Graphic library

[pgrooff]

Hi, I am pretty new to programming graphics and games in C++ on Windows machines.

What is the best way to start:
Windows - Microsoft Visual Studio C++ - graphics library?
Should I use GDI, DirextX2D / 3D, or what?

So what to use, where to start?
Is there a good Visual Studio book on this subject?

[BigHammer]

DirectX... for windows machines... (almost) any book is good for beginners... just browse on google

[Mike Harnad]

Before you jump into a decision on what graphics support you will use, you should take an inventory of your skills and do some basic research. This should include determining the capabilites of each library you are interested in to see it it matches your needs. For example, a simple search yields a comparision of OpenGl and Direct3D. Make sure you visit the OpenGL page and contrast that against the DirectX page. You may also find it worth visiting GameDev.