How to disassemble a .lib static library?

Question

I have written this simple library in c:

library.h:

int sum(int a, int b);

library.c:

#include "library.h"
int sum(int a, int b) {
    return a+b;
}

I compiled it with cl.exe (visual studio 2012) using these commands:

cl /c /EHsc library.cpp
lib library.obj

which compiled it as a static link .lib library file. Now I would like to have a look at how the compiler generated the assembly code, for learning/academic purposes. Please note, I don't want to decompile it, I just want to read the generated assembly. I have tried to open the .lib with w32dasm but I get a lot of strange symbols and it looks like the tool is unable to read the file. I've HAVE done a similar task with a dynamic link library (generated from the same source) and it worked; in that I was able to view the assembly code using w32dasm. So, my question is: is possible to view the assembly code of a static link library as you can do with a dynamic link library? If so, what would be the correct tool to use, since w32dasm does not appear to be the correct tool.

Answer 1

If you do want to disassemble the library instead of looking at the compiler-generated assembler, you can use the DUMPBIN tool:

dumpbin /disasm library.lib

IDA can also handle static libraries and object files (and dozens of other file formats). Disclaimer: I work for Hex-Rays.