Member Avatar for Cristofor

Hello, I installed Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 Express Editions last week. Then I found there are many head files missing, such as: matrix.h
stdafx.h
matlablink.h
itpp/itcomm.h

Should I uninstall Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 Express Editions and then install Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 Standard Editions? Is there free download version of Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 Standard Editions?

Or should I install SDK? However, it does not support Express Edition.

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Short answer: missing headers usually mean the project expects third‑party or project‑specific files (or a Visual Studio precompiled header), not that Visual Studio Express is broken. is correct that many of those headers come from external libraries; is right to check include paths. The right fix is to identify which package supplies each header and then install or point the compiler at it.

Practical steps to follow (in order):

  1. Inspect the failing #include lines. Angle brackets (<…>) imply a library/system include; quotes ("…") imply a local file.
  2. Search the filesystem for the header (example using the Windows where command): 
    where /r C:\ matrix.h

    or use PowerShell Get-ChildItem -Recurse to locate copies. If not found, web search the header name in quotes to locate the vendor or library that provides it.

  3. Install the library or SDK that contains the header (IT++ for itpp/itcomm.h, for example). For libraries that build from source, follow their build/install steps so headers end up in an include folder and libraries in a lib folder.
  4. In the project properties add the include folder and library folder:
    Project -> Properties -> Configuration Properties -> C/C++ -> Additional Include Directories
    Project -> Properties -> Configuration Properties -> Linker -> Additional Library Directories and Linker -> Input -> Additional Dependencies

Handle stdafx.h specifically: that file is the precompiled‑header wrapper Visual Studio projects often expect. Either add a minimal stdafx.h/stdafx.cpp pair and enable PCH, or disable precompiled headers for the project (C/C++ -> Precompiled Headers -> Not Using Precompiled Headers) and remove the #include "stdafx.h" lines.

A quick checklist: confirm which library each header belongs to, install it, point the project at the include/lib folders, add required .lib names to the linker, then Clean + Rebuild. Upgrading to Standard edition rarely fixes missing third‑party headers by itself — the libraries still must be installed or configured.

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Member Avatar for necrolin

You'll have to install whatever libraries provide you with these "missing" headers. They do not come with Visual Studio, nor do I believe they are a part of the C++ standard. itpp/itcomm.h appears to be part of the IT++ Communications library. Google the header files and you should be able to find what you're looking for.

Edited by necrolin because: n/a
Member Avatar for kbshibukumar

Can u check if ur include directories are set properly?
You can check it in Options- > Project and solutions -> VC++ directories.
<<snip>>

Edited by Nick Evan because: removed plug
Member Avatar for Cristofor

Thank you for the information. I checked the include file in VC. There are many headfiles missing. So I think I should download headfiles.

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