call   dword [(GetTickCount-imp_center)+ebx]
        xchg   esi, eax       ; Backup start time into ESI

        mov    eax, esp
        pushd  $10            ; MB type: "error" with one "OK" button
        push   eax
        push   eax
        pushd  0              ; ZERO ???
        call   dword [(MessageBoxA-imp_center)+ebx]

        call   dword [(GetTickCount-imp_center)+ebx]
        sub    eax, esi       ; LET EAX:=EAX-ESI

        add    esp, 64

        pope   edi
        pope   esi
        pope   ebx
        ret    4              ; Throw away one argument, return result in EAX
        ;-------

; ----------------------------------------------------------------------

if ( ($ mod 4) > 0 )
  db ( (3) - ($+3) mod 4 ) dup(0)
  ; Align to 4 // this ^^^ line fails if already aligned
end if

; ----------------------------------------------------------------------

; ######## Import & Export and Relox blocks (no private section) ########

; ----------------------------------------------------------------------

llimpbeg:

dd 0, 0, 0, (dgjpp_kernel_name-ccbase), (dgjpp_kernel_table-ccbase)
dd 0, 0, 0, (dgjpp_user32_name-ccbase), (dgjpp_user32_table-ccbase)
dd 0, 0, 0, 0 ; Missing ZERO is below

llrelbeg:

dd 0, 8 ; Fixed 8 Bytes | Note that one ZERO is used twice 

llexpbeg:

dd 0, 0, 0                    ; Characterum, Timestamp, Version
dd (dgjpp_dll_name-ccbase)
dd 1, 2, 2                    ; OrdinalBase, Functions, Names
dd (dgjpp_functions-ccbase)
dd (dgjpp_names_list-ccbase)
dd (dgjpp_ordinals-ccbase)

dgjpp_kernel_table:

GetTickCount: dd (_GetTickCount-ccbase)
dd 0
    

How to use the MZ stub to store useful stuff (famous "format PE" adds a faulty stub at best)

  db start_of_pe,0,0,0                 ; PE begins here 
  ;[...]
start_of_pe:
  db "PE", 0, 0 ; Signature    

How to reduce bloat compared to format PE (famous "format PE" requires private sections for all imports, exports and reloxxx, "format binary" can put all into 1 section, and further optimize by minimising align losses)

Instead of storing the unnecessary ms-dos stub in the mz header, I would rather store imports or the pe header itself in it.
This had been useful, since if you just cut the stub, you would have saved 20 bytes.

Use such space for more section headers or try to embed strings or other data in there.

How to reduce bloat compared to format PE (famous "format PE" requires private sections for all imports, exports and reloxxx, "format binary" can put all into 1 section, and further optimize by minimising align losses)

format PE GUI 4.0 DLL
;note, if "entry" is omitted in a DLL it acts the same as an entry with "mov eax,1/retn"
section '.text' code data readable writeable executable
data import
library user32,'user32.dll'
import user32,MessageBox,'MessageBoxA'
end data
title db 'Hi',0
text db 'This function should do something. Pretend it just did.',0
align 0x10
MyFunc:
  push 0
  push title
  push text
  push 0
  call [MessageBox]
  ret
data export
export 'MyDll.dll',MyFunc,'MyFunc'
end data
data fixups
end data    

; SUB SSCLEARSETOFN | IN "vvunicrap" "vvmustex" | OUT EDI
; Trash EAX , ECX , EDI
; Trash "bbgetstring" , "bbbuf256a" (struct) , "bbbuf256b"  (out string)

; The horrible thing eats 4 strings as input :
; - Title (may be empty but we do set it)
; - Preselected filename (may be empty, and we leave it empty)
; - 2 strings about the filter (may be empty ??? we do set it)

ssclearsetofn:

        movntq eax, 0
        movntq ecx, 0
        mov    cl, 128
        lea    edi, [bbbuf256a]   ; Clear "bbbuf256a" and "bbbuf256b"
        push   edi
        rep    stosd
        pope   edi

if ((bbbuf256a+256-bbbuf256b)<>0)
  err "(bbbuf256a+256)<>bbbuf256b"
end if

        mov    al, 30             ; "All silly files *.*  Testing" (2
        call   ssgetstringcopy

        mov    cl, 0
        mov    [eax+15], cl
        mov    [eax+19], cl
        mov    [eax+20], cl
        mov    ch, 65             ; "A"
        cmp    [vvunicrap], byte 0
        je     short @f
        add    ch, 22             ; "A" -> "W"
@@:     mov    [eax+28], ch
        mov    [eax+29], cl       ; TER-ZERO

        cmp    [vvunicrap], byte 0
        je     short no_uni_expand

        push   edx
        movntq edx, 0             ; Value transfer
        movntq ecx, 0             ; Index
        mov    cl, 29
@@:     mov    dl, [eax+ecx]
        mov    [eax+2*ecx], dx
        dec    ecx
        jns    short @b
        pope   edx

no_uni_expand:

        mov    [edi], byte 76     ; "lStructSize" | Needed ???

        mov    [edi+12], eax      ; Filter | 2 str's | 21 char's incl. ZERO's

        lea    ecx, [bbbuf256b]   ; It's empty on entry 
        mov    [edi+28], ecx      ; In and out buffer | 256 Byte's

        lea    ecx, [eax+21]      ; Last use of EAX address
        mov    al, 252            ; Buffer size limit
        cmp    [vvunicrap], byte 0
        je     short @f
        add    ecx, 21            ; Move up string address in Byte's
        mov    al, 126            ; DIV amount of char's fitting into buffer
@@:     mov    [edi+32], al       ; "nMaxFile"
        mov    [edi+48], ecx      ; "lpstrTitle"

        mov    eax, $1212'0004    ; Add $1000 for load (must exist)
        cmp    [vvmustex], byte 0
        je     short @f
        add    ah, 16             ; ADDNTQ EAX, $1000
@@:     mov    [edi+52], eax      ; "Flags"

        ret
        ;----
    

'' This vvv sucks
if ((bbbuf256a+256-bbbuf256b)<>0)
  err "(bbbuf256a+256)<>bbbuf256b"
end if
'' This ^^^ sucks
    

assert ((bbbuf256a+256-bbbuf256b)=0)    

(famous "format PE" adds a faulty stub at best)

Interesting ... although it still won't fix the stub

fasm's "format PE" allows you to use any stub you want (with the ON operator). If the file you specify is not an MZ executable, fasm treats it as .COM and tries to do .COM->MZ conversion (not exactly 100% compatible, but usually enough).

Thanks, I had known this ... but the built-in stub is more MS-compatible than useful. And, the "ON" operator depends from external file ( SS -> NOT-SO due to unpredictable content of external file ) .

Actually I had made a suggestion how to make the stub "automatically" more useful only 4 years ago.