diff --git a/dtool/src/dtoolbase/version.h b/dtool/src/dtoolbase/version.h
index 8667c82caa..c1a19f9595 100644
--- a/dtool/src/dtoolbase/version.h
+++ b/dtool/src/dtoolbase/version.h
@@ -3,3 +3,8 @@
 #define PANDA_VERSION_BUILDSUBVERSION      0
 #define PANDA_VERSION_BUILDSUBSUBVERSION   1
 
+#define PANDA_VERSION_MAJOR_STR                "0"
+#define PANDA_VERSION_MINOR_STR                "0"
+#define PANDA_VERSION_BUILDSUBVERSION_STR      "0"
+#define PANDA_VERSION_BUILDSUBSUBVERSION_STR   "1"
+
diff --git a/dtool/src/dtoolbase/version.rc b/dtool/src/dtoolbase/version.rc
index e8129c7f81..49ec13e2cf 100644
--- a/dtool/src/dtoolbase/version.rc
+++ b/dtool/src/dtoolbase/version.rc
@@ -8,24 +8,31 @@
 // these should also be externally generated eventually
 #ifndef PANDA_VERSION_MAJOR
 #define PANDA_VERSION_MAJOR                0
+#define PANDA_VERSION_MAJOR_STR           "0"
 #endif
 
 #ifndef PANDA_VERSION_MINOR
 #define PANDA_VERSION_MINOR                0
+#define PANDA_VERSION_MINOR_STR           "0"
 #endif
 
 #ifndef PANDA_VERSION_BUILDSUBVERSION
 #define PANDA_VERSION_BUILDSUBVERSION      0
+#define PANDA_VERSION_BUILDSUBVERSION_STR "0"
 #endif
 
 #ifndef PANDA_VERSION_BUILDSUBSUBVERSION
-#define PANDA_VERSION_BUILDSUBSUBVERSION   0
+#define PANDA_VERSION_BUILDSUBSUBVERSION        0
+#define PANDA_VERSION_BUILDSUBSUBVERSION_STR   "0"
 #endif
 
+/*
+this stuff doesnt work, cpp wont replace inside quotes
 #define PANDA_VERSION_MAJOR_STR "PANDA_VERSION_MAJOR"
 #define PANDA_VERSION_MINOR_STR "PANDA_VERSION_MINOR"
 #define PANDA_VERSION_BUILDSUBVERSION_STR "PANDA_VERSION_BUILDSUBVERSION"
 #define PANDA_VERSION_BUILDSUBSUBVERSION_STR "PANDA_VERSION_BUILDSUBSUBVERSION"
+*/
 
 #define VER_FILEVERSION      PANDA_VERSION_MAJOR,PANDA_VERSION_MINOR,PANDA_VERSION_BUILDSUBVERSION,PANDA_VERSION_BUILDSUBSUBVERSION
 #define VER_FILEVERSION_STR  PANDA_VERSION_MAJOR_STR "." PANDA_VERSION_MINOR_STR "." PANDA_VERSION_BUILDSUBVERSION_STR "." PANDA_VERSION_BUILDSUBSUBVERSION_STR