LNK1104 : Cannot open file pthreadsVC2.lib

Question

This is the error I get when tying to build a simple code with threads.

1>------ Rebuild All started: Project: Sample_with_Threads, Configuration: Debug Win32 ------
1>  source.cpp
1>c:\users\documents\visual studio 2010\projects\sample_with_threads\source.cpp(39): warning C4715: 'set_cur_avg' : not all control paths return a value
1>LINK : fatal error LNK1104: cannot open file 'pthreadsVC2.lib'
========== Rebuild All: 0 succeeded, 1 failed, 0 skipped ==========

I use visual C++ and I followed http://web.cs.du.edu/~sturtevant/pthread.html to include pthreads in it.

Why is the error occurring and what is the solution?

Answer 1

This error is due to file pthreadsVC2.lib not being "visible" to linker. Make sure you specify this file in the list of libraries to link to and also (if needed) the path to that file in the project's settings, so that the linker: 1. "knows" that it needs to link this library in and, 2. can find the file

From your question it sounds like you have "included" the pthreads (as in"included a header file"). This is only enough to make your source file compile, but the linker needs to know where to find the symbols that were included in that header file