Applies to: desktop apps only

Retrieves information about the current operating system.

Syntax

BOOL WINAPI GetVersionEx(
  __inout  LPOSVERSIONINFO lpVersionInfo
);

Parameters

lpVersionInfo [in, out]

An OSVERSIONINFO or OSVERSIONINFOEX structure that receives the operating system information.

Before calling the GetVersionEx function, set the dwOSVersionInfoSize member of the structure as appropriate to indicate which data structure is being passed to this function.

Return value

If the function succeeds, the return value is a nonzero value.

If the function fails, the return value is zero. To get extended error information, call GetLastError. The function fails if you specify an invalid value for the dwOSVersionInfoSize member of the OSVERSIONINFO or OSVERSIONINFOEX structure.

Remarks

Identifying the current operating system is usually not the best way to determine whether a particular operating system feature is present. This is because the operating system may have had new features added in a redistributable DLL. Rather than using GetVersionEx to determine the operating system platform or version number, test for the presence of the feature itself. For more information, see Operating System Version.

The GetSystemMetrics function provides additional information about the current operating system.

To check for specific operating systems or operating system features, use the IsOS function. The GetProductInfo function retrieves the product type.

To retrieve information for the operating system on a remote computer, use the NetWkstaGetInfo function, the Win32_OperatingSystem WMI class, or the OperatingSystem property of the IADsComputer interface.

To compare the current system version to a required version, use the VerifyVersionInfo function instead of using GetVersionEx to perform the comparison yourself.

If compatibility mode is in effect, the GetVersionEx function reports the operating system as it identifies itself, which may not be the operating system that is installed. For example, if compatibility mode is in effect, GetVersionEx reports the operating system that is selected for application compatibility.

Examples

When using the GetVersionEx function to determine whether your application is running on a particular version of the operating system, check for version numbers that are greater than or equal to the desired version numbers. This ensures that the test succeeds for later versions of the operating system. For example, if your application requires Windows XP or later, use the following test.

#include <windows.h>
#include <stdio.h>

void main()
{
    OSVERSIONINFO osvi;
    BOOL bIsWindowsXPorLater;

    ZeroMemory(&osvi, sizeof(OSVERSIONINFO));
    osvi.dwOSVersionInfoSize = sizeof(OSVERSIONINFO);

    GetVersionEx(&osvi);

    bIsWindowsXPorLater = 
       ( (osvi.dwMajorVersion > 5) ||
       ( (osvi.dwMajorVersion == 5) && (osvi.dwMinorVersion >= 1) ));

    if(bIsWindowsXPorLater)
        printf("The system meets the requirements.\n");
    else printf("The system does not meet the requirements.\n");
}

For an example that identifies the current operating system, see Getting the System Version.

Requirements

See also

GetVersion

Operating System Version

OSVERSIONINFO

OSVERSIONINFOEX

System Information Functions

VerifyVersionInfo

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Build date: 3/6/2012