c++ compilers ?

hey, guys hows it going? well here is my ordeal i am using c++ visual basic and i havent used this program in a while and i lost all my knowledge of writing and compiling the code well the thing is i put the code in and tryed compiling it but for some odd reason it says " Cannot compile the file 'C:\programs......." no compile tool is asscoiated with the file extension. would u know what i need to do in order to compile my code and excute it if u have any links or any thing can u post them or tell me if i need a compiler or if my files arent in the right place. thanks for your time cya