Okay - this question is kind of a rant. When I was learning to use C++ in university, you could just compile a program, and switch it from computer to computer and the application would still run fine. fast forward a couple of years - i'm using the express edition of Visual C++, everything's fine and dandy on my comp, but try to take it somewhere else and BLAM! Application Configuration file is incorrect! as far as i could tell from the internet visual now does some weird thing where you need to include a bunch of dll's or something with you appliation to make it run elsewhere. There were vague answers on how to get those files in your project, but any time someone mentioned a way to just make the linking "static" (which as far as I understand means that the dlls are just embedded in your exe) they never really mentioned how. when i think i figured it out, it just gave me a bunch of linking errors.

Anyway, here's the real question: DO any of you know how to make an app you've bui;t with Visual Studio '08 express to just be standalone and work on any machine capable of running exe's? if not, do you use some kind of MAGICAL compiler that doesn't do this whacked out shit? does Dev-C++ or mingW do it or something? your input would be VASTLY appreciated...