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Setup — Windows

This guide sets up your machine for the course. It takes about 45 minutes. Follow the steps in order. Do not skip the checks.

If a step fails, read the error, then read the "If this fails" notes under that step. If you are still stuck after 30 minutes, use Codespaces instead. It needs no installation.

Steps marked [screenshot] have a picture in the session slides. If your screen does not match the description, stop and ask.

1. Install Python

  1. Go to python.org/downloads. Download the latest Python for Windows. Any version from 3.11 upwards works.
  2. Run the installer.
  3. On the first screen, tick "Add python.exe to PATH". [screenshot] This checkbox causes most week 1 problems. If you missed it, run the installer again and choose "Modify".
  4. Click "Install Now". Wait for it to finish.

Check it worked. Open a new terminal. Press the Windows key, type terminal, press Enter. Then run:

python --version

You should see something like Python 3.12.4.

If this fails:

  • "'python' is not recognized" — the PATH box was not ticked. Run the installer again, choose "Modify", and tick "Add Python to environment variables". Then open a new terminal. Old terminal windows do not see the change.
  • The Microsoft Store opens — Windows has taken over the command. Open the Start menu, search for "Manage app execution aliases", and switch off python.exe and python3.exe. Open a new terminal and try again.

2. Do not use the Microsoft Store Python

If you installed Python from the Microsoft Store, uninstall it. Install from python.org instead, as above. The Store version stores files in unusual places and causes problems later. The setup check detects it.

3. Install VS Code

  1. Download VS Code from code.visualstudio.com. Run the installer. The default options are correct.
  2. Open VS Code. Click the Extensions icon on the left edge. It looks like four squares. [screenshot]
  3. Search for Python. Install the extension published by Microsoft.

4. Get the course folder

Download the course folder and unzip it. Put it somewhere simple, such as Documents\python_learning.

Avoid OneDrive folders. OneDrive sometimes locks files while Python is using them.

5. Open a terminal in the course folder

Use either method:

  • In File Explorer, open the course folder. Right-click empty space. Choose Open in Terminal.
  • In VS Code, choose File → Open Folder, then Terminal → New Terminal.

Check it worked. Run:

dir

You should see check_setup.py in the list. If you do not, you are in the wrong folder. Fix this now. The wrong folder causes most errors in week 1.

6. Create and activate a virtual environment

A virtual environment is a private copy of Python for this course. Packages you install cannot affect anything else on your machine.

Create it once:

python -m venv .venv

Activate it:

.venv\Scripts\activate

Check it worked. Your prompt now starts with (.venv).

If this fails:

  • "running scripts is disabled on this system" — PowerShell is blocking the script. Run this once and answer Y:
Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser

Then activate again. If your machine blocks that too, open Command Prompt instead of PowerShell. Use the dropdown in the terminal panel. Then run .venv\Scripts\activate.bat.

Activate the environment every time you open a new terminal. If you do not see (.venv), it is not active.

7. Install the course packages

With the environment active:

pip install -r requirements.txt

This takes a few minutes.

If this fails with an error about SSL, certificates or a proxy, your network is blocking the download. Use Codespaces instead. It runs on GitHub's machines, so your network cannot block it.

8. Run the setup check

In the course folder, with the environment active:

python check_setup.py

Read the result. If it reports a problem, it also names the fix.

9. Install Git

Git saves versions of your work. You can return to any saved version. You need it from week 4. Installing it now saves time.

  1. Download Git from git-scm.com. Run the installer. The default options are correct.
  2. Open a new terminal. Set your name and email. Git attaches them to your saved versions.
git config --global user.name "Your Name"

git config --global user.email "you@example.com"

You will use six commands: status, add, commit, log, restore and push. The project brief teaches them in the section "Saving your progress with Git".

Setup is complete. Keep this guide. The activate command in step 6 is the one people forget.