Re: [Discuss-gnuradio] Successful installation of GNURadio 3.6.4.1 on Window XP and Windows 8

[Tom Rondeau]

Bhaskar,

Thanks for your effort on not only getting GNU Radio working on
Windows but also providing us with the steps you took to get there.
That could be really helpful to a lot of people. I have made a link on
our WindowsInstall wiki to point to your email for other people
looking for help.

Please note, though, that we've tried to make it very clear that
Windows is not a fully supported OS. None of the core developers can
really test and build on Windows, and we rely on patches and feedback
like you've provided from the community. We do our best to keep things
working cross-platform, but as you've experienced, as versions change
(both GNU Radio and it's dependencies), this is a serious project.

Tom


On Thu, Dec 26, 2013 at 11:10 AM, Bhaskar11 <address@hidden> wrote:
> After much experimentation I have finally found a way to successfully
> install and fully run GRC 3.6.4.1 both under Windows XP and Windows 8. I
> presume it should therefore work equally well under Vista and 7.
>
> First a few comments on the common causes of problems that most people have
> had:
>
> a. It is critical to have the correct *matching* and *complete* versions of
> the various required libraries. Most installations instructions online fail
> because of this reason. The Ettus installation instructions officially
> recommended on GNURadio website and provided here fail now because many of
> the original binary versions referred to are no longer available. Hence
> those instructions are now outdated and should be replaced by the
> instructions provided in this email.
>
> b. Although it is possible to successfully install GNURadio binaries for
> versions 3.7.x, none of them include runtime DLLs for WX GUI blocks. Hence
> these blocks are not displayed, and so most of the example files available
> cannot be used as they need WX GUI blocks. Moreover, some of the QT GUI
> blocks do not work in certain versions. Since I do not know how to make
> these binaries, I request those who have created these version 3.7.x Windows
> binaries to repack them so that we can run the latest versions of GNURadio
> in Windows. Until that is done, there is no point trying to install those
> versions.
>
> c. Only GNURadio version 3.6.x binaries have WX GUI blocks. But versions
> 3.6.2 does not allow moving the blocks. Only 3.6.4.1 is usable, and works
> perfectly well for all available examples tested so far including all QT GUI
> and WX GUI blocks.
>
> d. The required Python libraries versions are available only for Python
> version 2.7.3 and are NOT all available for versions 2.7.6 or above, or at
> least I could not find them online. Hence we have to use libraries
> compatible only with Python 2.7.3.
>
> e. Some library versions have their quirks or bugs. For example PyGTK 2.24.0
> does not allow you to add blocks in GRC. Only version PyGTK 2.24.2 works ok.
> Also wxPython binary called "wxPython2.8-win32-unicode-2.8.12.1-py27" just
> does not work, but the same version but different binary called
> "wxPython-2.8.12.1.win32-py2.7" works correctly. Most online instructions do
> not mention the need for "wxPython-common" library, which is absolutely
> necessary. Also some odd problems such as this cease to exist when the
> correct libraries are matched.
>
> f. In the instructions below I have listed all the correct working libraries
> and binaries with links from which to download them. Please use only the
> binaries from these links and install them in the sequence provided. Other
> versions or binaries may not work. Keep all default options unless otherwise
> specified here. If you have problems working with the instructions below,
> check your binaries, and ensure that you are doing a clean install.
>
> Finally, please share your experiences with success and failures on this
> list so that others may benefit.
>
> Instructions to install GNURadio in Windows XP and Windows 8:
>
> 1. Uninstall all earlier installations and libraries of GNURadio and Python
> and their add-ons. Ensure that the GNURadio directory and Python directory
> are entirely removed by the uninstalls.
> For Windows XP GNURadio default directory is: C:\Program Files\gnuradio
> For Windows 8 it is: C:\Program Files (x86)\gnuradio
> For all platforms the Python default directory is: C:\Python27
> Both the GNURadio and Python directories should be non-existent. If they
> still exist, then delete them and reboot. We want as clean an install as
> possible.
>
> 2. Download "Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 Redistributable Package (x86)" from
> here and install "vcredist_x86".
> If it says a copy is already installed and offers to repair it, and accept
> to repair. If it says a later version is already installed, then accept to
> close.
>
> 3. Download and install "python-2.7.3.msi" from here.
>
> 4. Download and install "lxml-3.0.2.win32-py2.7" from here.
>
> 5. Download and install "numpy-1.7.1-win32-superpack-python2.7" from here.
>
> 6. Download and install "PyQt-Py2.7-x86-gpl-4.9.6-1" from here.
> (Note: Keep all default options. You do NOT need to change anything.)
>
> 7. Download and install "PyQwt-5.2.1-py2.7-x32-pyqt4.9.6-numpy1.7.1" from
> here.
>
> 8. Download and install "Cheetah-2.4.4.win32-py2.7" from here.
>
> 9. Download and install "PyOpenGL-3.1.0a1.win32-py2.7" from here.
>
> 10. Download and install "pygtk-all-in-one-2.24.2.win32-py2.7" from here.
>
> 11. Download and install "wxPython-2.8.12.1.win32-py2.7" from here.
> On Windows 8 you may get: Runtime error R6034 "An application has made an
> attempt to load the C runtime library incorrectly. Please contact the
> application's support team for more information." Ignore the message and
> continue.
>
> 12. Download and install "wxPython-common-2.8.12.1.win32-py2.7" from here.
> On Windows 8 you may get: Runtime error R6034 "An application has made an
> attempt to load the C runtime library incorrectly. Please contact the
> application's support team for more information." Ignore the message and
> continue.
>
> 13. Download and install "gnuradio_3.6.4.1_Win32" (stable version) from
> here.
> Select the option to "Add gnuradio to the system path for all users".
>
> On Windows 8 you may receive "Warning! PATH too long installer unable to
> modify PATH!" which seems to be a NSIS installer problem when it finds the
> total path to be longer than 1024. If you receive this message then you must
> manually add the installation bin directory to the system path.
> For Windows XP the PATH variable must include: "C:\Program
> Files\gnuradio\bin;"
> For Windows 8 the PATH must include: "C:\Program Files (x86)\gnuradio\bin;"
> The string can be added to the beginning of the PATH to ensure it gets
> priority. In any case manually verify that the Path has been correctly set
> as above whether by the installer or by you.
>
> 15. Manually add the PYTHONPATH environment variable.
> For Windows XP this is normally: "PYTHONPATH=C:\Program
> Files\gnuradio\lib\site-packages"
> For Windows 8 this is: "PYTHONPATH=C:\Program Files
> (x86)\gnuradio\lib\site-packages"
>
> 16. Check that the GRC_BLOCKS_PATH environment variable has been set to by
> GNURadio installer. Normally this should happen automatically. If it has not
> been set, then set it manually.
> For Windows XP this is: "GRC_BLOCKS_PATH=C:\Program
> Files\gnuradio\share\gnuradio\grc\blocks"
> For Windows 8 this is: "GRC_BLOCKS_PATH=C:\Program Files
> (x86)\gnuradio\share\gnuradio\grc\blocks"
>
> 17. Install any other hardware drivers that you need such as UHD, etc.
>
> 18. To run, in the command line type:
> gnuradio-companion.py
>
> If you like you can create a batch file to run this from a shortcut from the
> menu or the desktop.
>
> Hope this guide saves you many hours of wasted time so that you can fully
> enjoy the wonderful GNURadio experience!!
>
> B
>
>
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