Hey, if you are hitting roadblocks with what you should use, Borland or MS, consider another line of work. They are both about 100 times overkill for what you need. If this is what you are stressing out over, get another lower stress career path - i.e. - be a janitor. I use Dev C++ (freeware), it's about 99 times what I need when it comes to C++, and I don't bitch about it, I express my gratitude for it. If you want to be an engineer, it's what you do with the little you have, not what you can't do with all of the stuff you have. Sorry, but you need an attitude adjustment.