tenox7/nt35sdk repository overview

⁠nt35sdk

Visual C++ 2.0 and the Win32 SDK for Windows NT 3.5 (September 1994) in a container. Build programs for Windows NT 3.5 with the original Microsoft tools. They run under Wine on 32-bit Debian.

⁠What's inside

• cl 9.00: the C and C++ compiler. C++ has templates, and exceptions with -GX.
• link 2.50: the linker.
• nmake 1.50, with ntwin32.mak.
• lib 2.50, rc 3.50, cvtres 3.20, dumpbin 2.50, editbin 2.50, bscmake 2.60, mc, mktyplib 2.02, cvpack, makehm, uuidgen.
• From the SDK: masm386 5.NT.02, midl 2.00, and the rest of its i386 tools.
• The Win32 headers and libraries for Windows NT 3.5, with the SDK's extras such as the POSIX libraries.
• MFC 3.0 headers and libraries.
• The redistributable DLLs, such as MSVCRT20.DLL and MFC30.DLL, in /opt/msvc20/redist.
• No samples, MFC source or help files.

The programs you build are i386 programs marked for Windows NT 3.10. They run on Windows NT 3.5, 3.51, 4.0 and every later 32-bit Windows. Many also run under Wine in this image.

NT 3.1 loads them too, but it lacks some NT 3.5 functions. For NT 3.1, use tenox7/nt31sdk.

⁠Quick start

Go to your project folder and run nmake there:

docker run --rm --platform linux/386 -v "$PWD":/src tenox7/nt35sdk nmake

• --platform linux/386 stops a warning about the platform.
• On arm64 hosts, such as Apple Silicon Macs, the image runs under emulation, so it is slower.

⁠A Makefile

!include <ntwin32.mak>

all: hello.exe

hello.obj: hello.c
    $(cc) $(cflags) $(cvars) hello.c

hello.exe: hello.obj
    $(link) $(conflags) -out:hello.exe hello.obj $(conlibs)

• GUI program: use $(guiflags) and $(guilibs).
• Multithreaded C runtime: use $(cvarsmt) with $(conlibsmt) or $(guilibsmt).
• C runtime DLL: use $(cvarsdll) with $(conlibsdll) or $(guilibsdll). The program then needs MSVCRT20.DLL. NT 4.0 has it. For NT 3.5 and 3.51, copy it from /opt/msvc20/redist.
• Resources: run $(rc) -r app.rc, then link app.res with the objects.
• Static library: $(implib) -out:my.lib a.obj b.obj runs lib.
• C++ with exceptions: $(cflags) turns try into the C keyword __try. Compile C++ with $(cc) -c -W3 -GX -D_X86_=1 $(cvars) app.cpp instead.

⁠Without nmake

docker run --rm --platform linux/386 -v "$PWD":/src tenox7/nt35sdk cl -DWIN32 hello.c
docker run --rm --platform linux/386 -v "$PWD":/src tenox7/nt35sdk cl -DWIN32 app.c user32.lib -link -subsystem:windows
docker run --rm --platform linux/386 -v "$PWD":/src tenox7/nt35sdk cl -DWIN32 -GX app.cpp
docker run --rm --platform linux/386 -v "$PWD":/src tenox7/nt35sdk cl -DWIN32 -LD my.c -link -base:0x10000000

• MFC, static: cl -DWIN32 -MT -GX app.cpp -link -subsystem:windows
• MFC, DLL: cl -DWIN32 -MD -GX -D_AFXDLL app.cpp -link -subsystem:windows. The program then needs MFC30.DLL and MSVCRT20.DLL from /opt/msvc20/redist.
• DLL: -LD builds my.dll with its import library my.lib.

⁠Run one tool

docker run --rm --platform linux/386 -v "$PWD":/src tenox7/nt35sdk dumpbin -headers hello.exe
docker run --rm --platform linux/386 -v "$PWD":/src tenox7/nt35sdk dumpbin -imports hello.exe
docker run --rm --platform linux/386 -v "$PWD":/src tenox7/nt35sdk midl app.idl
docker run --rm --platform linux/386 -v "$PWD":/src tenox7/nt35sdk wine hello.exe
docker run --rm -it --platform linux/386 -v "$PWD":/src tenox7/nt35sdk bash

• These tools are commands: cl link lib nmake rc cvtres dumpbin editbin bscmake mc mktyplib cvpack makehm uuidgen masm386 midl.
• Any other tool: wine-tool TOOL ARGS, for example wine-tool pstat. It looks in Visual C++ 2.0 first, then in the SDK.
• With no command, the container prints this text.

⁠Paths and environment

• Your folder is /src, which is Z:\src for the tools. Relative paths work.
• An absolute Unix path on the command line becomes a Z: path. This works alone, or after an option such as -Fo/src/out/x.obj or -out:/src/x.exe.
• Visual C++ 2.0 is in /opt/msvc20, with bin, include, lib, mfc/include, mfc/lib and redist.
• The SDK is in /opt/mstools, with bin, h and lib.
• The image sets:
  • CPU=i386, for ntwin32.mak
  • INCLUDE=Z:\opt\msvc20\include;Z:\opt\msvc20\mfc\include;Z:\opt\mstools\h
  • LIB=Z:\opt\msvc20\lib;Z:\opt\msvc20\mfc\lib;Z:\opt\mstools\lib
  • the tools of both in the Wine path, Visual C++ 2.0 first
• To change one, use -e, for example -e 'INCLUDE=Z:\src\inc;Z:\opt\msvc20\include'.

⁠Good to know

• Always define WIN32. The 1994 headers need it. Without it, a file that includes windows.h fails with hundreds of __export errors from OBJBASE.H. $(cvars) defines it. Without nmake, add -DWIN32.
• GUI programs need -link -subsystem:windows. Without it, cl links a console program and looks for main.
• masm386 is MASM 5. It has no .model flat. End its command line with ; and put quotes around it, so the shell does not take the ;: masm386 -Mx "file.asm;".
• No rebasing after linking. rebase and editbin -rebase fail under Wine. Give a DLL its base address when you link it, with -base:.
• Exit codes come through. A failed compile makes nmake fail, and docker run fails too.
• No input, no waiting. A tool that asks a question fails at once, unless you run with -it.
• Files belong to root. The container runs as root, so on Linux the files it writes are owned by root.
• i386 only. This is the x86 edition of Visual C++ 2.0. The SDK's MIPS and Alpha tools are not included. They only run on MIPS and Alpha NT.

⁠Build the image

docker build --platform linux/386 -t nt35sdk .

• msvc20/ must hold the bin, include, lib, mfc/include, mfc/lib and redist folders. On the Visual C++ 2.0 CD they are in MSVC20.
• mstools/ must hold the SDK's bin, h and lib folders. On the NT 3.5 SDK CD they are MSTOOLS\BIN\I386, MSTOOLS\H and MSTOOLS\LIB\I386.