500 KB exe???

I just compiled a simple console program in C++.

These are the includes:

PHP Code:

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#include <vector>
#include <iostream>
#include <conio.h>

using std::vector;
using std::cout;
using std::cin;
using std::endl; 


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The program is not more than 150 lines, I compiled it and I got a 528 KB exe!?! What the!? :eek: :confused:

Make sure you have compiled it in release mode (not debug mode). Go to the Build Menu -> SetActiveConfiguration and make sure what is chosen.

Thanks, that reduced it to 116 KB. :)

But isn't that a little large too?

yeah that's pretty big! :eek:

My checkers game (about 500 lines) is 36 kilobytes...take a look for yourself!

sorry...that was a pretty blatent ad! hehehe :D :p

Was that made using C++?

If it was then how come my small console app takes 3 times the space your checkers take? :confused:

maybe it's just that your header files take up the space :confused: I only had a few...you have a lot more. :)

I wrote an entire Windows app in C that came out in 1kb. It used Win16 techniques. If i could remeber how, id show ya, but i dont rememebr.

1K ???!!!!?!?!? :eek:

I compiled this:

PHP Code:

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int main()
{
    return 0;
} 


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This turned out 24K compiled!!! :eek: AAAHHH!!! :confused:

Take out all the run-time library link statements in Project Settings, write your own _mainCRTStartup function, and see just how small it goes. I'll have a pop and see how I do... ;)

2.5KB program file anyone? :D

Code:

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/* tiny.c */
#include <windows.h>

void __cdecl WinMainCRTStartup(void) {
    MessageBox(NULL, "Hello", "Hello", MB_OK);

    ExitProcess(0);
}

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Compile optimised for size (in Release mode, obviously :p)

Link ignoring default libraries, and take everything except for kernel32.lib and user32.lib out of the list :D

That helped a lot! :D

Read this as well, because I just managed to kick my system squarely up the backside by using some non-initialised functions :eek:

http://www.microsoft.com/msj/default...chive/S569.htm

Thanks everybody! :)
Vlatko, SteveCRM, ChimpFace9000.

Parksie: :rolleyes:

Quote:

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Originally posted by MSDN Journal
...on most hard drives the minimum space that a file takes up is 8KB or 16KB. Thus (as the logic goes), it's not worth trying to make your programs smaller than 8KB.

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Good effort anyway. :p

More space for fancy graphics :D

And since mine was only a one-liner ;)

Quote:

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Originally posted by parksie
2.5KB program file anyone? :D

Code:

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/* tiny.c */
#include <windows.h>

void __cdecl WinMainCRTStartup(void) {
    MessageBox(NULL, "Hello", "Hello", MB_OK);

    ExitProcess(0);
}

---

Compile optimised for size (in Release mode, obviously :p)

Link ignoring default libraries, and take everything except for kernel32.lib and user32.lib out of the list :D

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Wouldn't it be smaller if you #define'd WIN32_LEAN_AND_MEAN ?

Nope :)

Why not?

I think that just speeds up compiling, but doesn't make the .exe any smaller.

The linker excludes most things that aren't actually necessary, code-wise. However, the RTL startup code pulls in a lot of extra functions, bulking up the EXE.

i am making a simple program, in release mode, and i am still getting a 162 kb exe! i took out all those extra libs like parksie said, and that didn't make any difference. i can't ignore default librarys, becuase i get errors.

My friend made the same program in C, and it was 44kb. Does anyone have any tips for making it smaller? perhaps a different compiler?

C++ programs are always bigger than C programs.

If you write in C then because there is less compiler-generated code (for handling virtual functions, static constructors, etc.) you can replace a large proportion of the startup code with something smaller.

You could always try compressing it (120K->50K) - search for UPX (I use that :D)

Read this...

http://www.hailstorm.net/papers/smallwin32.htm

It should help...

Wow that is strange... THIS came to 24k:

int main() {}

Thats the only line in there... not even a #include...

Not strange. The RTL defines _mainCRTStartup which does all the command-line processing and sets things up (like static constructors :cool:).

So actually, you have windows.h included anyway :)