Windows CE Build Tools

A drop-in cross-development bundle for Windows CE 3.0 through Windows CE 7.0. Builds CE PE binaries for ARM, MIPS, and SH targets on a modern Windows host without installing eMbedded Visual C++, Platform Builder, or Visual Studio.

Layout

.
├── bin/I386/                    host x86 build tools
│   ├── ARM/                     cl.exe armasm.exe c1.dll c1xx.dll c2.dll
│   ├── MIPS/  SH/               cl.exe for the other ISAs
│   ├── link.exe lib.exe         universal linker / librarian
│   └── rc.exe nmake.exe dumpbin.exe editbin.exe ...
│
├── ce3-ppc2k/                   Pocket PC 2000 SDK             (CE 3.0)
├── ce3-hpc2k/                   H/PC 2000 SDK                  (CE 3.0)
├── ce42-standard/               Standard CE .NET 4.2 SDK       (CE 4.2)
├── ce42-smartphone/             Smartphone 2003 SDK            (CE 4.2)
├── ce5-standard/                Standard SDK for Windows CE 5  (CE 5.0)
│
├── ce3-oak/  ce3-ddk/           Driver-mode headers (CE 3.0)
├── ce5-oak/  ce5-ddk/           Driver-mode headers (CE 5.0)
├── ce6-oak/  ce6-ddk/           Driver-mode headers (CE 6.0)
└── ce7-oak/  ce7-ddk/           Driver-mode headers (CE 7.0)

Quick start — build an ARM CE 5 app

$SDK = "C:\path\to\WindowsCE-Build-Tools"
$env:PATH = "$SDK\bin\I386\ARM;$SDK\bin\I386;$env:PATH"

# compile
& "$SDK\bin\I386\ARM\cl.exe" /nologo /c /W3 /O2 `
    /DUNICODE /D_UNICODE /DUNDER_CE /DARM /D_ARM_ `
    /I "$SDK\ce5-standard\Include\Armv4i" main.c

# link
& "$SDK\bin\I386\link.exe" /nologo `
    /subsystem:windowsce,5.00 /entry:WinMain /machine:THUMB /nodefaultlib `
    /libpath:"$SDK\ce5-standard\Lib\ARMV4I" /out:app.exe `
    main.obj coredll.lib commctrl.lib commdlg.lib

The resulting app.exe is a Windows CE PE that runs on any ARM-based CE 5.0 / Windows Mobile 5 device — Pocket PC, Smartphone, Handheld PC, or industrial hardware. The same binary also runs on CE 6.0 and CE 7.0 because CE coredll only ever added exports, never removed them.

Building for other CE versions

The same cl.exe cross-compiles for every CE version — only the include / lib paths and the PE subsystem stamp change:

Target CE	Include path	Lib path	Subsystem
CE 3.0 (PPC2K)	ce3-ppc2k\include	ce3-ppc2k\lib\arm\<soc>\CE\RETAIL	windowsce,3.00
CE 3.0 (H/PC)	ce3-hpc2k\include	ce3-hpc2k\lib\arm\<soc>\CE\RETAIL	windowsce,3.00
CE 4.2 (Standard)	ce42-standard\Include\Armv4i	ce42-standard\Lib\Armv4i	windowsce,4.20
CE 4.2 (Smartphone)	ce42-smartphone\Include\Armv4i	ce42-smartphone\Lib\Armv4	windowsce,4.20
CE 5.0 / 5.2	ce5-standard\Include\Armv4i	ce5-standard\Lib\ARMV4I	windowsce,5.00
CE 6.0 / 7.0	ce5-standard\Include\Armv4i	ce5-standard\Lib\ARMV4I	windowsce,5.00

For CE 6 / CE 7 targets the CE 5 SDK include / lib paths work — coredll's export set is forward-compatible. Stamp a higher /subsystem:windowsce,6.00 or ,7.00 if you want loader rejection on older devices.

Driver development

For driver builds add the matching CE-version OAK and DDK include paths alongside the SDK include path:

& cl.exe /c /W3 /O2 /DUNICODE /D_UNICODE /DUNDER_CE /DARM /D_ARM_ `
    /I "$SDK\ce5-standard\Include\Armv4i" `
    /I "$SDK\ce5-oak\INC" `
    /I "$SDK\ce5-ddk\INC" `
    driver.c

Other architectures

For MIPS / SH targets the matching bin\I386\<arch>\cl.exe and the per-SDK Include\<arch>\ / Lib\<arch>\ subdirs follow the same pattern. The shared link.exe accepts all CE machine types — run link.exe /? for the full /machine: token list.

Sources

Contents are a verbatim merge of Microsoft installs:

• bin/ — SDK\BIN\ from Windows CE 5.0 Platform Builder
• ce3-ppc2k/ — Microsoft Pocket PC 2000 SDK
• ce3-hpc2k/ — Microsoft Handheld PC 2000 SDK
• ce42-standard/ — Standard SDK for Windows CE .NET 4.2
• ce42-smartphone/ — Smartphone 2003 SDK
• ce5-standard/ — Standard SDK for Windows CE 5.0
• ce3-oak/, ce3-ddk/ — header subtrees from Windows CE 3.0 Platform Builder
• ce5-oak/, ce5-ddk/ — header subtrees from Windows CE 5.0 Platform Builder
• ce6-oak/, ce6-ddk/ — header subtrees from Windows CE 6.0 Platform Builder
• ce7-oak/, ce7-ddk/ — header subtrees from Windows CE 7.0 Platform Builder

License

All binaries, headers, and libraries in this repository are Microsoft's intellectual property, redistributed verbatim. The Microsoft EULAs preserved inside each ce*-* subdirectory govern use and redistribution. No additional license is granted by this repository beyond what Microsoft's EULAs permit.

Used by

• gweslab/cerf — universal Windows CE ARM emulator