Microsoft Windows SDK Blog : Windows SDK Basics

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.

How to: build from the Windows SDK command line

wsdkblog@microsoft.com — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 05:05:00 GMT

This “How-to” applies to the Windows SDK for Vista, the SDK Update for Vista, and the SDK for Server 2008.

(In order to build the samples in the SDK build environment or in Visual Studio 2008, the Win32 samples project files must be upgraded. This is not necessary when building the samples with Visual Studio 2005. For more information, see SDK Workaround: VCProj Files Require Upgrade Prior to Building.)

To build from the SDK command line:

1. Copy your application or sample to a working folder not under \Program Files.

2. Open the Windows SDK CMD shell (Start, All Programs, Windows SDK Vx, SDK CMD Shell).

3. Navigate to directory where your sample or application can be found.

4. Build a sample or project from the command line as follows:

Build a makefile by typing nmake
Build a .csproj file by typing msbuild *.csproj /p:platform=[ win32 | X64 | IA64]
Build a .vbproj file by typing msbuild *.vbproj /p:platform=[ win32 | X64 | IA64]
Build a .sln file by typing msbuild *.sln /p:platform=[ win32 | X64 | IA64]
Build a .vcproj by typing vcbuild *.vcproj /platform=[ win32 | X64 | IA64 ]

When building with MSBUILD, you should specify a target platform. If a project is configured to build for several different platform types and you don't specify which platform you wish to build for, the first platform listed in the solution or project file will be built. Configurations are listed in alphabetical order by Visual Studio, so ‘Itanium’ may be the first configuration listed.

If you want to build an application configured for an X86 machine, specify ‘win32’:

msbuild mysample.vbproj /p:platform=win32

If you want to build an application configured for an X64 machine, specify ‘X64’:

msbuild mysample.vbproj /p:platform=X64

If you want to build an X64 application but your project doesn’t have an X64 configuration, see How to Add 64-bit Support to VCProj Files.

K a r i n M e i e r

Windows SDK | Samples & Community PM

Announcing: The Windows SDK Developer Center

wsdkblog@microsoft.com — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 20:04:00 GMT

Today we launched the Windows SDK MSDN Developer Center. This site is intended as a one-stop place to provide information to help you determine which version of the Windows SDK is most appropriate for your use, and to get information on how you can maximize your experience with the Windows SDK.

Some other useful things you’ll find on the site:

Useful information for how you can use the SDK.
Links to appropriate Windows or Platform SDK downloads.
Links to useful downloads to content that is associated with the SDK such as Windows PowerShell and the Debugging Tools for Windows.
Links and views into community content.
Online Release Notes that are refreshed as new issues come up.
Link to the SDK’s Privacy Statement.
Links to related Developer Centers.
Links to support information.

We’re pretty darn excited to get this site live, but of course it’s only a first take on the project. We have a good amount of additional content we’re planning on adding to the site over the next few months, including a matrix to help determine which SDK release is the right one for you. Please help us by sending feedback on the site. You can add a comment below or use one of the mailto links on the site.

What SDK should I use to develop on/for XP or Server 2003?

wsdkblog@microsoft.com — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 02:20:00 GMT

Don’t let the name fool you. The latest Windows SDK for developing on Windows XP or Windows Server 2003 is the Microsoft Windows Software Development Kit Update for Windows Vista, released in March, 2007. Read more about it in this Windows SDK Team blog post or download it from the links below. The Windows SDK Update for Vista has the content needed to develop on or for Vista, but also supports creating applications for or on Windows XP, Windows Server 2003 SP1, and Windows Server 2003 R2. You can also create applications for Windows Server 2000 with this SDK, although development on Windows 2000 is not supported; in fact SDK installation on Windows Server 2000 is blocked.

Web Install:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=4377f86d-c913-4b5c-b87e-ef72e5b4e065&displaylang=en
ISO Download:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=ff6467e6-5bba-4bf5-b562-9199be864d29&displaylang=en

The next release quality version of the Windows SDK will be the Microsoft Windows SDK for Windows Server 2008 and .NET Framework 3.5, which will release at the same time as Microsoft Windows Server 2008. A release candidate (pre-release bits) version of this SDK is available now. Read about it.

K a r i n M e i e r

Windows SDK | Samples & Community PM

SDK Workaround: Running Visual Studio 2005 Integration fails on Vista

wsdkblog@microsoft.com — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 20:51:00 GMT

This workaround applies to:

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

In Windows Vista, running the Visual Studio 2005 Registration Tool fails with the error "Unable to access the required files". This is because the integration tool needs to be run with elevated privileges:

Start --> All Programs --> Microsoft Windows SDK V6.1 --> Visual Studio Registration--> Integrate Windows SDK Directories with Visual Studio 2005 (on Vista, right-click and select Run as Administrator).

Alternatively, open an SDK build environment as Administrator, and run the Visual Studio 2005 Integration Tool from there.

Windows SDK Team

SDK Workaround: Visual Studio 2005 is Required for .NET Compact Framework Development

wsdkblog@microsoft.com — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 08:37:00 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

· The Windows SDK Update for Windows Vista (RTM), March, 2007

The SDK provides documentation and sample code that targets the .NET Compact Framework. However, actual development of .NET Compact Framework applications requires Visual Studio 2005. When building a sample that depends on the .NET Compact Framework, you might see this error:

C:\Sample\Foo.csproj(57,11): error MSB4019: The imported project "C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework64\v2.0.50727\Microsoft.CompactFramework. CSharp.targets" was not found. Confirm that the path in the declaration is correct, and that the file exists on disk.

To workaround this issue, download and install the .NET Compact Framework 2.0 Redistributable or the pre-release .NET Compact Framework 3.5 Beta1 Redistributable.

Windows SDK Team

Troubleshooting SDK Download/Setup Problems

wsdkblog@microsoft.com — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 08:28:00 GMT

Having trouble downloading or installing the Windows SDK? Here's help.

Most common issues

Running the Windows SDK web setup on some connections can sometimes have issues when downloading the files. We recommend that you clear the %temp%\sdksetup directory and retry your web setup. If that fails, switch over to the ISO setup for the Windows SDK.

Also if you are trying to install Windows Vista RTM SDK (build 6.0.6000.16384, released November, 2006), you should try installing the more recent Windows Vista SDK Update (Build 6.0.6000.16386, released in February, 2007):

Microsoft Windows SDK Update for Windows Vista Web Install:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=4377F86D-C913-4B5C-B87E-EF72E5B4E065&displaylang=en

Microsoft Windows SDK Update for Windows Vista ISO Install:

http://download.microsoft.com/download/4/2/6/42684501-9ec5-43dd-9dfe-c8c9dfa6a66f/6.1.6000.16384.10.WindowsSDK_Vista_Feb2007Update_rtm.DVD.Rel.iso

Windows SDK Update for Windows Vista ISO verification information

For more information on how to use this information to verify that your ISO download is not corrupt, see Testing CD-Rs and DVD-Rs, below.

· AutoCRC: 0x9863D5EC

· Size: 1.15 GB (1,237,436,416 bytes)

· SHA-1 hash: 0x5D28463DAAA755450D697C850DD622D1F8B580AE

What are ISO image files and how do I use them?

Many products are posted as ISO-9660 image files. An ISO image file is an exact representation of a CD or DVD, including the content and the logical format. The most common use of an image file is to write it to a blank CD-R or DVD-R, resulting in an identical copy of the original disc including file name and volume label information. ISO image files may also be opened and their contents copied to a local folder, much like ZIP files. ISO files may also be virtually mounted and accessed as a device. These three methods of using ISO images are described below.

Writing ISO files to CD-R or DVD-R

Most CD-R/DVD-R writing software includes a feature to create a disc from an image file. Note: you must use the special "copy image to CD" or "burn image" functionality. See your software’s Help for detailed information.

Testing CD-Rs and DVD-Rs

After a CD/DVD-R has been written, you should verify that the file was successfully written. Many freeware programs are available for calculating the SDK SHA-1 hash value (provided above). Use an Internet search engine to search for “sha1 hash” to find a freeware program.

Copying the contents of ISO files

The contents of image files may be accessed directly using third-party tools. Using this method you can extract the files from an image file to a temporary folder on your hard drive, then run setup. The following tools (and others) offer image file support:

Still having problems?

Please send your install log to wsdkfdb@microsoft.com so we can help you troubleshoot. By default, the log is installed to:

· On Vista:

C:\%user%\AppData\Local\Temp\SDKSetupLog.txt

· On XP:

C:\Documents and Settings\%User%\Local Settings\ SDKSetupLog.txt

Find development help on the Windows SDK Forum

wsdkblog@microsoft.com — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 08:08:00 GMT

What is the Windows SDK Forum?

The Windows SDK Forum is a site hosted by MSDN where people interact by posting and reading messages about SDK topics that are of interest to them and the rest of the development community. Forums contain groupings of related topic threads. Anyone can read the MSDN Forums, but you will need to register (with a Windows Live ID) if you want to post questions and be notified when replies are posted.

How do I post a new message to a forum?
To post a new message to a forum, click the New Thread button. Clicking this button will take you to a form for posting a message (or ask you to sign in first). This will start a new thread and replies to your original post are added to the thread.

How do I know if somebody already asked the same question before me?
If you have a question, it is likely that someone asked it already. You can search discussion groups for a post using keywords. Use the search box at the top of the page. Try to use just 2 or 3 keywords in a search. You can also check the "Top 5" list on the right side of the screen for popular answer posts that contain your keywords. You can also use the Forum Option filters at the bottom of the forum page.

Who answers questions on the Forum?

Your question will likely be answered by other developers in the community that have had a similar problem as you. Many questions are answered by Microsoft MVPs, a group of experts that represent the technical community's best and brightest, who share a deep commitment to community and a willingness to help others. Members of the Windows SDK Team also monitor the Forum.

How will I know when someone has answered my question?
The Alerts feature will send you a message when someone has replied to the thread you “subscribed” to. If you want to receive an alert about a new thread, just make sure that the check box is selected next to the Alert Me icon at the bottom of the page. To receive a notification about an existing thread, click the Alert Me button at the top of the thread's page.

What shall I do if someone responds to my question?

When someone responds to your question, you may rate their post as either helpful or not helpful. Click Yes or No next to the "Was this post helpful?" text at the top of the post. If they solve your problem, click the Mark as Answer button to the right of the post to let others know that you do not need further assistance. By rating a post as "the answer", you help others find the answer more quickly, you give the person who posted the answer credit for their contribution, and you help increase the quality of answers in the discussion group.

What if I have development questions that are not about the Windows SDK?

MSDN hosts many development forums, and you can use the search box on the home page to search using keywords. If you just can’t find the forum you need, you can always post a question on the “Where is the Forum for…? Forum.

Windows SDK Team

Getting started with the Windows SDK

wsdkblog@microsoft.com — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 07:46:00 GMT

You’ve just downloaded your first Windows SDK and can’t wait to get started exploring the tools, samples, documents and other useful components that you’ve heard about. But wait, how do you get to all those goodies? To access the different components in the SDK, click the Start button, then choose All Programs, Microsoft Windows SDK… then pick what you want to do first. Here’s a rundown of what each start menu shortcut leads to. (You may not see every shortcut on your computer if you de-selected some components during SDK setup.)

· CMD Shell – launches a command window with a build environment with all the environment variables pre-set for building to take advantage of the headers, libraries and compilers in the SDK. Here’s where you’ll be building samples and applications. it is a Windows cmd.exe command prompt specially configured to work with the SDK.

· Release Notes – Reading this document before starting to use the SDK can save you a lot of time and stress. This document contains links and information on applications that work hand in hand with the SDK and information about certain components that are included in the SDK. Unfortunately, you may run into issues with some of the SDK content so it’s better to know about these issues before starting to work with the SDK.

· Windows SDK Documentation –opens up the Document Explorer Browser that may look familiar; lots of Microsoft products use it. The browser lets you read SDK documents stored on your hard drive or MSDN online. You can bookmark favorites, search, filter, and more. You’ll also find the .NET Framework code samples embedded in the documents, with links to download them to your desktop.

· Tools – under this folder you’ll find shortcuts to just a few of the useful tools in the SDK. There are over a hundred more. Read a quick description of each tool under the Tool Reference Start menu entry or a more detailed description in the SDK Documentation. Tools are installed by default to %user%\Program Files\Microsoft SDKs\Windows\[version number]\Bin (or …\Bin\X64 on an X64 machine.)

· Visual Studio Registration – If you want to use the Windows SDK headers, libraries, and tools within Visual Studio 2005, run the tool under this shortcut. It only takes a few seconds but you’ll need to do it with Administrative permissions if you’re running Vista (right click the shortcut and select Run as Administrator). Once you run it, VS will know about all the things in the SDK, and the SDK CMD Shell will know about things in VS.

· Where are the samples? The .NET Framework (managed code) samples are integrated in the documents (see Windows SDK Documents, above). The unmanaged code (Win32) samples get installed to your hard drive and you’ll have to navigate there on your own. If you chose a standard install location during setup you’ll find them here: %user%\Program Files\Microsoft SDKs\Windows\[version number]\Samples.

Windows SDK Team

FxCop wins Chairman's Award for Engineering Excellence

wsdkblog@microsoft.com — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 00:06:00 GMT

Microsoft’s prestigious Engineering Excellence Chairman's Award was awarded to Mike Fanning, Krzysztof Cwalina, and Brad Abrams for the design of FxCop, which ships in the Windows SDK, as a standalone tool and in Visual Studio 2005 and later.

The Chairman’s Award is given for contributions that Bill Gates considers extremely important and has been given only twice in Microsoft’s history (until this year, the only other winner of the Chairman's award was Dr. Watson). Krzysztof and Brad have more information about the award and the development of FxCop on their blogs.

FxCop is a code analysis tool that checks .NET managed code assemblies for conformance to the Microsoft .NET Framework Design Guidelines. FxCop includes both GUI and command line versions. It uses reflection, MSIL parsing, and callgraph analysis to inspect assemblies for many defects.