msdos character mode console program- multiple windows

Hi , I'm new here... I hope this is the correct forum , seems like it...
I am trying to find out the options available to create 'status' and 'menu' subwindows to a main ConsoleWindow. (I guess you'd call it, I get confused between that and ConsoleScreen) I had done something similar in ncurses a few months ago.

I have gone through the great tutorial at: 'http://www.adrianxw.dk/SoftwareSite/index.html' but he stops just short of this type of thing (hint hint). Suprisingly, I have not been able to find much more secifically on console programming. I am now trudging through msdn (again) and could use some direction!

So far I feel I could print stuff to different areas of the screen and try to not overwrite one with the other but it seems there would be a different method. I last tried using CreateConsoleScreenBuffer for a second screen but actually messed up my laptop's video driver when sizing it different from the first screen buffer.... so I'm staying away from trying that but I am thinking about using that second buffer as an overlay and switching active...
I don't know , msdn is overwhelming and cryptic ,, and so I'm asking...
Thanks, Howard;

There is an ncurses port to win32, why not use that?

I'll be dog... PDCurses ...cross platform curses! - http://pdcurses.sourceforge.net/

A look at the docs and I felt right at home.
On my AMD K6-2 (P2) 300mhz running win98:
I have installed pdcurses33 and have compiled and run 1 test of my own in addition to a few which come and compile with the package.
So far it seems to be ok. It had been a while since I had done a make build so I struggled a bit with getting makefile and build directory set up right. It took me a few tries to get the command lines right as well but some perceverance paid off. (no pain - no gain). I should post their archive with my experience.

I gotta say, after starting into C programming last year in linux/gcc I was happy to find dmc for win98. That was good, but a few months later I stumbled accross Colorado U's cs1300 mingw gcc developement implementation for their built in support of bgi graphics.h which I have been happily using ever since. (gcc in windows without cygwin!) And now to find that these guys have put together PDCurses... I tell ya , it restores my faith in humanity. Lotta dedication there! Maybe someday I could help... Thanks for the direction,
++Howard;