Configure Arguments for CMake are insufficient. CMAKE_RC_COMPILER should also be set in Automatic Mode.
I tried to create a new C++ project with existing sources using CMake.
Setting Configuration Mode to Automatic results in an CMake Error CMAKE_RC_COMPILER-NOTFOUND.
In Configuration Mode Custom I added "-DCMAKE_RC_COMPILER=C:\MinGW\bin\winres.exe" to Configure Arguments and the project was created.

CMake 2.8.8
NB 201204240400

Automatic mode does not cover all use cases but only basic.
Complicated cases are covered by custom mode.
So it is not a defect.

(In reply to comment #2)
> Automatic mode does not cover all use cases but only basic.
> Complicated cases are covered by custom mode.
> So it is not a defect.

With CMake 2.8.8 each configure without setting CMAKE_RC_COMPILER fails - not only complicated cases.
CMake 2.6.4 configuring the same project worked well without setting CMAKE_RC_COMPILER.
I tested both with a small c++ program using CMake-gui.exe
Setting CMAKE_RC_COMPILER would be a workaround for this strange behaviour of CMake 2.8.8.

CMakeLists.txt:
--------------------------
project(Test)
cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 2.8)
set(SRC main.cpp)
add_executable(Test ${SRC})

main.cpp:
--------------------------
int main() {
  return 0;
}

Check cmake in DOS console

cmake -G "Unix Makefiles"
==> build failed

cmake -G "Unix Makefiles" -DCMAKE_RC_COMPILER=D:/MinGW/bin/windres.exe
==> ok

For me It is a bug in CMake.

Is it only Windows specific bug?

Simple scenario works correctly in Fedora 17 (gcc4.7,gdb 7.4, cmake 2.8.8). Only I see a lot of exceptions on NetBeans startup and such warnings on any build

ERROR: ld.so: object 'libBuildTrace.so' from LD_PRELOAD cannot be preloaded: ignored.
ERROR: ld.so: object 'libBuildTrace.so' from LD_PRELOAD cannot be preloaded: ignored.
ERROR: ld.so: object 'libBuildTrace.so' from LD_PRELOAD cannot be preloaded: ignored.
ERROR: ld.so: object 'libBuildTrace.so' from LD_PRELOAD cannot be preloaded: ignored.
ERROR: ld.so: object 'libBuildTrace.so' from LD_PRELOAD cannot be preloaded: ignored.
[100%] ERROR: ld.so: object 'libBuildTrace.so' from LD_PRELOAD cannot be preloaded: ignored.
Built target Test
ERROR: ld.so: object 'libBuildTrace.so' from LD_PRELOAD cannot be preloaded: ignored.

gaich, can you create bug on http://www.cmake.org?
From my point of view D:\Program Files (x86)\CMake 2.8\share\cmake-2.8\Modules\Platform\Windows-GNU.cmake file should be modified (see D:\Program Files (x86)\CMake 2.8\share\cmake-2.8\Modules\Platform\CYGWIN-GNU.cmake file)
If you adds "set(CMAKE_GENERATOR_RC windres)" before "enable_language(RC)", then build works nicely.

Bug #13179 is created at http://www.cmake.org

direct link: http://www.cmake.org/Bug/view.php?id=12871

sorry. correct link is http://www.cmake.org/Bug/view.php?id=13179

issue 13179 is marked as fixed in CMake 2.8.10
http://public.kitware.com/Bug/view.php?id=13179
http://public.kitware.com/pipermail/cmake-commits/2012-August/013306.html

... and released.

Published November 07, 2012
CMake 2.8.10 Just Released

On behalf of the Kitware team and broader, global CMake community, we are happy to announce the release of CMake 2.8.10. This release features support for the latest versions of Visual Studio and Xcode, target properties improvements, and updates to generator expressions.
.....

did the recommended approach set the project directory 
to where the CMaleLists.txt was and as soon as I said
OK I got

"No make files or configure scripts found in folder"

I checked it with a terminal window and the CMakeLists.txt
is there WTF

(In reply to bluzboy from comment #13)
> did the recommended approach set the project directory 
> to where the CMaleLists.txt was and as soon as I said
> OK I got
> 
> "No make files or configure scripts found in folder"
> 
> I checked it with a terminal window and the CMakeLists.txt
> is there WTF

Hi bluzboy,

Please do not reopen closed issue.
File a new issue instead.

Thanks,
Alexander