C file-manipulation in Windows
I'm a retired firmware designer who spent far too many years programming mainly in C, with a bit of ASM and C++ here and there. But I always developed for a microcontroller target. Now I want to write a fast-as-hell file checksummer to run as a Windows console application, to verify my 150,000 music files before I back them up. This involves accessing Windows file-access calls and APIs, of which I know nothing. I know they exist, and I know what I want, but I don't know where to look for it.
Where do I look to find the libraries (?) I need. Should I use Visual Studio, or are there better (free) alternatives? All hints and tips appreciated. Thanks.