Can't Get VS2019 Build Options Correct For OpenSSL in April 2020

Question

I am getting a linker error, I'll post it at the bottom. The goal is only to build the example SSL client from boost.

The overall question is just to find the simplest c++ way to download some xml from https://classic.wowhead.com/item=19351&xml

Edit: The problem has evolved as I've continued to work on it. I now realize that I had no idea how to use a static or dynamic library or how either worked. I know a little now.

I've built OpenSSL following this youtube video verbatim and it seems to have built properly. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMHEoBkxYaQ

I'm now using the shorter example https://stackoverflow.com/a/7577229/2247872 and finally got it working which has helped enormously in identifying where the other errors are. I had to be really careful that I was using x86 Debug for everything and then added D:\out\lib\x32\Debug\include to my include directories, d:\out\lib\x64\debug\lib to my linker libraries, and libssl.lib and libcrypto.lib to my additional dependencies. One thing that was helpful is that if #include wasn't underlined by Visual Studio I knew I at least had the include directory set correctly.

I've made two copies of my program, one uses static linking the other dynamic linking. To get the dynamic linking one to work I had to copy the libssl-3.dll and libcrypto-3.dll files in to the same place as my executable.

Right now I'm still fighting with boost on the static one.

#include <boost/beast/core.hpp>  //all of these are fine
#include <boost/beast/http.hpp>
#include <boost/beast/version.hpp>
#include <boost/asio/connect.hpp>
#include <boost/asio/ip/tcp.hpp>
#include <openssl/ssl.h>
#include <openssl/conf.h>
//#include <boost/beast/ssl.hpp>  //this line is giving me 196,429 errors.
//#include <boost/asio/ssl/error.hpp> ////this line is giving me 196,429 errors.
//#include <boost/asio/ssl/stream.hpp>  //this line is giving me 196,429 errors.

Original Post: I found similar questions on SO but the names of the OpenSSL libraries have changed and I need a current answer to setting up my MS Visual Studio 2019 project properties properly.

I do not need to build these files (I don't think). All I want to do is get the boost example here https://www.boost.org/doc/libs/master/libs/beast/example/http/client/sync-ssl/http_client_sync_ssl.cpp working.

Question 1: Which of the options from https://wiki.openssl.org/index.php/Binaries or https://slproweb.com/products/Win32OpenSSL.html do I want? For example I don't understand the difference between a pre-compiled build without external dependencies to VS2019 or the one on that bottom pre-compiled build with external dependencies to VS2019. My original choice was the one from the 2nd website that said 1.1.0L "this is the standard version for x64".

I chose the option to install the library files in the Windows System directory. I see files named c:\windows\system32\libcrypto.dll c:\windows\system32\libssl-1_1x64.dll

I added C:\Windows\System32 to my path environment in windows and restarted the computer. In VS project properties: My C/C++ --> General --> Additional Include Directories are:

    d:\cpp\boost_1_72_0
    d:\OpenSSL-Win64\include

My Linker --> General --> Additional Library Directories

    d:\openssl-win64\lib
    d:\openSSL-win64\lib\VC
    d:\openSSL-win64\lib\VC\static
    c:\windows\system32\
    d:\opensll-win64\StaticDLLsIGuess (this is a directory I put files in from a 2nd attempt to solve the problem, by downloading two files from https://indy.fulgan.com/SSL/ but they need in ".a"

    d:\cpp\boost_1_72_0\stage\lib

In Linker --> Additional Dependencies I tried to list:

    libssl.lib
    libcrypto.lib 

But when those were there I got a different, simple error saying "libssl.lib" couldn't be found which I found baffling as pretty much my entire computer is in my build options. So why that is happening is question 2. Same thing for

      c:\windows\system32\libssl-1_1x64.dll

I know that file is there, but when I put libssl-1_1x64.dll in additional dependencies I get a link1104 error that it's not found even though c:\windows\system32 is in additional library directories.

Question 3 is what libraries do I actually need? There are libraries in my system 32 directory, libraries in D:\OpenSSL-Win64\lib, and libraries in D:\OpenSSL-Win64\lib\VC

This is the actual error I'm getting but I cannot interpret what linker error messages actually mean.

Severity Code Description Project File Line Suppression State Error

    LNK2019 unresolved external symbol _CONF_modules_unload referenced in function "public: __thiscall 
    boost::asio::ssl::detail::openssl_init_base::do_init::~do_init(void)" (?? 
    1do_init@openssl_init_base@detail@ssl@asio@boost@@QAE@XZ)   PreparedParser   
    D:\cpp\PreparedParser\PreparedParser\PreparedParser.obj 1   

Edit: I am still in the process of trying to fix this myself, and I'm realizing that part of the problem is that I had no understanding of the difference between a dynamic and static library. I'm trying to figure that out now. Also, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMHEoBkxYaQ is a video on how to compile OpenSSL and I'm doing that.

Edit April 18 11am: Side questions: If I download a .lib from somewhere, how do I put it in my program? Do I #include the lib file? Do I add it to additional dependencies? How do I know what functions are in it? How is it different for .dlls?