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In this tutorial, you will learn how to install and configure Eclipse for advanced development on a typical Windows based PC.

This is a summary of what will be covered:
(1) Downloading Eclipse.
(2) Installing Eclipse.
(3) Creating workspace shortcuts.
(4) Installing updates.
(5) Installing advanced features.

(1) Download:
Go to www.eclipse.org
Click the Download Eclipse link or Downloads tab.
Click the Download now: Eclipse SDK 3.2.2 link.
Nevermind all the other downloads- we just want the Eclipse SDK.
Choose a mirror link closest to you and save the zip file somewhere.

(2) Installation:
To make it easier to deal with future versions of Eclipse, create a directory C:\ide\eclipse-3.2.2 for example. Unzip the downloaded file into this directory.

In the future, when Eclipse 3.3, or whatever, is available, simply create a C:\ide\eclipse-3.3 directory and unzip the new zip into it.

Eclipse installation is passive- it merely involves unzipping a file, so multiple versions can coexist, given that you planned for it with a directory structure strategy such as or similar to this.

(3) Workspace Shortcuts:
Locate eclipse.exe within C:\ide\eclipse-3.2.2\eclipse, right click on it and choose "Create Shortcut". Don't run away- bear with this.

Create a new directory such as: C:\workspaces\sandbox
This will be one of potentially several eclipse workspaces.

Create a new directory called workingDir within C:\workspaces\sandbox.
This will be used as a working directory so that programs you create don't splatter files into the same directories as your source code, etc.

Rename the "Shortcut to eclipse.exe" shortcut to "Sandbox" so that we know what workspace it is associated with.

Finally, right click on the "Sandbox" shortcut and choose properties.
Modify it as follows:
Target: C:\ide\eclipse-3.2.2\eclipse\eclipse.exe -data C:\workspaces\sandbox -showlocation
Start in: C:\workspaces\sandbox\workingDir

Example:

Note: The showlocation option displays the workspace directory in the title bar of Eclipse. This makes it easy to quickly identify a workspace when multiple instances of Eclipse are open.

Advanced Note: Multiple workspaces are very useful- one workspace can point to a development branch while another points to a production branch. Identifying which workspace is used for ongoing development vs high priority production fixes becomes critical for strategic version control.

Cut and paste the "Sandbox" shortcut to a convenient location such as your desktop.

Revisit this technique for creating additional workspaces/shortcuts in the future.

(4) Install Updates:
Double click the "Sandbox" shortcut to start Eclipse.
If there are any errors, review the paths in the shortcut properties for mistakes.

From the main menu, choose Help, Software Updates, Find and Install...

Select the "Search for updates of the currently installed features" radio button if not already selected. Choose Finish.

Choose an Update Site Mirror closest to you- or just guess.
If no updates are available, click OK- you are done.
Otherwise, check back here for instructions if you aren't sure what to do.
At the time of this writting, no updates were available, so I can't walk you through it. At this point, you probably are comfortable giving it a shot.

(5) Install Advanced Features:
From the main menu, choose Help, Software Updates, Find and Install...

Select the "Search for new features to install" radio button.
Choose Next. Checkmark the "Callisto Discovery Site". Click Finish.
Choose an Update Site Mirror closest to you- or just guess.

In the "Search Results" dialog, checkmark the "Callisto Discovery Site", effectively choosing all available features. Click Next. Review and accept the license agreement, then click Next. Finally, Click Finish.

Now, this is going to take a while, but do periodically check progress as you may be prompted once or twice due to an unsigned feature- just click Install All. Choose Yes to restart Eclipse once installation of the new features is complete.

Congratulations, you now have one of the most powerful and feature rich development environments at your finger tips! Hold on, though, we'll have to install Cygwin before you can do C/C++ development in Eclipse.

Next Steps:
Eclipse: Hello Java - Coming Soon!
Cygwin: How to Get Started