The basic IDE runs nicely, I build stuff all the time under Win7-32-bit. However an ADDIN I wrote for vc6 won't run in Win7, even Win7-32bit, it can't find its dll's somehow. However NEITHER in WinXP-64-bit nor Win7-64-bit, have I been able to get my vc6 builds to LINK. Now this is somewhat likely to be merely the way the libraries get set up under x64, but anyway I never managed to figure it out. pg--az

Thanks, I'll give it a try! It's just a "hobby" application that I want to write, not critical if it fails sometimes... Thanks, Tom

This article[^] will tell you how your thread can access the GUI parts. And yes a BackgroundWorker often is the best way to achieve this. :) Luc Pattyn [Forum Guidelines] [Why QA sucks] [My Articles] Nil Volentibus Arduum Please use <PRE> tags for code snippets, they preserve indentation, and improve readability.

largenqcd wrote: As far as I can tell, I need to use the PInvoke mechanism Not if you are using C++/CLI. You can mix native code with managed code. There are some caveats of course. See the Introductory articles here on CodeProject for C++/CLI developers. They should clear much of your questions up. led mike

Well, I've found an answer that is workable and uses only Strings. There is a method String.Split() that lets one split the String into pieces - I use white space for the delimiter, and that gets me what I need without resorting to 'old' coding practices! Thanks, Tom

largenqcd wrote: Something like the Prosise book on MFC but applied to .NET would be nice... You probably need to get one of the C++/CLI books. Nish, a codeproject contributor, has such a book near publication. I think there's at least one other one around. e.g., http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1590596404/ref=pd_bxgy_text_b/103-7335299-7798203?ie=UTF8[^] IMO you are probably better off learning .NET initially via C# and then turning to C++/CLI later if that's your preference. In any case, you certainly need to be able to read and understand C# code - just because there will be so many examples in C# that won't be in C++/CLI. Jesse Liberty's Programming C# 4th ed would be a good place to start. Kevin