some help :)

Assuming you are using VC++ 6.0, you would go to tools->options, find the directories tab across the top, and then setup the paths to the directx includes folders and lib folders. They should be somewhere like C:\DXSDK\include and C:\DXSDK\lib, respectively. Not sure exactly where they will be for you. Just add the folders to the tops of their lists.

To actually include the libraries, you would go Project->settings, and find the 'link' tab. Where it says 'Object/Library modules:' You would add to the front of the list the libraries you want to include.

That said, why are you learning to use the DX6 sdk, and directDraw 4??? That is extremly outdated. Currently, dx9.0c is the newest version, and directDraw has been completly removed in favour of using directGraphics (essentially, using d3d for both 2 and 3d work now). If you have a reason to want to use that then go ahead, but if you are learning fresh (as I suspect you are), you might do better to start up to date. Otherwise, it would be like learning windows 3.1, and then finding out that you need to now learn a completly different system...windows xp.

well all I can say is that is very frustrating ><
yes I did all of that before and did it again after your reply with no succes.
yes i am using vc++ 6.0

as to why im using directx 6.1, its because im trying to follow this book atm I am not going to learn by heart all the directx calls either at this stage. All I want is to compile this so I can play around with it :D - im not into directx just yet
all the program does with direcx is the initialization of the surface and drawing some rectangles anyway with the Draw_rectangle function from ddraw.lib

anyway ><

I am not sure what you are doing wrong. As a test, I made a basic test case to work with:

All it does it output the memory location of the object, if one is created at all. My lib selection looks like

ddraw.lib kernel32.lib user32.lib gdi32.lib winspool.lib comdlg32.lib advapi32.lib shell32.lib ole32.lib oleaut32.lib uuid.lib odbc32.lib odbccp32.lib

, the standard ones plus ddraw.lib.

Quick question. For the paths to your libraries, are the directx ones on the top? This is necessary. Also, in the include directory, it must be able to find ddraw.h. As a quick test, go to where it says #include "ddraw.h" in your code, right click on it, and hit open document. It must be able to find that file, or nothing else will work.

If this doesn't work, send me your project. ericburnett@gmail.com . I will see what happens on mine.

f:\mssdk\include f:\mssdk\lib ddraw.lib kernel32.lib user32.lib gdi32.lib winspool.lib comdlg32.lib advapi32.lib shell32.lib ole32.lib oleaut32.lib uuid.lib odbc32.lib odbccp32.lib /nologo /subsystem:windows /incremental:yes /pdb:"Debug/test999.pdb" /debug /machine:I386 /out:"Debug/test999.exe" /pdbtype:sept

I put the paths to libraries in object/libraries modules as seen above, I hope I am not wrong
it can find ddraw.h on rclick

result is:
f:\vcc\msdev98\myprojects\test999\test999.cpp(5) : error C2065: 'LPDIRECTDRAW4' : undeclared identifier

and I sent you the project
thanks again for the help

after some emails back and forth the painfull truth has come out

i did not know there was a tools/options

consider this thread closed

major props to eric for his patience