Hi, I'm trying to use "setup.py install" to install python packages that include C extensions. I have Windows/XP, the 32 bit Python 2.7 binary downloaded from python.org and the 32 bit numpy binary downloaded from numpy.org. I don't seem to be able to get a working C compiler. At first, I read that you need Microsoft Visual Studio Express 2008. This is a 32 bit only C/C++ compiler, but that is ok because the Python and Numpy that I need are 32 bit executables. Well, I still get errors about a missing "basetsd.h". The solution I found online is to install "Windows SDK", which I found at http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=18950 The heading at the top of the page says "Windows 7", but under "Supported Operating Systems" it lists Windows/XP. I still get errors because basetsd.h is not found. In the interests of seeing if anything works at all, I made an empty file named c:\Python27\include\basetsd.h hoping I might get to see some different errors. I did. Apparently, basetsd.h does not contain anything I need, because "setup.py build" can compile the C code now. The link stage fails like this: c:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio 9.0\VC\BIN\link.exe /DLL /nologo /INCREMENTAL:NO /LIBPATH:C:\Python27\libs /LIBPATH:C:\Pyth on27\PCbuild /EXPORT:init_combine build\temp.win32-2.7\Release\src/_combinemodule.obj /OUT:build\lib.win32-2.7\stsci\image\_combine. pyd /IMPLIB:build\temp.win32-2.7\Release\src\_combine.lib /MANIFESTFILE:build\temp.win32-2.7\Release\src\_combine.pyd.manifest LINK : fatal error LNK1104: cannot open file 'kernel32.lib' error: command '"c:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio 9.0\VC\BIN\link.exe"' failed with exit status 1104 So, somehow I need to have basetsd.h and kernel32.lib; neither of them is provided by the compiler and neither is provided by Windows SDK. I've run out of ideas about where to look for documentation and what other things to try. Can anybody offer me any suggestions? Mark S.