INFO: Application Version Marking in Windows 95

ID: Q125705

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Win32 Software Development Kit (SDK) on the following platform:
```
    - Microsoft Windows 95
```

SUMMARY

Applications designed for Windows 95, whether 16-bit or 32-bit, should be marked for Windows version 4.0 so they receive the full benefit of new user interface features in Windows 95. Applications marked as being designed for earlier versions of Windows will display behavior consistent with the Windows version 3.1 user interface, which is not always identical to Windows 95 behavior.

Executables marked for Windows version 4.0 will load on Windows 95, Windows NT version 3.5, Win32s version 1.15, and later versions, but not on earlier versions.

NOTE: This article deals solely with marking executable files as compatible with a particular Windows version. This is different from the version resources (VS_VERSION_INFO) that may be contained in an executable.

MORE INFORMATION

The Microsoft Visual C++ version 2.1 linker defaults to marking executables for Windows version 4.0 while the version 2.0 linker defaults to 3.1. The Books Online section "Appendix B: Link Reference" incorrectly states that versions 2.1 and 2.2 default to a subsystem of 3.10. To override the default, the Microsoft Visual C++ linkers accept the following syntax for the /SUBSYSTEM option:

   /SUBSYSTEM:WINDOWS,4.0

In the development environment, you can change the /SUBSYSTEM option by going to the Project menu, selecting Settings, selecting either Win32 Debug or Win32 Release, choosing the Link tab, and editing the Project Options. To explicitly set the subsystem to the version prior to 4.0, specify a subsystem of 3.10. The trailing 0 in 3.10 is required in this case.

You may need to perform a full link for this to take effect, but subsequent incremental linking with this switch will work correctly.

To mark a 16-bit executable as Windows version 4.0 compatible, use the 16-bit resource compiler (RC.EXE) from the Windows 95 SDK to bind the resources into the executable file. By default, this version of RC marks the executable for version 4.0, but this can be overridden by using the -30 or -31 switch.

An application will display several behavioral differences depending on which Windows version the application is compatible with:

1. All standard control windows owned by a version 4.0 application are

   drawn with a chiseled 3D look. To obtain the same effect for dialogs
   owned by a version 3.1 application, use the DS_3DLOOK dialog style.
   This style is ignored if the application is run on Windows platforms
   other than Windows 95. The dialog style DS_3DLOOK is not defined in the
   standard WINRES.H. Therefore, to use this style, you must define it as

      #define DS_3DLOOK 0x0004L

   and or DS_3DLOOK into the STYLE line of each dialog in the project's .RC
   file. NOTE: Editing a dialog template using the resource editor removes
   this DS_3DLOOK style bit.

   NOTE: This symbol will be defined in a future release of Visual C++. At
   that time, you will get the error "symbol redefined". At that point, you
   can remove your definition of DS_3DLOOK.

2. Thunks created using the Windows 95 SDK Thunk Compiler will not work

   unless the 16-bit thunk DLL is marked for version 4.0.

3. Windows version 3.1 allowed 16-bit applications to share GDI resources

   such as font or bitmap handles. For backwards compatibility, Windows 95
   does not clean up objects left undeleted by a 16-bit version 3.x
   application when that application terminates because these objects may
   be in use by another application. Instead, such objects remain valid as
   long as there are any 16-bit applications running. When all 16-bit
   applications are closed, these objects are freed.

   On the other hand, is is assumed that 16-bit version 4.0 applications
   follow the Windows 95 guidelines, and do not share objects. Thus, all
   objects owned by a 16-bit version 4.0-based application are freed when
   the application terminates.

   Win32-based applications cannot freely share GDI objects, so all owned
   objects are freed when a Win32-based application terminates regardless
   of the version of the application.

4. New window messages, such as WM_STYLECHANGED, are only sent to windows

   owned by a version 4.0 application.

5. Printer DCs are reset during StartPage() in applications marked with

   version 4.0

Additional query words:

Keywords          : kbGrpUser kbWinOS95 
Issue type        : kbinfo

Last Reviewed: December 26, 1998