getting started with making event-driven applications in Dev C++

I am a newb developing a windows C/C++ program in Dev 开发者_JAVA百科C++ that logs system activity when the link is down. I want to get acquainted with developing event-driven applications.

To learn, I am making a simpler program that

1-- does a ping_a_server() periodically and thus knows the state of the link

2--a do nothing in the normal state

2--b appends a file with "SERIALNO,TIME" periodically as long as the link is down

2--c sends the file when the link is back up

I am a newb, unfamiliar with real-life programs. Please tell me how to implement the above components 1 and 2 (threads, maybe?) and point me to resources to learn them.

You should probably start with the resources listed on this Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Event-driven_programming