diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 4620fdca7fdc6b4bdf0dbb2d98f856dbba3565c5..b47b8cff33ec18a1c96288355c19eefac0961163 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# $Id: Makefile,v 1.449 2008-01-18 21:00:39 geuzaine Exp $
+# $Id: Makefile,v 1.450 2008-01-19 10:13:34 geuzaine Exp $
 #
 # Copyright (C) 1997-2007 C. Geuzaine, J.-F. Remacle
 #
@@ -74,6 +74,10 @@ utils:
 	cd utils/converters/autocad && ${MAKE}
 	cd utils/misc && ${MAKE}
 
+biglib:
+	${AR} ${ARFLAGS}libGmsh${LIBEXT} lib/*${LIBEXT}
+	${RANLIB} libGmsh${LIBEXT}
+
 .PHONY: doc
 doc:
 	cd doc/texinfo && ${MAKE} all
diff --git a/doc/README.msvc b/doc/README.msvc
index cf1fb2525e948dbb59ffe9ea81403062ee0dc32c..1cc47242766aba8d3f90cc4faf81cac0289b437e 100644
--- a/doc/README.msvc
+++ b/doc/README.msvc
@@ -1,10 +1,10 @@
 To compile Gmsh with Microsoft Visual C++
 
-1) Install GNU make (e.g. from cygwin or mingw)
+1) Install GNU make and related tools (e.g. from cygwin or mingw)
     
 2) launch the Visual Studio command prompt
 
-3) set PATH=%PATH%;C:\cygwin\bin  (or wherever the make binary is installed)
+3) set PATH=%PATH%;C:\cygwin\bin  (or wherever the make tools are installed)
 
 4) go to the gmsh directory and rename "variables.msvc" to "variables"
 
diff --git a/variables.msvc b/variables.msvc
index ff46d6a56d8b5ae2291a26b3e4f90baf92b7fdfe..f5324542e0acdb95c6797c68eebbaff8504e32cf 100644
--- a/variables.msvc
+++ b/variables.msvc
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ HOSTNAME=win
 
 # The names of the C and C++ compilers
 CC=cl
-CXX=cl /EHsc
+CXX=cl /EHsc /nologo
 
 # increase stack size to 16Mb to avoid stack overflows in recursive 
 # tet classification for large 3D Delaunay grids
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ SYSINCLUDE=/I"C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio 9.0\VC\INCLUDE" /I"C:\Pro
 OPTIM=/O2
 
 # Gmsh subdirectories
-GMSH_DIRS=Common DataStr Geo Mesh Post Numeric Parallel Parser Plugin contrib/ANN contrib/MathEval contrib/Netgen contrib/Tetgen contrib/Triangle
+GMSH_DIRS=Box Common DataStr Geo Mesh Post Numeric Parallel Parser Plugin contrib/ANN contrib/MathEval contrib/Netgen contrib/NR contrib/Tetgen contrib/Triangle
 
 # Gmsh libraries
 GMSH_LIBS=Box/Main.obj lib/*.lib