setec_fs_manager/docs/build.md

Setec Partition Wizard — Build Documentation

Last updated: 2026-03-11

Project Overview

Setec Partition Wizard is a comprehensive C++17/Qt6 professional disk utility for Windows. It provides partition management, disk cloning, image creation/restore, ISO flashing, file/partition recovery, boot repair, S.M.A.R.T. diagnostics, benchmarking, surface scanning, secure erase, FIDO2 security keys, encrypted vaults, and boot authentication — covering everything that commercial tools like Partition Magic, Acronis, and EaseUS used to offer.

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Build Requirements

Component	Required Version	Location on this system
MSVC (cl.exe)	2022 (toolset 14.44.35207)	C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\2022\Professional\
Windows SDK	10.0.26100.0	C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Kits\10\
CMake	3.25+	C:\Program Files\CMake\bin\cmake.exe
Ninja	any	C:\Qt\Tools\Ninja\ninja.exe
Qt	6.10.0 (msvc2022_64)	C:\Qt\6.10.0\msvc2022_64\
Python	3.x (for icon generation)	C:\Python314\python.exe

Optional Tools

Tool	Purpose	Location
w64devkit (GCC 15.2.0)	Alternative compiler	C:\w64devkit\bin\
Clang (via Qt llvm-mingw)	Alternative compiler	C:\Qt\Tools\llvm-mingw1706_64\bin\
VS Build Tools	Headless builds	C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\2022\BuildTools\

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Architecture

SetecPartitionWizard/
├── CMakeLists.txt              # Root build - finds Qt6, includes cmake/, adds src/
├── CMakePresets.json            # Presets with embedded MSVC/SDK environment
├── cmake/
│   ├── CompilerWarnings.cmake   # /W4 /permissive- /utf-8 flags
│   ├── Version.cmake            # SPW_VERSION_* defines
│   └── GenerateKey.cmake        # Builds spw_keygen, generates EmbeddedKey.h + garbage.xtx
├── src/
│   ├── core/                    # spw_core static library (28 .cpp files)
│   │   ├── common/              # Types.h, Result.h, Error.h, Constants.h, Logging
│   │   ├── disk/                # RawDiskHandle, VolumeHandle, DiskEnumerator, DiskGeometry,
│   │   │                        # SmartReader, PartitionTable, FilesystemDetector, FilesystemInfo
│   │   ├── filesystem/          # FormatEngine (NTFS/FAT/ext/exFAT/swap/Btrfs/XFS)
│   │   ├── operations/          # Operation base, OperationQueue, PartitionOperations (7 op types)
│   │   ├── recovery/            # PartitionRecovery, FileRecovery (MFT/FAT/ext/carving), BootRepair
│   │   ├── diagnostics/         # Benchmark (seq/random R/W, QD1/QD32), SurfaceScan
│   │   ├── imaging/             # Checksums (SHA-256/MD5/CRC32), DiskCloner, ImageCreator,
│   │   │                        # ImageRestorer, IsoFlasher (ISO9660 parser + UEFI detection)
│   │   ├── maintenance/         # SecureErase (Zero/DoD-3/7/Gutmann/Random/Custom)
│   │   └── security/            # EncryptedVault (AES-256-XTS/CBC/GCM), Fido2Manager (CTAP2),
│   │                            # BootAuthenticator (HMAC-SHA256), OratDecoder
│   ├── ui/                      # spw_ui static library
│   │   ├── MainWindow.cpp/h     # Tab container, F5=secret menu, Ctrl+R=refresh
│   │   ├── tabs/                # DiskPartitionTab, RecoveryTab, ImagingTab, DiagnosticsTab,
│   │   │                        # SecurityTab, MaintenanceTab, StarGenerator
│   │   ├── dialogs/             # AstroChicken, Arnoid, Vohaul (secret menu chain)
│   │   └── widgets/             # DiskMapWidget (visual partition map)
│   └── app/                     # SetecPartitionWizard.exe
│       ├── main.cpp             # Entry point, single-instance lock
│       └── SingleInstance.cpp/h
├── third_party/                 # GTest via FetchContent, hwdiag (secret pentesting module)
├── tests/                       # Unit tests
├── tools/                       # spw_keygen (build-time key generator)
├── resources/
│   ├── resources.qrc            # Qt resource file
│   ├── garbage.xtx              # Generated riddle file
│   └── icons/                   # app.ico + toolbar PNGs
├── scripts/
│   ├── repair_path.ps1          # PowerShell: repair PATH/INCLUDE/LIB environment
│   └── install_tools.ps1        # PowerShell: install/repair dev tools via winget/choco
└── docs/
    ├── build.md                 # This file
    └── tool_compilers.md        # Complete tool inventory with install instructions

Library Dependencies

spw_core links against:

• Qt6::Core — QString, QThread, signals/slots
• setupapi — SetupDi* device enumeration
• wbemuuid — WMI (IWbemServices) for disk info
• ole32, oleaut32 — COM initialization for WMI
• bcrypt — SHA-256, AES-256, PBKDF2, HMAC (Windows CNG)
• ntdll — LZNT1 compression (RtlCompressBuffer/RtlDecompressBuffer)
• virtdisk — VHD mount/unmount (AttachVirtualDisk)
• hid — HID device enumeration for FIDO2 USB tokens

spw_ui links against:

• Qt6::Widgets — QMainWindow, QTabWidget, all UI widgets
• spw_core — backend logic

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Build Instructions

Option A: From Developer Command Prompt (Recommended)

"C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\2022\Professional\VC\Auxiliary\Build\vcvars64.bat"
cd C:\Users\mdavi\SetecPartitionWizard
cmake --preset default
cmake --build build/default

Option B: From Git Bash (requires environment setup)

# Set MSVC environment (INCLUDE/LIB must use Windows-style paths with semicolons)
export MSVC_VER="14.44.35207"
export WINSDK_VER="10.0.26100.0"
export VCDIR="C:/Program Files/Microsoft Visual Studio/2022/Professional/VC/Tools/MSVC/$MSVC_VER"
export SDKDIR="C:/Program Files (x86)/Windows Kits/10"

# PATH needs MSYS-style /c/ paths
export PATH="/c/Program Files/Microsoft Visual Studio/2022/Professional/VC/Tools/MSVC/$MSVC_VER/bin/Hostx64/x64:/c/Program Files (x86)/Windows Kits/10/bin/$WINSDK_VER/x64:/c/Qt/Tools/Ninja:/c/Program Files/CMake/bin:/c/Qt/6.10.0/msvc2022_64/bin:/c/Windows/System32:/c/Windows:/c/Program Files/Git/cmd:/c/Program Files/Git/usr/bin"

# INCLUDE and LIB need Windows-style C:/ paths with semicolons
export INCLUDE="$VCDIR/include;$SDKDIR/Include/$WINSDK_VER/ucrt;$SDKDIR/Include/$WINSDK_VER/um;$SDKDIR/Include/$WINSDK_VER/shared;$SDKDIR/Include/$WINSDK_VER/winrt;$SDKDIR/Include/$WINSDK_VER/cppwinrt"
export LIB="$VCDIR/lib/x64;$SDKDIR/Lib/$WINSDK_VER/ucrt/x64;$SDKDIR/Lib/$WINSDK_VER/um/x64"

cmake --preset default
cmake --build build/default

Option C: Using CMake Build Presets

The CMakePresets.json has embedded MSVC environment in both configure and build presets:

cmake --preset default
cmake --build --preset default

Note: The build preset includes INCLUDE/LIB/PATH so Ninja finds cl.exe and all headers.

Option D: Run repair_path.ps1 first (fixes system-wide)

# In PowerShell (Admin)
Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser
.\scripts\repair_path.ps1
# Then restart terminal and build normally

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Build Troubleshooting History

Issue: windows.h not found

Symptom: fatal error C1083: Cannot open include file: 'windows.h' Cause: MSVC's cl.exe relies on the INCLUDE environment variable to find system headers. When building from Git Bash, this variable is either not set or gets mangled by MSYS path conversion. Fix: CMakePresets.json now embeds INCLUDE/LIB in both configurePresets and buildPresets. Alternatively, use repair_path.ps1 to set them system-wide.

Issue: INCLUDE env var works for configure but not build

Symptom: cmake --preset default succeeds (cl.exe detected), but cmake --build build/default fails with missing headers. Cause: CMake preset environment in configurePresets only applies during the configure step. Ninja inherits the shell's environment, not CMake's. The build presets need their own environment block. Fix: Added environment with INCLUDE/LIB/PATH to buildPresets in CMakePresets.json.

Issue: Git Bash PATH with spaces

Symptom: Commands in directories with spaces fail. Cause: Git Bash/MSYS uses /c/ style paths. PATH entries must use /c/Program Files/... not C:\Program Files\.... Fix: PATH uses MSYS-style, INCLUDE/LIB use Windows-style.

Issue: F5 key conflict

Symptom: F5 triggered "Refresh Disks" instead of the secret AstroChicken menu. Cause: QKeySequence::Refresh maps to F5 on Windows, intercepting keyPressEvent. Fix: Changed refresh shortcut to QKeySequence(Qt::CTRL | Qt::Key_R). F5 now correctly triggers the secret menu via keyPressEvent.

Issue: hwdiag CRT mismatch (LNK2038)

Symptom: Linker error about mismatched RuntimeLibrary (MDd vs MD). Cause: hwdiag was built as Release (/MD) but main project is Debug (/MDd). Fix: Build hwdiag in Debug mode to match.

Issue: SPW_BUILD_TESTS option ordering

Symptom: GTest never fetched, tests don't build. Cause: option(SPW_BUILD_TESTS) was declared AFTER add_subdirectory(third_party). Fix: Moved option declaration before add_subdirectory.

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Current Build Status (2026-03-11)

NOT YET COMPILING. All ~88 source files (41 .cpp, 47 .h) are written but have never been compiled together successfully. Expected issues:

• Type mismatches between files written by different agents
• Missing includes
• Struct field name inconsistencies
• Interface mismatches between headers and implementations

The MSVC environment issue (INCLUDE/LIB not reaching Ninja) must be resolved first before code-level errors can be addressed. Use repair_path.ps1 or build from Developer Command Prompt.

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Key Design Decisions

1. No exceptions — Uses Result<T> monadic error handling throughout
2. No OpenSSL — All crypto via Windows BCrypt (CNG) API
3. GParted-style operation queue — Changes are queued, previewed, then applied atomically
4. RAII disk handles — RawDiskHandle and VolumeHandle auto-close on destruction
5. Removable-only safety — IsoFlasher refuses to write to fixed disks
6. Admin required — Raw disk I/O requires elevation; app checks and prompts
7. Secret menu — F5 triggers hidden pentesting module disguised as libspw_hwdiag static library