Hi Shakeeb, > I have downloaded the source file gcc-3.2.1.tar but > when I unpack it and run ./configure i get the > following error: Note that "./configure" is not supported, as per the GCC instructions. http://gcc.gnu.org/install/configure.html If you've unpacked GCC into: ~/gcc-3.2.1 Create a peer build directory, and run configure from that cwd: mkdir ~/gcc-3.2.1-build cd ~/gcc-3.2.1-build ../gcc-3.2.1/configure Also note all the required components that need to be present to build GCC. > How do I install without a previous compiler present. Building GCC requires a compiler be present. (It's a chicken-and-egg kind of problem.) Instead, download a pre-built compiler, and run the installer for that pre-built GCC. (A "configure" and "make" is not the same as an "install".) > I have searched for the binary file but to no avail. Since you are using Cygwin, isn't there an installable GCC compiler via Cygwin SETUP.EXE? If there are different pre-built GCC versions, they should be selectable through the SETUP interface. If your target is Cygwin as the platform, use Cygwin's GCC. Cygwin: http://cygwin.com/ If your target is native Windows as the platform (without requiring the Cygwin layer), you might want to use MinGW. MinGW: http://www.mingw.org/ (I think these days Cygwin's GCC can be installed as a hybrid Cygwin / MinGW, if so desired. It can target either platform: Cygwin and it's POSIX magic-goo CYGWIN.DLL, or native Win32 via MinGW.) I'm not sure (since I don't use them), but other options on Windows may be MKS, Interix, or MS-SFU. I'm not sure if they include a compiler or not; and if not, whether a compiler is available for those Windows environments. And finally, another 'nother option is Microsoft's Visual C++ 2008 Express Edition: http://www.microsoft.com/express/default.aspx http://www.microsoft.com/express/download/ Borland may have a free (or perhaps "free") C++ compiler as well. HTH, --Eljay
