c++ pkg to run on vista/dell: gcc, make, gzip, tar, binutils,

[mike woodard]

How does one get an initial set of working tools?  It looks to me
like you have to have all the tools already to be able to use the
gnu tools downloads.

I wanted to get a complete gnu c/c++ development pkg on my new dell 
running vista and I ran headfirst into an open loop:

The compiler requires unzipping, so I go get gzip and it has to be 
unzipped too?

I acquired a freeware compress/uncompress application, unpack the
downloaded gcc.tar.gz and discover that gcc must be built; there
are no binaries in the download.  I don't have a compiler to compile
it with.

If I had a compiler it wouldn't do me any good because I would also
need make.  The make download doesn't have any binaries and must be 
built but requires a working make executable to build it.

How is this supposed to work?  I obviously skipped an important first 
step somewhere.  Would somebody please loan me a clue?