MSVC++ Debugging and Profiling on XP?

[BoorishId]

Sorry this is a really stupid ass question but im pretty use to using gcc on linux. So i installed my version of vc6 on windows xp sp2, i havent really used visual studio in quite a while since win98/2000 times. After the installation was complete it told me to install the set of debug symbols for windows nt, just like it would in win2k so i go to the vstudio stuff in programs click install nt debug symbols and it doesnt work properly. where am i suppose to get a set of debugging symbols for windows xp sp2? i looked around ms with no luck just a confusing trail of crap like the ms site usually leads me too. If ANYONE can tell me where to get xp's debugging symbol set it would be GREATLY appreciated. Nest question does VS come with a code profiler? Ive never tried to use one and dont know anything about them but it's about time i got a code profilier and figured out how to use it since a game needs some serious speed. I am assuming to profile ill also need the symbols installed and if not im still gonna need the symbols to debug. Damn ms so freakin confusing.

Acually while im on this topic what do i need to get irrlicht to compile I went to ms to get the DX9 sdk and could only find a 152mb file called DirectX 9 sdk update april 2005, not sure if this is the full sdk or just an update the file name is really confusing. Im assuming im going to need a version of the DX8.1 sdk also? Will this be readily available at microsofts site somewhere since its old? and will i have a problem installing these libraries togather?

Im sorry for such stupid questions but i dont know to much about windows and c programming, i mean i understand the win32 api and have used VB quite exstensively in the past but have only used vc++ for small things like writing fast librarys for vb. Ive done most of my c/asm on linux with gcc and nasm wich is very well documented, unlike ms crap wich provides a confusing web site.

P.S. not bashing ms just stating there web site is pretty half ass with confusing file names! And i know DEV-C is based on mingwn wich is a port of gcc but i don't want to use it sent i spent quite a bit of money for visual studio, plus i haer the vc compiler does alot better job at generating the asm instructions on the windows platform.

[Guest]

As of 2005, DirectX no longer supports VC6.0.
The Feb update dropped support for Win2000.

You can of course download freely, the 2003 compiler
from MS and there is an IDE freely avaiable that works
with it. Check the Tools section or search the posts.
If you are only planning on using Opengl, then VC6.0 will do.

[BoorishId]

So is there anyway i can tie this 2003 toolkit from ms to the vc ide or to my c#.net ide? Also if i go the mingw route does it have good degugging tools and profilers available for it gdb maybe? I will compile my final project with a copy of vc.net i guess becuase of its optimizations but i can just use mingw/dev-c++ for right now till i can afford c.net. Also if some could tell me if i need dx8.1 and 9 installed to compile the engine that would be greatly appreciated

[Electron]

I just downloaded the DX9 April Update, and it seems to be the full sdk (if it wasn't I don't think it would be so bloody huge). I was able to compile Irrlicht 0.9 with DX9 on VC++ Toolkit. I haven't tried recently with MinGW, but according to some sources (check the Irrlicht wiki) MinGW can now link properly with hte DX sdk (even though the devpack is gone). I don't know if DX 8 sdk is still available, but you can just comment out the IRR_COMPILE_WITH_DIRECTX8 (or something like that) line in IrrCompileConfig.h. AFAIK VC6 doesn't have a profiler. VC++ Toolit doesn't even have a debugger, though I think the Platform SDK has some debugging tools. MinGW has gdb debugging (though I've never like gdb) and it has a profiler (dunno how good it is, it's not like VTune or anything)