easy_install lxml on Python 2.7 on Windows

Question

I'm using python 2.7 on Windows. How come the following error occurs when I try to install [lxml][1] using [setuptools][2]'s easy_install?

C:\>easy_install lxml
Searching for lxml
Reading http://pypi.python.org/simple/lxml/
Reading http://codespeak.net/lxml
Best match: lxml 2.3.3
Downloading http://lxml.de/files/lxml-2.3.3.tgz
Processing lxml-2.3.3.tgz
Running lxml-2.3.3\setup.py -q bdist_egg --dist-dir c:\users\my_user\appdata\local\temp\easy_install-mtrdj2\lxml-2.3.3\egg-dist-tmp-tq8rx4
Building lxml version 2.3.3.
Building without Cython.
ERROR: 'xslt-config' is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.

** make sure the development packages of libxml2 and libxslt are installed **

Using build configuration of libxslt
warning: no files found matching 'lxml.etree.c' under directory 'src\lxml'
warning: no files found matching 'lxml.objectify.c' under directory 'src\lxml'
warning: no files found matching 'lxml.etree.h' under directory 'src\lxml'
warning: no files found matching 'lxml.etree_api.h' under directory 'src\lxml'
warning: no files found matching 'etree_defs.h' under directory 'src\lxml'
warning: no files found matching 'pubkey.asc' under directory 'doc'
warning: no files found matching 'tagpython*.png' under directory 'doc'
warning: no files found matching 'Makefile' under directory 'doc'
error: Setup script exited with error: Unable to find vcvarsall.bat

Downloading the package and running setup.py install also doesn't help:

D:\My Documents\Installs\Dev\Python\lxml\lxml-2.3.3>setup.py install
Building lxml version 2.3.3.
Building without Cython.
ERROR: 'xslt-config' is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.

** make sure the development packages of libxml2 and libxslt are installed **

Using build configuration of libxslt
running install
running bdist_egg
running egg_info
writing src\lxml.egg-info\PKG-INFO
writing top-level names to src\lxml.egg-info\top_level.txt
writing dependency_links to src\lxml.egg-info\dependency_links.txt
reading manifest file 'src\lxml.egg-info\SOURCES.txt'
reading manifest template 'MANIFEST.in'
warning: no files found matching 'lxml.etree.c' under directory 'src\lxml'
warning: no files found matching 'lxml.objectify.c' under directory 'src\lxml'
warning: no files found matching 'lxml.etree.h' under directory 'src\lxml'
warning: no files found matching 'lxml.etree_api.h' under directory 'src\lxml'
warning: no files found matching 'etree_defs.h' under directory 'src\lxml'
warning: no files found matching 'pubkey.asc' under directory 'doc'
warning: no files found matching 'tagpython*.png' under directory 'doc'
warning: no files found matching 'Makefile' under directory 'doc'
writing manifest file 'src\lxml.egg-info\SOURCES.txt'
installing library code to build\bdist.win32\egg
running install_lib
running build_py
creating build
creating build\lib.win32-2.7
creating build\lib.win32-2.7\lxml
copying src\lxml\builder.py -> build\lib.win32-2.7\lxml
copying src\lxml\cssselect.py -> build\lib.win32-2.7\lxml
copying src\lxml\doctestcompare.py -> build\lib.win32-2.7\lxml
copying src\lxml\ElementInclude.py -> build\lib.win32-2.7\lxml
copying src\lxml\pyclasslookup.py -> build\lib.win32-2.7\lxml
copying src\lxml\sax.py -> build\lib.win32-2.7\lxml
copying src\lxml\usedoctest.py -> build\lib.win32-2.7\lxml
copying src\lxml\_elementpath.py -> build\lib.win32-2.7\lxml
copying src\lxml\__init__.py -> build\lib.win32-2.7\lxml
creating build\lib.win32-2.7\lxml\html
copying src\lxml\html\builder.py -> build\lib.win32-2.7\lxml\html
copying src\lxml\html\clean.py -> build\lib.win32-2.7\lxml\html
copying src\lxml\html\defs.py -> build\lib.win32-2.7\lxml\html
copying src\lxml\html\diff.py -> build\lib.win32-2.7\lxml\html
copying src\lxml\html\ElementSoup.py -> build\lib.win32-2.7\lxml\html
copying src\lxml\html\formfill.py -> build\lib.win32-2.7\lxml\html
copying src\lxml\html\html5parser.py -> build\lib.win32-2.7\lxml\html
copying src\lxml\html\soupparser.py -> build\lib.win32-2.7\lxml\html
copying src\lxml\html\usedoctest.py -> build\lib.win32-2.7\lxml\html
copying src\lxml\html\_dictmixin.py -> build\lib.win32-2.7\lxml\html
copying src\lxml\html\_diffcommand.py -> build\lib.win32-2.7\lxml\html
copying src\lxml\html\_html5builder.py -> build\lib.win32-2.7\lxml\html
copying src\lxml\html\_setmixin.py -> build\lib.win32-2.7\lxml\html
copying src\lxml\html\__init__.py -> build\lib.win32-2.7\lxml\html
creating build\lib.win32-2.7\lxml\isoschematron
copying src\lxml\isoschematron\__init__.py -> build\lib.win32-2.7\lxml\isoschematron
copying src\lxml\etreepublic.pxd -> build\lib.win32-2.7\lxml
copying src\lxml\tree.pxd -> build\lib.win32-2.7\lxml
copying src\lxml\etree_defs.h -> build\lib.win32-2.7\lxml
creating build\lib.win32-2.7\lxml\isoschematron\resources
creating build\lib.win32-2.7\lxml\isoschematron\resources\rng
copying src\lxml\isoschematron\resources\rng\iso-schematron.rng -> build\lib.win32-2.7\lxml\isoschematron\resources\rng
creating build\lib.win32-2.7\lxml\isoschematron\resources\xsl
copying src\lxml\isoschematron\resources\xsl\RNG2Schtrn.xsl -> build\lib.win32-2.7\lxml\isoschematron\resources\xsl
copying src\lxml\isoschematron\resources\xsl\XSD2Schtrn.xsl -> build\lib.win32-2.7\lxml\isoschematron\resources\xsl
creating build\lib.win32-2.7\lxml\isoschematron\resources\xsl\iso-schematron-xslt1
copying src\lxml\isoschematron\resources\xsl\iso-schematron-xslt1\iso_abstract_expand.xsl -> build\lib.win32-2.7\lxml\isoschematron\resources\xsl\iso-schematron-xslt1
copying src\lxml\isoschematron\resources\xsl\iso-schematron-xslt1\iso_dsdl_include.xsl -> build\lib.win32-2.7\lxml\isoschematron\resources\xsl\iso-schematron-xslt1
copying src\lxml\isoschematron\resources\xsl\iso-schematron-xslt1\iso_schematron_message.xsl -> build\lib.win32-2.7\lxml\isoschematron\resources\xsl\iso-schematron-xslt1
copying src\lxml\isoschematron\resources\xsl\iso-schematron-xslt1\iso_schematron_skeleton_for_xslt1.xsl -> build\lib.win32-2.7\lxml\isoschematron\resources\xsl\iso-schematron-xslt1
copying src\lxml\isoschematron\resources\xsl\iso-schematron-xslt1\iso_svrl_for_xslt1.xsl -> build\lib.win32-2.7\lxml\isoschematron\resources\xsl\iso-schematron-xslt1
copying src\lxml\isoschematron\resources\xsl\iso-schematron-xslt1\readme.txt -> build\lib.win32-2.7\lxml\isoschematron\resources\xsl\iso-schematron-xslt1
running build_ext
building 'lxml.etree' extension
error: Unable to find vcvarsall.bat

  [1]: http://lxml.de/
  [2]: http://pypi.python.org/pypi/setuptools

Answer 1

lxml >= 3.x.x

1. download one of the MS Windows Installer packages
2. easy_install "c:/lxml_installer.exe" (credit kobejohn)

MS Windows Installer downloads available for lxml 3.3.5

a list of all binary/egg lxml package downloads.

lxml 2.3.x

there is no windows binary egg for lxml 2.3.3 (2.3.0 is the latest from 2.x.x).
without giving a version number easy_install will download the latest sources,
but you dont have the libxml2 and libxslt installed.

you could install the missing libs or you could try the 2.3 as there are binary eggs for windows:
easy_install lxml==2.3