1.Download and install boost from here or here.

2. Right-click on the project listed in the solution explorer and select properties:

3. In configuration properties – C/C++ – Additional Include Directories, enter the path to wherever you have installed the the Boost root directory, for example C:\Program Files\boost_1_42_0:

4. And here is a simple example:

#include <iostream>
#include <boost/format.hpp>

using namespace std;
using namespace boost;

int main()
{
    unsigned int arr[5] = { 0x05, 0x04, 0xAA, 0x0F, 0x0D };

    cout << format("%02X-%02X-%02X-%02X-%02X")
            % arr[0]
            % arr[1]
            % arr[2]
            % arr[3]
            % arr[4]
         << endl;
}

For instructions on installing the Boost libraries in Linux environments, take a look at this posting.

Some of the Boost libraries, such as the Boost Threads, require that you build them yourself. For instructions on how to install the Boost threads, please see this posting.