Maybe the nmake thing was just one particular package I tried to use CPAN.pm for that did that (Pugs?). I haven't attempted to use for so long that I don't remember for sure. I've had trouble using it on every build I've ever installed.
P:\test>cpan
Use of uninitialized value in concatenation (.) or string at c:/Perl/s
+ite/lib/Term/ReadLine/readline.pm line 1330
cpan shell -- CPAN exploration and modules installation (v1.7601)
ReadLine support enabled
SetConsoleMode failed, LastError=|6| at c:/Perl/site/lib/Term/ReadKey.
+pm line 265.
cpan> install Data::Dumper
CPAN: Storable loaded ok
Subroutine new redefined at c:/Perl/site/lib/LWP\UserAgent.pm line 34,
+ <IN> line 1.
Subroutine _request_sanity_check redefined at c:/Perl/site/lib/LWP\Use
+rAgent.pm line 113, <IN> line 1.
Subroutine send_request redefined at c:/Perl/site/lib/LWP\UserAgent.pm
+ line 133, <IN> line 1.
Subroutine prepare_request redefined at c:/Perl/site/lib/LWP\UserAgent
+.pm line 239, <IN> line 1.
Subroutine simple_request redefined at c:/Perl/site/lib/LWP\UserAgent.
+pm line 268, <IN> line 1.
Subroutine request redefined at c:/Perl/site/lib/LWP\UserAgent.pm line
+ 277, <IN> line 1.
Subroutine get redefined at c:/Perl/site/lib/LWP\UserAgent.pm line 415
+, <IN> line 1.
Subroutine post redefined at c:/Perl/site/lib/LWP\UserAgent.pm line 42
+3, <IN> line 1.
Subroutine head redefined at c:/Perl/site/lib/LWP\UserAgent.pm line 43
+1, <IN> line 1.
Subroutine _process_colonic_headers redefined at c:/Perl/site/lib/LWP\
+UserAgent.pm line 439, <IN> line 1.
Subroutine is_protocol_supported redefined at c:/Perl/site/lib/LWP\Use
+rAgent.pm line 493, <IN> line 1.
Subroutine protocols_allowed redefined at c:/Perl/site/lib/LWP\UserAge
+nt.pm line 520, <IN> line 1.
Subroutine protocols_forbidden redefined at c:/Perl/site/lib/LWP\UserA
+gent.pm line 521, <IN> line 1.
Subroutine requests_redirectable redefined at c:/Perl/site/lib/LWP\Use
+rAgent.pm line 522, <IN> line 1.
Subroutine redirect_ok redefined at c:/Perl/site/lib/LWP\UserAgent.pm
+line 526, <IN> line 1.
Subroutine credentials redefined at c:/Perl/site/lib/LWP\UserAgent.pm
+line 553, <IN> line 1.
Subroutine get_basic_credentials redefined at c:/Perl/site/lib/LWP\Use
+rAgent.pm line 561, <IN> line 1.
Subroutine agent redefined at c:/Perl/site/lib/LWP\UserAgent.pm line 5
+74, <IN> line 1.
Subroutine _agent redefined at c:/Perl/site/lib/LWP\UserAgent.pm line
+586, <IN> line 1.
Subroutine timeout redefined at c:/Perl/site/lib/LWP\UserAgent.pm line
+ 588, <IN> line 1.
Subroutine from redefined at c:/Perl/site/lib/LWP\UserAgent.pm line 58
+9, <IN> line 1.
Subroutine parse_head redefined at c:/Perl/site/lib/LWP\UserAgent.pm l
+ine 590, <IN> line 1.
Subroutine max_size redefined at c:/Perl/site/lib/LWP\UserAgent.pm lin
+e 591, <IN> line 1.
Subroutine max_redirect redefined at c:/Perl/site/lib/LWP\UserAgent.pm
+ line 592, <IN> line 1.
Subroutine cookie_jar redefined at c:/Perl/site/lib/LWP\UserAgent.pm l
+ine 595, <IN> line 1.
Subroutine default_headers redefined at c:/Perl/site/lib/LWP\UserAgent
+.pm line 609, <IN> line 1.
Subroutine default_header redefined at c:/Perl/site/lib/LWP\UserAgent.
+pm line 618, <IN> line 1.
Subroutine conn_cache redefined at c:/Perl/site/lib/LWP\UserAgent.pm l
+ine 624, <IN> line 1.
Subroutine use_eval redefined at c:/Perl/site/lib/LWP\UserAgent.pm lin
+e 640, <IN> line 1.
Subroutine use_alarm redefined at c:/Perl/site/lib/LWP\UserAgent.pm li
+ne 642, <IN> line 1.
Subroutine clone redefined at c:/Perl/site/lib/LWP\UserAgent.pm line 6
+50, <IN> line 1.
Subroutine mirror redefined at c:/Perl/site/lib/LWP\UserAgent.pm line
+667, <IN> line 1.
Subroutine proxy redefined at c:/Perl/site/lib/LWP\UserAgent.pm line 7
+22, <IN> line 1.
Subroutine env_proxy redefined at c:/Perl/site/lib/LWP\UserAgent.pm li
+ne 736, <IN> line 1.
Subroutine no_proxy redefined at c:/Perl/site/lib/LWP\UserAgent.pm lin
+e 759, <IN> line 1.
Subroutine _need_proxy redefined at c:/Perl/site/lib/LWP\UserAgent.pm
+line 773, <IN> line 1.
Subroutine _new_response redefined at c:/Perl/site/lib/LWP\UserAgent.p
+m line 797, <IN> line 1.
CPAN: LWP::UserAgent loaded ok
Fetching with LWP:
ftp://ftp.cvt.stuba.sk/pub/CPAN/authors/01mailrc.txt.gz
Going to read \perl\cpan\.cpan\sources\authors\01mailrc.txt.gz
CPAN: Compress::Zlib loaded ok
Fetching with LWP:
ftp://ftp.cvt.stuba.sk/pub/CPAN/modules/02packages.details.txt.gz
Going to read \perl\cpan\.cpan\sources\modules\02packages.details.txt.
+gz
Database was generated on Sun, 11 Dec 2005 05:08:48 GMT
Subroutine time2str redefined at c:/Perl/site/lib/HTTP\Date.pm line 23
+.
Subroutine str2time redefined at c:/Perl/site/lib/HTTP\Date.pm line 35
+.
Subroutine parse_date redefined at c:/Perl/site/lib/HTTP\Date.pm line
+85.
Subroutine time2iso redefined at c:/Perl/site/lib/HTTP\Date.pm line 24
+2.
Subroutine time2isoz redefined at c:/Perl/site/lib/HTTP\Date.pm line 2
+52.
CPAN: HTTP::Date loaded ok
There's a new CPAN.pm version (v1.80) available!
[Current version is v1.7601]
You might want to try
install Bundle::CPAN
reload cpan
without quitting the current session. It should be a seamless upgrad
+e
while we are running...
Fetching with LWP:
ftp://ftp.cvt.stuba.sk/pub/CPAN/modules/03modlist.data.gz
Going to read \perl\cpan\.cpan\sources\modules\03modlist.data.gz
Going to write \perl\cpan\.cpan\Metadata
Data::Dumper is up to date.