How is this done? like if you got some very basic windows code to make a full screen window. Do you have to know a graphics API(DirectX -> Directdraw, openGL) to draw a simple .bmp etc to the screen?

quote: ... [snip] Do you have to know a graphics API(DirectX -> Directdraw, openGL) to draw a simple .bmp etc to the screen?

if you want to do it FAST, the answer is YES.
Otherwise take a look at the GDI functions of MS Windows.