"Python version 2.7 required, which was not found in the registry" error when attempting to install netCDF4 on Windows 8
This error can occur if you are installing a package with a different bitness than your Python version. To see whether your Python installation is 32- or 64-bit, see here.
Some superpacks (e.g. for Scipy) available on SourceForge or python.org are for 32-bit systems and some are for 64-bit systems. See this answer. In Windows, uninstalling the 32-bit and installing the 64-bit version (or vice versa if your installation is 32-bit) can solve the problem.
I had the same issue when using an .exe to install a Python package (because I use Anaconda and it didn't add Python to the registry). I fixed the problem by running this script:
## script to register Python 2.0 or later for use with # Python extensions that require Python registry settings## written by Joakim Loew for Secret Labs AB / PythonWare## source:# http://www.pythonware.com/products/works/articles/regpy20.htm## modified by Valentine Gogichashvili as described in http://www.mail-archive.com/distutils-sig@python.org/msg10512.htmlimport sysfrom _winreg import *# tweak as necessaryversion = sys.version[:3]installpath = sys.prefixregpath = "SOFTWARE\\Python\\Pythoncore\\%s\\" % (version)installkey = "InstallPath"pythonkey = "PythonPath"pythonpath = "%s;%s\\Lib\\;%s\\DLLs\\" % ( installpath, installpath, installpath)def RegisterPy(): try: reg = OpenKey(HKEY_CURRENT_USER, regpath) except EnvironmentError as e: try: reg = CreateKey(HKEY_CURRENT_USER, regpath) SetValue(reg, installkey, REG_SZ, installpath) SetValue(reg, pythonkey, REG_SZ, pythonpath) CloseKey(reg) except: print "*** Unable to register!" return print "--- Python", version, "is now registered!" return if (QueryValue(reg, installkey) == installpath and QueryValue(reg, pythonkey) == pythonpath): CloseKey(reg) print "=== Python", version, "is already registered!" return CloseKey(reg) print "*** Unable to register!" print "*** You probably have another Python installation!"if __name__ == "__main__": RegisterPy()