Burn in DLL hell... (How to figure out which DLL is needed on all versions of Windows?)

Hi all,

We're at the final stage before releasing a consumer MFC VC++6 application. I've created a moster "multiboot" machine with most service packs and versions of Win9x/NT and I'm getting some discouraging results back.

The most offending DLLs are MSVCRT, MSVCP50. Some OSes have them, some don't. Is it OK to include these in the program directory? If it is possible I'd rather somehow include them in my application.

Why can't I find anybody else including them with their apps and why does my app need these runtime libraries?

I realize these may be novice questions but ever since coming from the Mac two years ago I've been stunned by the messy and dangerously unstable DLL system.

What are your tips and experiences on how to survive with so many DLLs and a multitude of Win32 targets and versions?

Thank you for your time,
Mattias Fornander
Development Engineer
Anark Interactive Media