Windows: Installing Python 2.5

If you have an older version of Python installed, be sure to uninstall it first. You can use these instructions.

There are a few different sites with Windows installers for Python 2.5. Unfortunately, none of them include anything more than the minimal, basic packages, so we will need to install several additional packages to have any non-trivial functionality. We will be using the installer distributed by ActiveState.

Installation order

A few packages require that certain other packages be installed first, so the order of installation should be followed closely according to the list below. All the files are executables, so you will only need to double-click on them once they are downloaded; no other actions are necessary.

Note to Vista users: You must right-click on the executable and choose Run as Administrator; otherwise the package may not be correctly entered in your system's registry.

All of the packages are available as a single download in zip or gzip'd tar archives.

If you choose to download Python files from developers' websites rather than from this web site, please make sure you download the version for Python 2.5 and NOT for older Python versions!

  1. ActiveState ActivePython
    Download the file here (Right click and explicitly download to your machine) or visit the developer's website to check for the latest distribution

  2. PyWin32...for IPython support
    Download the file here or visit the developer's website to check for the latest distribution

  3. Pyreadline...for IPython support
    Download the file here or visit the developer's website to check for the latest distribution

  4. IPython...highly functional interactive Python shell
    Download the file here or visit the developer's website to check for the latest distribution

  5. numpy...arrays, basic linear algebra, basic Fourier transforms
    Download the file here or visit the developer's website to check for the latest distribution

  6. scipy...scientific computing tools
    Download the file here or visit the developer's website to check for the latest distribution

  7. matplotlib...2-D plotting
    Download the file here or visit the developer's website to check for the latest distribution

  8. wxPython...graphical user interfaces
    Download the file here or visit the developer's website to check for the latest distribution

  9. ScientificPython...additional advanced scientific computing tools
    Download the file here or visit the developer's website to check for the latest distribution

  10. Pygame...2-D graphics and animation
    Download the file here or visit the developer's website to check for the latest distribution

  11. VPython...3-D graphics
    Download the file here or visit the developer's website to check for the latest distribution

  12. PIL...Python Imaging Library...image processing and graphics
    Download the file here or visit the developer's website to check for the latest distribution

Gnuplot

Gnuplot is a widely used plotting program and it comes with an interface to Python, so that it can be used from Python. Here are instructions for installing Gnuplot. (Note, these instructions need to be updated for Python 2.5.)

IPython

IPython is a shell that makes working interactively with Python and developing Python programs much more convenient than dealing with the Python interpreter directly. It comes as part of the above Python distributions.

You can change IPython's default text editor (NotePad) to your favorite editor, or one that is at least more functional, by following these instructions.

NotePad++

One particularly functional and free editor is NotePad++. Take a look at these instructions to see how to install and configure it to work with Python.

Thanks:

These notes were developed by Benny Brown and Chris Strelioff and are an adaptation of the guide for installing Python on Microsoft Windows for Jim Sethna's course.
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