I think you can always choose which libraries to link with. If you don't want python.lib/dll then don't include it or add it to the ignore library list. If adding explicitely python_d.lib leads to unresolved symbols then you are compiling the library and your source code using different settings. I suggest you to add the linker option /VERBOSE:LIB, it will show you the searched libraries, useful for "linker debugging". -----Messaggio originale----- Second, vc8 linker - for reasons beyond my limited horizon - during search of symbols in my self-created python_d.lib/dll fails to find Py_InitModule4, requested by boost::python::detail::init_module, but happens to find python.lib/dll in the same directory and (BOOM) silently links against python.lib/dll (OUCH!) which yields a truly broken executable, the nightmare of debugging stuff that should not have compiled. I suspect Boost.Python settings to be resposible for this. Please correct me if I am wrong here (of course I may have missed something):