source files? how to install & get program up & running?

I have tried to install crafty chess but it does not install on it's own. I uncompress the zip & it gives me a bunch of files that I have know idea how to get running.

I have tried to install crafty chess but it does not install on it's own. I uncompress the zip & it gives me a bunch of files that I have know idea how to get running.

Most likely you don't have to install the program. Some programs, mainly ones not made by companies or for sale, simply come in a Zip File like you mentioned. All you have to do is unZip the folder and then run the .exe. Look inside the files and find a exe with a name like "craftychess" and try running it.

It is also possible that you did download just the source files. I have looked for crafty chess, and an executable has been compiled for use:
http://www.webkikr.net/files/crafty-22.8-win32.exe.zip

As Vectris says, extract the file in the .zip folder and there will be an .exe to run.

Hi Vectris & Jpshortstuff. I did download the source codes & there is not an exe in there so I went to the link and got an exe there. I put them all in the same folder & tried to run it. A little screan came up saying that it is unable to open book file & system is SMP, not NUMA. Does that mean it won't work on my system or is there something else I can do?

I get the same messages, but it still works after that. Type display at the prompt to display the chessboard.

Ok I did that and it displayed the board. It is suppose to be one of the best open source chess programs out there but it sure looks a bit sparse to me.Thanks for your help.

It does appear to be command-line only if that's what you mean. There are a ton of options (type help to see them all), and perhaps "best" was aimed at the AI of the computer.