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How to: Use Visual C++ Express Edition with the Microsoft Platform SDK
You can use Visual C++ 2005 Express Edition to build powerful .NET Framework applications immediately after installation. In order to use Visual C++ Express Edition to build Win32 applications, you will need to take just a few more steps, as detailed below.
Installing the Platform SDK for use with Visual C++ Express Edition
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Install the Microsoft Platform SDK over the Web from the Platform SDK Update site. At a minimum, you will need to install the Windows Core SDK. However, several samples utilize the functionality in other SDKs, so it is recommended that you perform a complete install.
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From the Tools menu in Visual Studio, select Options. The Options dialog box appears.
From the Options dialog box, expand the Projects and Solutions node and select VC++ Directories. In that section, add the following paths to the appropriate subsection:
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Executable files: C:\Program Files\Microsoft SDK\Bin
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Include files: C:\Program Files\Microsoft SDK\include
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Library files: C:\Program Files\Microsoft SDK\lib
Note The location of the Platform SDK might be different on your system.
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Update the corewin_express.vsprops file (found in %VSINSTALLDIR%\VC\VCProjectDefaults) and change the string that reads:
AdditionalDependencies="kernel32.lib"
to:
AdditionalDependencies="kernel32.lib user32.lib gdi32.lib winspool.lib comdlg32.lib advapi32.lib shell32.lib ole32.lib oleaut32.lib uuid.lib"
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Update the default.js file (found in %VSINSTALLDIR%\VC\VCWizards\AppWiz\Generic\Application\scripts\1033) and change the two lines that read:
LinkTool.AdditionalDependencies = "kernel32.lib $(NoInherit)";
to:
// LinkTool.AdditionalDependencies = "kernel32.lib $(NoInherit)";
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To integrate the Platform SDK documentation into the Visual C++ Express documentation, follow the instructions at Visual Studio 2005 Express Edition Combined Help Collection Manager.
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Generate and build a Win32 application to test your paths.
For this, you can use one of the many samples provided in the Help files, such as CPUID Sample: Determines CPU Capabilities. To verify that everything is working, build and run the sample as documented in the help topic.
