How does the C runtime know whether to use the static-linking or dynamic-linking version of the header file?

In response to a description of what happens when you get dll­import wrong, nksingh asks, "This seems like a problem for the CRT. As far as I know, VC gives you the option of statically or dynamically linking the CRT. But it seems like the headers will have to make a choice to support one thing better than the other. Conditional compilation would work, but then people would have to remember to