ValueError: Unknown MS Compiler version 1900

Question

I am trying to run some code with Python 3.5 on Windows 10 with the use of cygwin (mingw). To be precise I am using the PyDSTool module, where I call the dopri integrator. The problem is, I am having trouble with distutils not recognizing Microsoft Visual Studio 2015. Is there a way to avoid this (without going back to older versions of Python, Windows, Visual Studio). The full Error can be seen bellow.

ValueError                                Traceback (most recent call last)
<ipython-input-16-bfeb915bfd7b> in <module>()
     60 print("\n")
     61 
---> 62 testODE = Dopri_ODEsystem(DSargs)
     63 
     64 print('Integrating...')

C:\Anaconda3\lib\site-packages\PyDSTool\Generator\Dopri_ODEsystem.py in __init__(self, kw)
    371             print("stages using the makeLibSource and compileLib methods.")
    372         else:
--> 373             self.makeLib()
    374 
    375     @property

C:\Anaconda3\lib\site-packages\PyDSTool\Generator\mixins.py in makeLib(self, libsources, libdirs, include)
     98             self.forceLibRefresh()
     99         self.makeLibSource(include)
--> 100         self.compileLib(libsources, libdirs)
    101 
    102     @property

C:\Anaconda3\lib\site-packages\PyDSTool\Generator\mixins.py in compileLib(self, libsources, libdirs)
     78           precompiled libraries."""
     79 
---> 80         self._builder.build(libsources, libdirs, self._compiler)
     81 
     82     def forceLibRefresh(self):

C:\Anaconda3\lib\site-packages\PyDSTool\Generator\mixins.py in build(self, libsources, libdirs, compiler)
    187                   script_args=script_args,
    188                   ext_modules=[extmod],
--> 189                   py_modules=[self.modname])
    190 
    191     def save_vfield(self, code, fname=None):

C:\Anaconda3\lib\site-packages\numpy\distutils\core.py in setup(**attr)
    167     new_attr['distclass'] = NumpyDistribution
    168 
--> 169     return old_setup(**new_attr)
    170 
    171 def _check_append_library(libraries, item):

C:\Anaconda3\lib\distutils\core.py in setup(**attrs)
    146     if ok:
    147         try:
--> 148             dist.run_commands()
    149         except KeyboardInterrupt:
    150             raise SystemExit("interrupted")

C:\Anaconda3\lib\distutils\dist.py in run_commands(self)
    953         """
    954         for cmd in self.commands:
--> 955             self.run_command(cmd)
    956 
    957     # -- Methods that operate on its Commands --------------------------

C:\Anaconda3\lib\distutils\dist.py in run_command(self, command)
    972         cmd_obj = self.get_command_obj(command)
    973         cmd_obj.ensure_finalized()
--> 974         cmd_obj.run()
    975         self.have_run[command] = 1
    976 

C:\Anaconda3\lib\site-packages\numpy\distutils\command\build_ext.py in run(self)
    115                                      verbose=self.verbose,
    116                                      dry_run=self.dry_run,
--> 117                                      force=self.force)
    118         self.compiler.customize(self.distribution)
    119         self.compiler.customize_cmd(self)

C:\Anaconda3\lib\site-packages\numpy\distutils\ccompiler.py in new_compiler(plat, compiler, verbose, dry_run, force)
    594         raise DistutilsModuleError(("can't compile C/C++ code: unable to find class '%s' " +
    595                "in module '%s'") % (class_name, module_name))
--> 596     compiler = klass(None, dry_run, force)
    597     log.debug('new_compiler returns %s' % (klass))
    598     return compiler

C:\Anaconda3\lib\site-packages\numpy\distutils\mingw32ccompiler.py in __init__(self, verbose, dry_run, force)
     56 
     57         distutils.cygwinccompiler.CygwinCCompiler.__init__ (self, verbose,
---> 58                                                             dry_run, force)
     59 
     60         # we need to support 3.2 which doesn't match the standard

C:\Anaconda3\lib\distutils\cygwinccompiler.py in __init__(self, verbose, dry_run, force)
    159             # Include the appropriate MSVC runtime library if Python was built
    160             # with MSVC 7.0 or later.
--> 161             self.dll_libraries = get_msvcr()
    162 
    163     def _compile(self, obj, src, ext, cc_args, extra_postargs, pp_opts):

C:\Anaconda3\lib\distutils\cygwinccompiler.py in get_msvcr()
     88         #     return ['vcruntime140']
     89         else:
---> 90             raise ValueError("Unknown MS Compiler version %s " % msc_ver)
     91 
     92 

ValueError: Unknown MS Compiler version 1900 

Answer 1

I made the following changes and it worked for me with the following configurations.

• OS : Win 7 Prof. SP1 64 bit
• CPython 3.6 , 64 Bit
• Mingw 64 (x86_64-7.1.0-posix-seh-rt_v5-rev0)
• Cython 0.25.2

I did the following

1. Add mingw in the PATH variable (C:\mingw-w64\x86_64-7.1.0-posix-seh-rt_v5-rev0\mingw64\bin for me)
2. Test by opening command line and command gcc works ( I have no other compilers)
3. Create distutils.cfg in C:\Python36\Lib\distutils

4. Add lines in that file:

   [build]
   compiler = mingw32
   

5. Manually applying this patch

6. Manually downloading the file vcruntime140.dll and putting it in C:\Python36\libs