Things You'll Need:
- Windows OS
- Internet connection
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Step 1
Identify what type of Windows system your computer operates. You will need to know whether you are using the Windows 95, 98, NT, 2000, ME, XP or Vista operating system.
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Step 2
Decide whether or not you will need the source code. Python is open source software, which means the code is readily available to programmers to modify or distribute as they wish.
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Step 3
Visit the official website of the Python Programming Language (see Resource below). All official distributions of Python can be found here, including a windows .msi installer for Python.
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Step 4
Click on the "Download" link. This will bring you to a list of files. Each of these files is a distribution of Python for a different platform.
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Step 5
Find the installer for your platform. There are numerous versions of Python available for Windows environments. Should you not be able to determine the specifications of your machine, you should download the standard binary installer.
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Step 6
Choose the "Python Windows Installer" link for a standard environment, the "Python AMD64 Installer" for computers running 64-bit Windows or the "Python Windows Itanium Installer" for Intel Itanium computers.
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Step 7
Click the link. You can either download the file and run the file, or run it automatically. It's preferable to download the file so you have it for future use.
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Step 1
Run the installer, if you didn't run it automatically from the download dialog. Find the msi file with Windows explorer and run it. An installer program will pop up. Click "Install For All Users" and click "Next."
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Step 2
Choose into which directory the Python should install. Keeping the default "C:\Python25" is recommended since there will be times when it will be useful to type the full path to the python interpreter from the command-line. In that case a short directory name on the C:\ drive is easier.
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Step 3
Choose which features you want to install and click "Next" to start the installation. Wait a few minutes for the installation process to be completed. After it's done, click "Finish" and to close the installer.
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Step 4
Go to "Programs -> Python 2.5 -> Python" from the Start menu to test Python out. This will bring up a black and white command-line window with an interactive Python command prompt. Once you see that Python has been installed correctly, close the command line window.
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Step 5
Start a command prompt by going to "Start -> Run." When the dialog pops up, type "cmd" into the text field and hit OK. Running python programs from the command line is a useful way to see output and pass parameters.
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Step 6
Change to your Python directory. If you accepted the default Python directory, type "cd C:\Python25" into the command prompt and hit enter. If you changed the directory, change "C:\Python25" to the directory in which you installed Python. Type "python" and hit enter to start the python command line prompt.
