.

This is a blow by blow description of an actual installation that worked. It is naturally but one way to do an install, but it was born out of frustration with a lack of clarity or continuity in other documentation. Your mileage may vary, but it should at least help out some of the newbies struggling with a first time install.

GUI dialogs button presses are documented here, so hopefully no stone is left unturned. Also, this is a "full default" install, so nothing has been changed so nobody can whine at you for doing something stupid.

This procedure does not attempt to explain why things are done in the order they are done. That job is left for the "other" pages.

  1. Download and execute the Windows installer MinGW-5.0.0.exe?

  2. Welcome to MinGW Version 5.0.0

    • Next >

  3. MinGW License Agreement

    • I Agree

  4. MinGW Choose Mirror

    • ?? - Choose one close to you
    • Download as needed and install
    • Next >

  5. MinGW Choose Package

    • Current
    • Next >

  6. MinGW Choose Components

    • MinGW base tools
    • g++ compiler
    • Optionally pick more
    • MinGW Make
    • Next >

  7. MinGW Choose Install Location

    • c:\MinGW
    • Next >

  8. MinGW Choose Start Menu Folder

    • MinGW
    • Install
  9. MinGW Installing

  10. MinGW Installation complete

    • Finish
  11. Download and execute the MSYS-1.0.11-2004.04.30-1.exe? Windows installer.

  12. Setup - Do you wish to continue?

    • Yes

  13. Welcome to the "Minimal SYStem" Setup Wizard

    • Next >

  14. License Agreement

    • Yes

  15. Information

    • Next >

  16. Select Destination Directory

    • C:\msys\1.0
    • Next >

  17. Select Components

    • Installation for i386 based CPUs
    • Next >

  18. Select Start Menu Folder

    • MinGW
    • Next >

  19. Ready to Install

    • Install
  20. Installing

  21. Do you wish to continue with the post install? [yn ]

    • y

  22. Do you have MinGW installed? [yn ]

    • y

  23. Where is your MinGW installation?

    • c:/mingw
      HEY! HEY! That's a forward slash and ALL LOWERCASE!!! If you goofed it up, uninstall MSYS and start over!!! especially make sure /etc/fstab doesn't list anything with caps?.

  24. Press any key to continue . . .

    • <Return>

  25. Setup has finished installing "Minimal SYStem" on your computer

    • Finish
  26. Download and execute the msysDTK-1.0.1.exe? Windows installer.

  27. Setup - Do you wish to continue?

    • Yes

  28. Welcome to the "MSYS Developer Tool Kit" Setup Wizard

    • Next >

  29. License Agreement

    • Yes

  30. Select Destination Directory

    • C:\msys\1.0
    • Next >

  31. Select Components

    • Installation for i386 based CPUs
    • Next >

  32. Ready to Install

    • Install
  33. Installing

  34. Information

    • Next >

  35. Setup has finished installing "MSYS Developer Tool Kit" on your computer.

    • Finish

There, that was easy.

If you want your environment customized when you launch MSYS, create a .profile file in your ${HOME} directory.

If you want to use mingwPORTs, install wget first, and pay special attention to the notes on wget on the mingwPORT page.

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