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Setup — work laptop with no admin rights

This guide is for managed machines. Use it if installers ask for an administrator password you do not have, if your IT department controls the app store, or if your network blocks downloads.

Give this 30 minutes. Then stop and use Codespaces.

A Codespace needs only a browser and a free GitHub account, so a locked-down laptop cannot block it. You get a real terminal and a real virtual environment. You lose nothing from the course.

If your machine is heavily restricted, go straight to Codespaces and skip this page.

To install locally, try these options in order.

Option 1 — your organisation's software centre

Managed machines often have a software catalogue. It may be called "Software Center", "Company Portal" or something similar. Python and VS Code are common entries.

  1. Open the software centre. Search for Python (3.11 or newer) and Visual Studio Code.
  2. If both are there, install them. Then follow windows.md from step 4.

Option 2 — install for your user only

Python and VS Code can install into your own account without administrator rights. Many managed machines allow this.

  1. Download Python from python.org/downloads. Run the installer. Tick "Add python.exe to PATH". Choose "Install Now". Do not choose "Customize" and "Install for all users", which needs admin rights.
  2. Download the VS Code User Installer from code.visualstudio.com. The standard Windows download is the user version and needs no admin rights.
  3. If both install, follow windows.md from step 4.

If pip install fails with an error about SSL, certificates, a proxy or a timeout, your network is intercepting downloads. Use Codespaces. It runs on GitHub's computers, so your network cannot block it.

Option 3 — portable Python

If installers are blocked completely, use WinPython. It is a complete Python that runs from a folder. Download it, unzip it somewhere you can write to, and use the WinPython Command Prompt inside that folder as your terminal. It includes the packages this course needs.

This option is the most awkward, and version mismatches are more likely. Note that you used it, so a later problem has an explanation.

Option 4 — Codespaces

codespaces.md. Nothing to install. A browser and a free GitHub account are all you need.

If this is your route through the course, apply for GitHub Education in week 1. It raises your Codespaces allowance from 120 hours a month to 180.

Option 5 — Colab

colab-fallback.md. Use this if you cannot have a GitHub account.

Have your setup working before the first session. Session time is for the course, not for installers.