Build of libastro for PyEphem 3.7.3.4 for Windows Fails

[Starfighter]

Installion of PyEphemer 3.7.3.4 for Python 2.6.x under Windows fails because vcvarsall.bat is not on the Window system. The install listing follows:

Your group is currently "mkpasswd". This indicates that
the /etc/passwd (and possibly /etc/group) files should be rebuilt.
See the man pages for mkpasswd and mkgroup then, for example, run
mkpasswd -l [-d] > /etc/passwd
mkgroup -l [-d] > /etc/group
Note that the -d switch is necessary for domain users.

sdupree@VFMW3TM4RD1 ~
$ cd ..

sdupree@VFMW3TM4RD1 /cygdrive
$ ls
c d h l q v w x

sdupree@VFMW3TM4RD1 /cygdrive
$ cd d

sdupree@VFMW3TM4RD1 /cygdrive/d
$ cd data

sdupree@VFMW3TM4RD1 /cygdrive/d/data
$ ls
All Users Default User UnknownUser dclemen dhasting jglinske mdstinso pgilpatr robertd6 sdupree wmorris2

sdupree@VFMW3TM4RD1 /cygdrive/d/data
$ cd sdupree

sdupree@VFMW3TM4RD1 /cygdrive/d/data/sdupree
$ ls
Application Data Desktop Fortran My Documents gmat-win-i586-2008-09-30.zip toolkit.tar.z
Cookies Favorites Mail UserData toolkit.exe

sdupree@VFMW3TM4RD1 /cygdrive/d/data/sdupree
$ cd Desktop

sdupree@VFMW3TM4RD1 /cygdrive/d/data/sdupree/Desktop
$ ls
166.17.216.164.rdp Science and Navigation Knowledge Continuity
4414 Debrief Instructions.docx Shortcut to GPS Block II URA Accuracy Study.lnk
4414.doc Shortcut to Most Referred to Specs.lnk
4D Orbit Viewer.lnk Shortcut to startxwin.bat.lnk
Articles for Further Reading Shortcut to wgnuplot.exe.lnk
Celestia.lnk Staffing Requirements Report - 081709.xls
Clem's Staff Meeting Materials Systems Engineering Work for MMSOC GSA - STPSat-2
EDS Materials for Review TACO.xls
Equations, Figures and Notes for Carrier Phase.ppt TO84_ORS-Sat-1_CDR_Slides.pptx
Final Labor Charging Booklet.doc Thumbs.db
Find A Printer.lnk VF SCI Debriefing.pptx
JAVA programs Voyager Materials for Celestia
Java Materials WebEx Player.LNK
Java for Scientists and Engineers Windows Media Player.lnk
Material for Filing celestia-win32-1.5.1.exe
MySolarSystem-22A.17 julyaug09-springer.pdf
MySolarSystem-22A.18 perseids09.gif
NetMeeting.lnk pyephem-3.7.3.4.tar
ODTK Materials for Review pyephem-3.7.3.4.tar.gz
PyEphem-3.7.3.4 python programs
SC_Vis.xls questex_gps0208.exe
SLOOH Images for August 2009 questex_gps1207.exe
SSCWeb 3D Orbit Viewer.lnk sofa-20080301
SSI - DIVA - ssbc - 9.3.1.3.6.2.16.4.3.16

sdupree@VFMW3TM4RD1 /cygdrive/d/data/sdupree/Desktop
$ cd 'python programs'

sdupree@VFMW3TM4RD1 /cygdrive/d/data/sdupree/Desktop/python programs
$ ls
1_PygameHelloWorld.py Saturn.DE-200.dat example_taylor.py mpmath_ex.py
2_Animation.py Scipy 0.7 Reference Guide.pdf figure-1.png mpmath_ex1.py
Converting from NUMARRAY to NUMPY.pdf Scipy Reference Guide.pdf fresnels.png mpmath_ex2.py
Earth-Moon Barycenter.DE-200.dat Sun.DE-200.dat global_ex.py numpybook_source.gz
FavoriteStuff.py Uranus.DE-200.dat global_ex1.py printSoln.py
Geocentric Moon.DE-200.dat Venus.DE-200.dat global_ex2.py printSoln.pyc
Guide to NumPy.pdf array_ex.py global_ex3.py pyephem-3.7.3.4
Jupiter.DE-200.dat basics.txt gp_test.ps sayHello.py
Mars.DE-200.dat complex plot.png guess.py sonar.py
Mercury.DE-200.dat de200.report hangman.py spam.py
Neptune.DE-200.dat demo.py hello.py taylor.py
Numpy 1.3 Reference Guide.pdf dragon.py jokes.py taylor.pyc
Numpy 1.3 User Guide.pdf example2_taylor.py lambda.png tictactoe.py
Numpy Reference Guide.pdf example3_taylor.py listOFlists_ex.py tuples.py
Numpy User Guide.pdf example_de200.py list_ex2.py while_ex.py
Pluto.DE-200.dat example_gnuplot.py lists.py
PythonSolarSystem example_scitools.py mpmath basics.txt

sdupree@VFMW3TM4RD1 /cygdrive/d/data/sdupree/Desktop/python programs
$ cd pyephem-3.7.3.4

sdupree@VFMW3TM4RD1 /cygdrive/d/data/sdupree/Desktop/python programs/pyephem-3.7.3.4
$ ls
pyephem-3.7.3.4

sdupree@VFMW3TM4RD1 /cygdrive/d/data/sdupree/Desktop/python programs/pyephem-3.7.3.4
$ cd pyephem-3.7.3.4

sdupree@VFMW3TM4RD1 /cygdrive/d/data/sdupree/Desktop/python programs/pyephem-3.7.3.4/pyephem-3.7.3.4
$ ls
COPYING LICENSE-GPL MANIFEST.in README libastro-3.7.3 setup.cfg src
INSTALL LICENSE-LGPL PKG-INFO extensions python2.6 setup.py

sdupree@VFMW3TM4RD1 /cygdrive/d/data/sdupree/Desktop/python programs/pyephem-3.7.3.4/pyephem-3.7.3.4
$ ./python2.6 setup.py install
running install
running bdist_egg
running egg_info
writing src\pyephem.egg-info\PKG-INFO
writing top-level names to src\pyephem.egg-info\top_level.txt
writing dependency_links to src\pyephem.egg-info\dependency_links.txt
reading manifest file 'src\pyephem.egg-info\SOURCES.txt'
reading manifest template 'MANIFEST.in'
writing manifest file 'src\pyephem.egg-info\SOURCES.txt'
installing library code to build\bdist.win32\egg
running install_lib
running build_py
creating build
creating build\lib.win32-2.6
creating build\lib.win32-2.6\ephem
copying src\ephem\cities.py -> build\lib.win32-2.6\ephem
copying src\ephem\stars.py -> build\lib.win32-2.6\ephem
copying src\ephem\__init__.py -> build\lib.win32-2.6\ephem
creating build\lib.win32-2.6\ephem\tests
copying src\ephem\tests\ephem_test.py -> build\lib.win32-2.6\ephem\tests
copying src\ephem\tests\launchpad_236872.py -> build\lib.win32-2.6\ephem\tests
copying src\ephem\tests\launchpad_244811.py -> build\lib.win32-2.6\ephem\tests
copying src\ephem\tests\test_angles.py -> build\lib.win32-2.6\ephem\tests
copying src\ephem\tests\test_bodies.py -> build\lib.win32-2.6\ephem\tests
copying src\ephem\tests\test_constants.py -> build\lib.win32-2.6\ephem\tests
copying src\ephem\tests\test_dates.py -> build\lib.win32-2.6\ephem\tests
copying src\ephem\tests\test_jpl.py -> build\lib.win32-2.6\ephem\tests
copying src\ephem\tests\test_observers.py -> build\lib.win32-2.6\ephem\tests
copying src\ephem\tests\test_rst.py -> build\lib.win32-2.6\ephem\tests
copying src\ephem\tests\test_satellite.py -> build\lib.win32-2.6\ephem\tests
copying src\ephem\tests\test_usno.py -> build\lib.win32-2.6\ephem\tests
copying src\ephem\tests\test_usno_equinoxes.py -> build\lib.win32-2.6\ephem\tests
copying src\ephem\tests\__init__.py -> build\lib.win32-2.6\ephem\tests
creating build\lib.win32-2.6\ephem\doc
copying src\ephem\doc\angle.rst -> build\lib.win32-2.6\ephem\doc
copying src\ephem\doc\catalogs.rst -> build\lib.win32-2.6\ephem\doc
copying src\ephem\doc\CHANGELOG.rst -> build\lib.win32-2.6\ephem\doc
copying src\ephem\doc\coordinates.rst -> build\lib.win32-2.6\ephem\doc
copying src\ephem\doc\date.rst -> build\lib.win32-2.6\ephem\doc
copying src\ephem\doc\examples.rst -> build\lib.win32-2.6\ephem\doc
copying src\ephem\doc\faq.rst -> build\lib.win32-2.6\ephem\doc
copying src\ephem\doc\index.rst -> build\lib.win32-2.6\ephem\doc
copying src\ephem\doc\newton.rst -> build\lib.win32-2.6\ephem\doc
copying src\ephem\doc\quick.rst -> build\lib.win32-2.6\ephem\doc
copying src\ephem\doc\radec.rst -> build\lib.win32-2.6\ephem\doc
copying src\ephem\doc\tutorial.rst -> build\lib.win32-2.6\ephem\doc
creating build\lib.win32-2.6\ephem\tests\jpl
copying src\ephem\tests\jpl\europa.txt -> build\lib.win32-2.6\ephem\tests\jpl
copying src\ephem\tests\jpl\hyperion.txt -> build\lib.win32-2.6\ephem\tests\jpl
copying src\ephem\tests\jpl\jupiter.txt -> build\lib.win32-2.6\ephem\tests\jpl
copying src\ephem\tests\jpl\mars.txt -> build\lib.win32-2.6\ephem\tests\jpl
copying src\ephem\tests\jpl\neptune.txt -> build\lib.win32-2.6\ephem\tests\jpl
copying src\ephem\tests\jpl\oberon.txt -> build\lib.win32-2.6\ephem\tests\jpl
copying src\ephem\tests\jpl\phobos.txt -> build\lib.win32-2.6\ephem\tests\jpl
copying src\ephem\tests\jpl\saturn.txt -> build\lib.win32-2.6\ephem\tests\jpl
copying src\ephem\tests\jpl\uranus.txt -> build\lib.win32-2.6\ephem\tests\jpl
creating build\lib.win32-2.6\ephem\tests\usno
copying src\ephem\tests\usno\appgeo_deneb.txt -> build\lib.win32-2.6\ephem\tests\usno
copying src\ephem\tests\usno\appgeo_jupiter.txt -> build\lib.win32-2.6\ephem\tests\usno
copying src\ephem\tests\usno\appgeo_moon.txt -> build\lib.win32-2.6\ephem\tests\usno
copying src\ephem\tests\usno\appgeo_sun.txt -> build\lib.win32-2.6\ephem\tests\usno
copying src\ephem\tests\usno\apptopo_deneb.txt -> build\lib.win32-2.6\ephem\tests\usno
copying src\ephem\tests\usno\apptopo_moon.txt -> build\lib.win32-2.6\ephem\tests\usno
copying src\ephem\tests\usno\apptopo_sun.txt -> build\lib.win32-2.6\ephem\tests\usno
copying src\ephem\tests\usno\astrom_antares.txt -> build\lib.win32-2.6\ephem\tests\usno
copying src\ephem\tests\usno\astrom_mercury.txt -> build\lib.win32-2.6\ephem\tests\usno
copying src\ephem\tests\usno\astrom_neptune.txt -> build\lib.win32-2.6\ephem\tests\usno
copying src\ephem\tests\usno\moon_phases.txt -> build\lib.win32-2.6\ephem\tests\usno
copying src\ephem\tests\usno\risettran_moon.txt -> build\lib.win32-2.6\ephem\tests\usno
copying src\ephem\tests\usno\risettran_rigel.txt -> build\lib.win32-2.6\ephem\tests\usno
copying src\ephem\tests\usno\riset_moon.txt -> build\lib.win32-2.6\ephem\tests\usno
copying src\ephem\tests\usno\riset_sun.txt -> build\lib.win32-2.6\ephem\tests\usno
running build_ext
building 'ephem._libastro' extension
error: Unable to find vcvarsall.bat

[Brandon Rhodes (brandon-rhodes)]

That error is because you have no C compiler installed. Download Microsoft Visual Studio Express for C++, and the error should go away. You'll then get an error about compiling that will be fixed in the next version of PyEphem, but, for right now, I'll attach the patch to this bug.