I've finally got a new computer and now have XP. I've just downloaded Visual C++ Express 2005. Question One: I like developing using the command line. How do I invoke the MS compiler? I've tried running cl.exe and it bombs out saying some DLL is missing. The IDE runs and compiles fine. Question Two: I keep hearing that to develop Win32 apps with the above, I need to download the platform SDK. I've been searching around MSDN et al and have no idea what I am doing. Could anyone post a link or explanation of what I need to do? Question Three: Very weird this. I have always used Borland's BCC55 until now. Since I got XP and installed Borland's free compiler on my new computer, it all works fine until I add my own header files to the Borland C:\Borland\Bcc55\Include directory. If I try to include them with #include <myfile.h> the compiler bombs out and says it can't find the file. If I put the complete path inside the <>'s, it finds it. What on earth is that about? Reason this has come up is that I put the DirectX SDK include files in a directory called "sdk" in the Borland include directory and include it in my program with #include <sdk\d3d8.h> and so on. Worked fine on my 98SE machine but now fails on the new computer. If I specifiy the full path in the include statement, it finds the file but throws up some very strange "missing )" errors in the D3DX files. Appreciate this is all a bit vague, and if I could figure out how to invoke MS C++ from the command line I would abandon Borland forever and never think about it again, but I can't so would appreciate any advice anyone can give me on any of the above. Thanks. Paul

Thanks for the link.

The problem with the Borland compilers turned out to be that I had the free compiler and a full version of C++ Builder installed at the same time. Apparently with XP apps set the PATH variable directly rather than through autoexec.bat so the Builder version was before the free version on the path. Felt a bit thick when I discovered that.

I'll have a look at the VS paths and see if I can get it to work. I take it other people can run VS Express's cl.exe from the command prompt?

[EDIT] Never mind. Got it working but just been discovering what a nightmare of complexity all the linking stuff is. Guess I'll just have to drag myself into the 21st century and get used to using the IDE.

[EDIT AGAIN] Wow. That is the nicest IDE I have ever seen.

[Edited by - EasilyConfused on July 29, 2006 7:15:18 AM]