Upd [new]: Getsystemtimepreciseasfiletime Windows 7
: Use GetProcAddress to check for the function at runtime rather than linking to it statically.
The primary update responsible for introducing this function is .
Because Microsoft officially dropped support for Windows 7, there is no official "Windows Update" (KB patch) that adds this specific API function to the system's core kernel files. However, end-users and developers can use several reliable workarounds to solve this problem. Understanding the Technical Root Cause
Always verify the API exists before calling it, even if your build configuration suggests it should be available:
There is no official Windows update to add GetSystemTimePreciseAsFileTime to Windows 7. This function was first introduced in and is not present in the kernel32.dll of older operating systems. getsystemtimepreciseasfiletime windows 7 upd
The precision is 1 microsecond, but the accuracy depends on the underlying hardware and system timer resolution. On Windows 7, the function uses the same system time source as other time functions, just with higher granularity.
For those creating fallback implementations, external resources like the "High Resolution Time For Windows 7" project on CodeProject offer a starting point for providing high-resolution time estimates on older OS versions that lack native support.
Microsoft released updates for Windows 7 that backported some newer functions, including GetSystemTimePreciseAsFileTime , into the system's runtime libraries. 1. KB3102810 (Update for Windows 7)
void GetPreciseOrFallbackFileTime(FILETIME* ft) HMODULE hKernel = GetModuleHandleA("kernel32.dll"); if (hKernel) GetSystemTimePreciseAsFileTime_t pGetPrecise = (GetSystemTimePreciseAsFileTime_t)GetProcAddress(hKernel, "GetSystemTimePreciseAsFileTime"); if (pGetPrecise) pGetPrecise(ft); return; : Use GetProcAddress to check for the function
if (pfn) pfn(ft); else GetSystemTimeAsFileTime(ft);
Some developers create custom shim DLLs that hook into kernel32.dll and map the "Precise" API call to a similar, albeit less precise, API. This requires advanced knowledge of application hooking.
If you are developing the software, you must enable compatibility for older systems.
GetSystemTimePreciseAsFileTime is a powerful, high-resolution time function that be used on Windows 7 if you install KB2813345 . Without this update, developers must rely on less accurate methods or complex hybrid timing code. However, end-users and developers can use several reliable
Unfortunately, GetSystemTimePreciseAsFileTime is a function that was introduced in Windows 8, not Windows 7. However, I can provide you with some useful information on the topic.
This pattern is used by major projects. For instance, the TensorFlow library implemented this exact logic when adding support for high-precision timers on Windows. They looked up the function in kernel32.dll at runtime and only used it if it was available; otherwise, they defaulted to the older function. Projects like PostgreSQL have also adopted a similar runtime check to decide which time function to use.
GetSystemTimePreciseAsFileTime is a powerful API for high-precision timekeeping, but it comes with a critical caveat: it is on Windows 7 and will never be backported via a Windows Update. Developers must be aware of this limitation to avoid "Entry point not found" errors that render their applications unusable on older systems.
The lack of native GetSystemTimePreciseAsFileTime in Windows 7 once forced developers into messy workarounds. However, with , Microsoft officially back-ported this essential function, allowing legacy systems to achieve near-microsecond timestamp resolution.