HOWTO: Get Windows Status Information via API Calls

Last reviewed: March 21, 1997
Article ID: Q161151
The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Visual Basic Control Creation, Learning, Professional, and Enterprise Editions, for Windows, version 5.0

SUMMARY

The Visual Basic for Windows sample program below demonstrates how you can obtain system status information similar to the information displayed in the Windows Program Manager About box. The sample program displays the following information using the Windows API functions indicated:

  • The Windows version number with the GetVersion function.
  • The CPU processor type.
  • Memory information for total physical memory, available physical memory, total virtual memory, and available virtual memory.

MORE INFORMATION

Steps to Create Example Program

  1. Start Visual Basic 5.0 and select Standard EXE. If Visual Basic 5.0 is already running, click New Project on the File menu, and select Standard EXE. Form1 is created by default.

  2. On the Project menu, click Add Module (press ALT,P,M). Module1 is created by default.

  3. Enter the following code into the General Declarations section of a code module:

          Type SYSTEM_INFO
    
                dwOemID As Long
                dwPageSize As Long
                lpMinimumApplicationAddress As Long
                lpMaximumApplicationAddress As Long
                dwActiveProcessorMask As Long
                dwNumberOrfProcessors As Long
                dwProcessorType As Long
                dwAllocationGranularity As Long
                dwReserved As Long
          End Type
          Type OSVERSIONINFO
                dwOSVersionInfoSize As Long
                dwMajorVersion As Long
                dwMinorVersion As Long
                dwBuildNumber As Long
                dwPlatformId As Long
                szCSDVersion As String * 128
          End Type
          Type MEMORYSTATUS
                dwLength As Long
                dwMemoryLoad As Long
                dwTotalPhys As Long
                dwAvailPhys As Long
                dwTotalPageFile As Long
                dwAvailPageFile As Long
                dwTotalVirtual As Long
                dwAvailVirtual As Long
          End Type
    
          Declare Function GetVersionEx Lib "kernel32" Alias "GetVersionExA" _
             (LpVersionInformation As OSVERSIONINFO) As Long
          Declare Sub GlobalMemoryStatus Lib "kernel32" (lpBuffer As _
             MEMORYSTATUS)
          Declare Sub GetSystemInfo Lib "kernel32" (lpSystemInfo As _
             SYSTEM_INFO)
    
          Public Const PROCESSOR_INTEL_386 = 386
          Public Const PROCESSOR_INTEL_486 = 486
          Public Const PROCESSOR_INTEL_PENTIUM = 586
          Public Const PROCESSOR_MIPS_R4000 = 4000
          Public Const PROCESSOR_ALPHA_21064 = 21064
    
    

  4. Enter the following code into the Form_Load procedure of Form1:

          Private Sub Form_Load()
    
             Dim msg As String         ' Status information.
    
             Show
             MousePointer = 11   ' Hourglass.
    
                 ' Get operating system and version.
                 Dim verinfo As OSVERSIONINFO
                 Dim build As String, ver_major As String, ver_minor As String
                 Dim ret As Long
                 verinfo.dwOSVersionInfoSize = Len(verinfo)
                 ret = GetVersionEx(verinfo)
                 If ret = 0 Then
                     MsgBox "Error Getting Version Information"
                     End
                 End If
                 Select Case verinfo.dwPlatformId
                     Case 0
                         msg = msg & "Windows 32s "
                     Case 1
                         msg = msg & "Windows 95 "
                     Case 2
                         msg = msg & "Windows NT "
                 End Select
    
                 ver_major = verinfo.dwMajorVersion
                 ver_minor = verinfo.dwMinorVersion
                 build = verinfo.dwBuildNumber
                 msg = msg & ver_major & "." & ver_minor
                 msg = msg & " (Build " & build & ")" & vbCrLf & vbCrLf
    
                 ' Get CPU type and operating mode.
                 Dim sysinfo As SYSTEM_INFO
                 GetSystemInfo sysinfo
                 msg = msg & "CPU: "
                 Select Case sysinfo.dwProcessorType
                     Case PROCESSOR_INTEL_386
                         msg = msg & "Intel 386" & vbCrLf
                     Case PROCESSOR_INTEL_486
                         msg = msg & "Intel 486" & vbCrLf
                     Case PROCESSOR_INTEL_PENTIUM
                         msg = msg & "Intel Pentium" & vbCrLf
                     Case PROCESSOR_MIPS_R4000
                         msg = msg & "MIPS R4000" & vbCrLf
                     Case PROCESSOR_ALPHA_21064
                         msg = msg & "DEC Alpha 21064" & vbCrLf
                     Case Else
                         msg = msg & "(unknown)" & vbCrLf
    
                 End Select
                 msg = msg & vbCrLf
                 ' Get free memory.
                 Dim memsts As MEMORYSTATUS
                 Dim memory As Long
                 GlobalMemoryStatus memsts
                 memory = memsts.dwTotalPhys
                 msg = msg & "Total Physical Memory: "
                 msg = msg & Format$(memory \ 1024, "###,###,###") & "K" _
                           & vbCrLf
                 memory& = memsts.dwAvailPhys
                 msg = msg & "Available Physical Memory: "
                 msg = msg & Format$(memory \ 1024, "###,###,###") & "K" _
                           & vbCrLf
                 memory& = memsts.dwTotalVirtual
                 msg = msg & "Total Virtual Memory: "
                 msg = msg & Format$(memory \ 1024, "###,###,###") & "K" _
                           & vbCrLf
                 memory& = memsts.dwAvailVirtual
                 msg = msg & "Available Virtual Memory: "
                 msg = msg & Format$(memory \ 1024, "###,###,###") & "K" _
                           & vbCrLf & vbCrLf
    
             Print msg
             MousePointer = 0
          End Sub
    
    

  5. On the Run menu, click Start, or press the F5 key to start the program. Pass the cursor over each button to display the ToolTip describing the button's function. Click the button to perform the function.


Additional query words: API RESOURCE
Keywords : kbui kbusage vb5all vb5howto VBKBWinAPI VBKBWindowing_VBKB kbhowto
Version : 5.0
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbhowto


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Last reviewed: March 21, 1997
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