title: How to install python-ldap on a python 2.7 virtualenv on windows without compiling
body: <p>I am using Windows as my main python 2.7 development environment and I want to install python-ldap on a virtual environment.</p>
  
  <p>The python-ldap package needs compiling :( and of course I can't compile it in my environment. So I tried finding binaries in order to install them in my virtual environment through easy_install (FYI you can do easy_install package.exe and the package will be installed). I found the distributed binaries here: <a href="https://pypi.python.org/pypi/python-ldap/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://pypi.python.org/pypi/python-ldap/</a></p>
  
  <p>Unfortunately, they give only .msi packages for python 2.7 !!! Why do people use .msi  ? MSI CANNOT BE INSTALLED THROUGH easy_install. I HATE MSI %$#$^#$^#$</p>
  
  <p>Yes I can install the .msi package by executing it but it will be installed in the global python packages and <em>not</em> on my virtual environment!</p>
  
  <p>Please, can anybody help me ? I remember having this exact problem in a previous project and I had to develop it outside of a virtual environment -- but I cannot do this now :(</p>
  
  <p><b>Update:</b> I installed python-ldap system-wide and copied the directories
  ldap and python_ldap-2.4.10-py2.7.egg-info from PYTHON_GLOBAL\Lib\site-packages to VIRTUALENV\Lib\site-packages and seems to be working now. However I really don't like that solution so I won't answer my question with that. Also, Alexander's comment on recreating my virtualenv with --system-site-packages probably will be working but this means that I'd need to uninstall a lot of my global packages packages and then install again my virtual packages etc and in general it's not DRY :(</p>
  
  <p><b>Update 2:</b> After trying cgohlke's suggestion, I saw that the contents of the MSI were the two directories I mentioned above along with the files dsml.py, ldapurl.py and ldif.py. So I also copied this to my VIRTUALENV\Lib\site-packages. Now I believe that the installation is ok :). But I believe that cgohlke's is the best one - just use msiexec.exe to extract the contents of the msi directly to your VIRTUALENV.</p>
  
  <p><b>Update 3:</b> In a similar question (<a href="https://stackoverflow.com/questions/15070063/installing-python-ldap-in-a-virualenv-on-windows">Installing python-ldap in a virtualenv on Windows</a>) I found a really interesting link: <a href="http://www.lfd.uci.edu/~gohlke/pythonlibs/#python-ldap" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://www.lfd.uci.edu/~gohlke/pythonlibs/#python-ldap</a>. In there you will be able to find .EXE install packages for python-ldap and LOTS of others!!! So finally by downloading these you'll be able to <code>easy_install</code> them in your virtualenv!</p>