Visual Studio 2017更新后无法打开sys/types.h等头文件求助

Hey there, let's work through this frustrating issue you're facing after updating Visual Studio 2017. Those sys/types.h and sys/stat.h missing errors popping up in wchar.h (error code E1969) aren't standard for Windows VS setups, so let's walk through targeted fixes:

• Verify Project SDK and Toolset Configuration
  Right-click your project → Properties, then head to Configuration Properties > General.

  • Confirm the Windows SDK Version is set to a version you have installed (VS2017 typically works best with SDKs like 10.0.17763.0 or older compatible releases).
  • Double-check the Platform Toolset is set to v141 (the official toolset for VS2017)—updates sometimes accidentally switch this to a newer/uninstalled version.

• Repair Visual Studio Installation
  Open the Visual Studio Installer, find your VS2017 instance, and click Modify.

  • Ensure the required Windows SDK component (matching your project's configured version) is checked.
  • Make sure all core C++ development tools are enabled, then select the Repair option to fix any corrupted or missing system files.

• Clean Up Include Directory Priorities
  Go to Project Properties → Configuration Properties > C/C++ > General and look at the Additional Include Directories.

  • Remove any Unix-style include paths (like those pointing to directories with sys/ subfolders) that might be overriding VS's default system header lookup.
  • Save changes and try recompiling.

• Clear Project Build Cache

  • Delete the Debug and Release folders in your project directory manually.
  • In Solution Explorer, right-click your solution → Clean Solution, then right-click again → Rebuild Solution. This ensures no stale or corrupted build files are causing issues.

• Check for Corrupted wchar.h File
  The errors are originating in wchar.h, so it's possible this system header got modified or corrupted during the update.

  • Navigate to your VS2017 include directory (usually C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\2017\<Edition>\VC\Tools\MSVC\<version>\include).
  • Compare your wchar.h with a fresh copy from a working VS2017 installation, or replace it with a clean version if you have one—this can resolve unexpected references to Unix-style headers.

A quick note: sys/types.h and sys/stat.h are Unix/Linux standard headers, so VS's Windows-focused standard library shouldn't be referencing them by default. This issue almost always ties back to misconfiguration, corrupted installation files, or accidental header modifications.

内容的提问来源于stack exchange，提问作者Silviu