I'm trying to call the Microsoft image-processing function AlphaBlend() in my
Visual C++ application. My software compiles okay, but gets a link error
(details below) that says it cannot find the symbol AlphaBlend().  

I'm calling dozens of other Microsoft bitmap and imagery functions without
error.  

The MS documentation says that AlphaBlend is in msimg32.dll.   I have this
file, in folder C:\Windows\System32.

I tried to add file msimg32.dll to my Visual C++ link  (using "Additional
Dependencies") but VIs C__ rejects msimg32.dll as a "invalid or corrupt file".

Two questions:
1)  Why is the linker not finding AlphaBlend() when it is able to find all
the other MS functions I call, including BitBlt() and many others?

2) Assuming that AlphaBlend is inside msimg32.dll, how can I tell Visual C++
linker do use that DLL to resolve the missing symbol?

Thanks in advance for any help,
 neal

=== HERE is the original linker error ==============
TestPlugIn error LNK2019: unresolved external symbol __imp__AlphaBlend@44
referenced in function "void __cdecl drawMemoryImageIntoWindow(unsigned char
*,unsigned int,unsigned int,class VSTGUI::CFrame *,unsigned int,unsigned
int,unsigned char)"
(?drawMemoryImageIntoWindow@@YAXPAEIIPAVCFrame@VSTGUI@@IIE@Z)