Programming

DLL Exports

Can use Microsoft's DUMPBIN, which is included in some Visual Studio install package.

Example:

C:> dumpbin /exports (gcm api-ms-win-core-datetime-l1-1-0.dll | % source)
Microsoft (R) COFF/PE Dumper Version 14.36.32534.0
Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation.  All rights reserved.


Dump of file C:\PROGRAM FILES\POWERSHELL\7\api-ms-win-core-datetime-l1-1-0.dll

File Type: DLL

  Section contains the following exports for api-ms-win-core-datetime-l1-1-0.dll

    00000000 characteristics
    50E59E0D time date stamp
        0.00 version
           1 ordinal base
           4 number of functions
           4 number of names

    ordinal hint RVA      name

          1    0          GetDateFormatA (forwarded to kernel32.GetDateFormatA)
          2    1          GetDateFormatW (forwarded to kernel32.GetDateFormatW)
          3    2          GetTimeFormatA (forwarded to kernel32.GetTimeFormatA)
          4    3          GetTimeFormatW (forwarded to kernel32.GetTimeFormatW)

  Summary

        1000 .rdata
        1000 .rsrc

Windows API Sets

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/apiindex/windows-apisets

• Apply to Windows 10 and later.
• Group related functions, so that functionality can be queried.
• API set names and virtual aliases for DLLs.
• Can be used in LoadLibrary to ensure correct DLLs are loaded.

• Examples:

  • api-ms-win-core-ums-l1-1-0
  • ext-ms-win-com-ole32-l1-1-5

Sample location: Windows Kits\10\Redist\ucrt\DLLs\x64. Use DUMPBIN on each one to peek into exported functions.

Retro computing

• https://archive.org/search?query=windows+3.1+programming&and%5B%5D=language%3A%22English%22
• https://github.com/otya128/winevdm
• https://archive.org/details/programming-windows-31-3rd-ed/page/31/mode/1up?view=theater
• https://winworldpc.com/product/ms-dos/622

The MS-DOS Showcase

http://ascii.textfiles.com/archives/4487 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8838465 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8840405 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Soul_of_a_New_Machine https://annas-archive.org/search?q=The+Soul+of+a+New+Machine https://annas-archive.org/md5/2b2572011f370846a44a54a83531a828

Note that the book "The Soul of a New Machine" wasn't very interesting. Too much story-telling.

Details disclosure HTML element

https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTML/Element/details

Can be used for collapsible content. Has an "open" boolean attribute that can be used to open by default and be styled (details[open] {...}).

Windows Features fix

The Windows Features dialog in Windows 7 sometimes gets broken and always shows up empty. Some say this is due to a badly cracked Windows copy, but others claim this is a .Net problem.

Changing the system configuration is impossible via the UI, but luckily it can be performed via the command line. See:

* https://www.sevenforums.com/bsod-help-support/92729-bypassing-turn-windows-features-off.html ('Bypassing "turn windows features on and off"') (archived: https://archive.ph/P3E6s)

Python on Windows 7

Python 3.7.9 was the last release with binaries. We're on our own now...