diff --git a/icu4c/source/common/common.vcproj b/icu4c/source/common/common.vcproj
index 7e932ceb6e0..bd41e4eb89a 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/common/common.vcproj
+++ b/icu4c/source/common/common.vcproj
@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@
 				LinkIncremental="1"
 				SuppressStartupBanner="TRUE"
 				ProgramDatabaseFile=".\..\..\lib\icuuc33.pdb"
+				EnableCOMDATFolding="2"
 				BaseAddress="0x4a800000"
 				ImportLibrary="..\..\lib\icuuc.lib"/>
 			<Tool
@@ -485,14 +486,16 @@
 					Name="Release|Win32">
 					<Tool
 						Name="VCCustomBuildTool"
-						CommandLine="copy &quot;$(InputPath)&quot; ..\..\include\unicode"
+						CommandLine="copy &quot;$(InputPath)&quot; ..\..\include\unicode
+"
 						Outputs="..\..\include\unicode\$(InputFileName)"/>
 				</FileConfiguration>
 				<FileConfiguration
 					Name="Debug|Win32">
 					<Tool
 						Name="VCCustomBuildTool"
-						CommandLine="copy &quot;$(InputPath)&quot; ..\..\include\unicode"
+						CommandLine="copy &quot;$(InputPath)&quot; ..\..\include\unicode
+"
 						Outputs="..\..\include\unicode\$(InputFileName)"/>
 				</FileConfiguration>
 			</File>
diff --git a/icu4c/source/common/unicode/uobject.h b/icu4c/source/common/unicode/uobject.h
index 49f6ed0c696..14c80d5b8ed 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/common/unicode/uobject.h
+++ b/icu4c/source/common/unicode/uobject.h
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 /*
 ******************************************************************************
 *
-*   Copyright (C) 2002-2004, International Business Machines
+*   Copyright (C) 2002-2005, International Business Machines
 *   Corporation and others.  All Rights Reserved.
 *
 ******************************************************************************
@@ -237,7 +237,7 @@ protected:
  */
 #define UOBJECT_DEFINE_RTTI_IMPLEMENTATION(myClass) \
     UClassID U_EXPORT2 myClass::getStaticClassID() { \
-        static const char classID = 0; \
+        static char classID = 0; \
         return (UClassID)&classID; \
     } \
     UClassID myClass::getDynamicClassID() const \
@@ -254,7 +254,7 @@ protected:
  */
 #define UOBJECT_DEFINE_ABSTRACT_RTTI_IMPLEMENTATION(myClass) \
     UClassID U_EXPORT2 myClass::getStaticClassID() { \
-        static const char classID = 0; \
+        static char classID = 0; \
         return (UClassID)&classID; \
     }
 
diff --git a/icu4c/source/i18n/i18n.vcproj b/icu4c/source/i18n/i18n.vcproj
index 470f16805e3..5d8c85a75a3 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/i18n/i18n.vcproj
+++ b/icu4c/source/i18n/i18n.vcproj
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@
 				LinkIncremental="1"
 				SuppressStartupBanner="TRUE"
 				ProgramDatabaseFile=".\..\..\lib\icuin33.pdb"
+				EnableCOMDATFolding="2"
 				BaseAddress="0x4a900000"
 				ImportLibrary="..\..\lib\icuin.lib"/>
 			<Tool
diff --git a/icu4c/source/io/io.vcproj b/icu4c/source/io/io.vcproj
index 431c5662a9b..42ed0ad8d6a 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/io/io.vcproj
+++ b/icu4c/source/io/io.vcproj
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@
 				LinkIncremental="1"
 				SuppressStartupBanner="TRUE"
 				ProgramDatabaseFile=".\..\..\lib\icuio33.pdb"
+				EnableCOMDATFolding="2"
 				BaseAddress="0x4ab00000"
 				ImportLibrary="..\..\lib\icuio.lib"/>
 			<Tool
diff --git a/icu4c/source/layout/layout.vcproj b/icu4c/source/layout/layout.vcproj
index 83bce3a688e..0a1e715285b 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/layout/layout.vcproj
+++ b/icu4c/source/layout/layout.vcproj
@@ -109,6 +109,7 @@
 				LinkIncremental="1"
 				SuppressStartupBanner="TRUE"
 				ProgramDatabaseFile=".\..\..\lib\icule33.pdb"
+				EnableCOMDATFolding="2"
 				BaseAddress="0x4ac00000"
 				ImportLibrary="..\..\lib\icule.lib"/>
 			<Tool
diff --git a/icu4c/source/layoutex/layoutex.vcproj b/icu4c/source/layoutex/layoutex.vcproj
index 1e1328b4e52..d6306045a2e 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/layoutex/layoutex.vcproj
+++ b/icu4c/source/layoutex/layoutex.vcproj
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@
 				LinkIncremental="1"
 				SuppressStartupBanner="TRUE"
 				ProgramDatabaseFile=".\..\..\lib\iculx33.pdb"
+				EnableCOMDATFolding="2"
 				BaseAddress="0x4ac80000"
 				ImportLibrary="..\..\lib\iculx.lib"/>
 			<Tool
diff --git a/icu4c/source/tools/ctestfw/ctestfw.vcproj b/icu4c/source/tools/ctestfw/ctestfw.vcproj
index 1a24e313ccc..e1c797409e5 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/tools/ctestfw/ctestfw.vcproj
+++ b/icu4c/source/tools/ctestfw/ctestfw.vcproj
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@
 				LinkIncremental="1"
 				SuppressStartupBanner="TRUE"
 				ProgramDatabaseFile=".\..\..\..\lib\icutest.pdb"
+				EnableCOMDATFolding="2"
 				ImportLibrary=".\..\..\..\lib\icutest.lib"/>
 			<Tool
 				Name="VCMIDLTool"
diff --git a/icu4c/source/tools/toolutil/toolutil.vcproj b/icu4c/source/tools/toolutil/toolutil.vcproj
index bd77fedd8cc..1101a4bc01e 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/tools/toolutil/toolutil.vcproj
+++ b/icu4c/source/tools/toolutil/toolutil.vcproj
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@
 				SuppressStartupBanner="TRUE"
 				AdditionalLibraryDirectories="..\..\..\lib"
 				ProgramDatabaseFile=".\..\..\..\lib\icutu33.pdb"
+				EnableCOMDATFolding="2"
 				BaseAddress="0x4ac00000"
 				ImportLibrary="..\..\..\lib\icutu.lib"/>
 			<Tool