How does one go about getting his "free" copy of Visual C???
http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/express/
Go there and either download the express installer, about 2.5mb for each Express Edition, or download (manual) an iso image and burn it to CD. Each iso image is about 450MB, so you would need a cable\dsl connection.
Direct link to visual c#
Express installer is on this page.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/express/visualcsharp/
Manual\Burn to CD install.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/express/support/install/
Note: If you don't have .net 2.0 installed the installer will do so.
The Express Editions were free for eternity from the start, however they would only be available for download for a year.
The Standard Edition is available for the cost of watching 3 free webcasts. The BIG difference is the dependencies. The Express Editions require several other files not "normally" installed on a WindowsXP system. The Standard Edition can compile a C or C++ source (not .NET) to an executable with no such dependencies.
Visit MicroSoft's web site. They are giving away a lot of goodies there.