Install GMT (Generic Mapping Tools) under Windows XP (and Windows VISTA)

1. Go to SOEST (University of Hawaii), click on "Mirrors" in the left, and pick an appropriate FTP server;
2. Download netcdf-3.6.1-win32.zip, unzip the file and put it in a folder and rename the folder to "NETCDF"
3. Click on "4", to enter GMT version 4's directory, and download the files listed below:

GMT_exe.zip All executables
GMT_share.zip Support run-time files (patterns, cpt)
GSHHS_coast.zip Basic GSHHS coastlines

GMT_suppl_exe.zip Supplemental executables
GMT_pdf.zip PDF documentation and Unix man pages
GMT_man.zip Unix man pages for GMT
GMT_web.zip HTML versions of all documentation
GMT_tut.zip Tutorial data sets
GMT_src.zip All source code
GMT_scripts.zip Example scripts and data
GMT_suppl.zip Supplemental program source and docs
GSHHS_high.zip High resolution GSHHS coastline files
GSHHS_full.zip Full resolution GSHHS coastline files

Unzip all the files whose name started with "GMT", this will create ONE folder named "GMT", in this folder there will be many sub-folders:

bin (gmtprograms)
examples (gmtexamples)
lib
man
netcdf
share ( rivers, borders, shorelines, patterns etc)
src
tutorial
www

4. move the "GMT" folder to C:\
5. move the "NETCDF" folder to C:\ (this folder was from step 2)
6. Copy C:\NETCDF\netcdf.dll to C:\windows\system32
7. In control panel -> system -> advance -> environmental variables, find "system variables", and add one item:
variable name is "GMTROOT", variable is "C:\GMT"; (all without the double quotes)

In PATH, add C:\GMT\bin

and save