This explains how to compile the source on Windows if you ever wanted to do that:
http://www.eqemulator.net/wiki/wikka.php?wakka=VS2008
The wiki is full of loads and loads of useful information like that. Not all of it is completely up to date or accurate, but the majority of it is useful at the very least.
If quests aren't working, it is normally either because you don't have your quest files in the appropriate folder, or you didn't move the plugins from the quests folder into your plugins folder in the EQEmu folder. There are quite a few other reasons why certain quests might not function, though. It could be that the particular quest you are trying to use just doesn't exist, or it has a part in it that is broken. Make sure to check the quest folder for the zone you are in to see if an actual quest file exists for the NPC you are trying to speak with.
By quests not working, I am assuming that when you hail any NPC, none of them respond at all? Have you tried multiple NPCs, or are you basing this off of a single particular NPC? Also, have you tried watching your log files as your server loads to see if it reports any errors while booting up?