r i n M e i e r

Windows SDK | Samples & Community PM

SDK Workaround: Some VCProj files with ATL/MFC dependencies fail, even with VS 2005 installed

wsdkblog@microsoft.com — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 18:48:00 GMT

This workaround applies to:

· The prerelease Windows SDK for Windows Server 2008 and .Net Framework 3.5 (RC0), September, 2007

· The prerelease Windows SDK for Windows Server 2008 and .Net Framework 3.5 (IDS04), July, 2007

Visual Studio 2005 .vcproj files that have a dependency on ATL/MFC will fail to compile, generating an error that required headers files are not found. For example:

Failed to load system project defaults file 'C:\Program Files\Microsoft SDKs\Windows\V6.1\VC\Bin\VCProjectDefaults\ATLStatic.vsprops'. The project cannot load without this file installed. Please re-install the product.

To work around this issue, open the VCProjectEngine.dll.config file, by default located in C:\Program Files\Microsoft SDKs\Windows\V6.1\VC\bin and change lines containing:

$(VCINSTALLDIR)\

$(VCINSTALLDIR)

Note, the trailing ‘\’ has been removed.

Windows SDK Team

SDK Workaround: After Visual Studio integration, extra paths are added to the VC++ Directories

wsdkblog@microsoft.com — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 08:53:00 GMT

This workaround applies to:

· The prerelease Windows SDK for Windows Server 2008 and .Net Framework 3.5 (RC0), September, 2007

· The prerelease Windows SDK for Windows Server 2008 and .Net Framework 3.5 (IDS04), July, 2007

After running Visual Studio Registration, C:\Program Files\Microsoft SDKs\Windows\V6.1\VC\INCLUDE is added to the Include list found in Visual Studio under Tools->Options->Projects and Solutions->VC++Directories

To workaround this issue, remove C:\Program Files\Microsoft SDKs\Windows\V6.1\VC\INCLUDE from the list of include directories in Visual Studio under Tools->Options->Projects and Solutions->VC++Directories.

Windows SDK Team