Installation & Environment Setup

System Requirements

• Python: 3.8 or higher
• RAM: 4GB minimum (8GB recommended)
• Disk Space: 5GB free space
• OS: Windows, macOS, or Linux

Step 1: Install Python

macOS

# Using Homebrew
brew install python3

Windows

1. Download from python.org
2. Run installer
3. ✅ Check “Add Python to PATH”
4. Click “Install Now”

Linux

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install python3 python3-pip

# Fedora
sudo dnf install python3 python3-pip

Verify installation:

python --version
pip --version

Step 2: Install Anaconda (Recommended)

Anaconda includes Python and all essential data science libraries.

1. Download from anaconda.com
2. Run installer
3. Follow prompts
4. Verify: conda --version

Step 3: Create Virtual Environment

Using Anaconda

# Create environment
conda create -n ml_env python=3.10

# Activate
conda activate ml_env

Using venv (Python native)

# Create environment
python -m venv ml_env

# Activate
# On macOS/Linux:
source ml_env/bin/activate
# On Windows:
ml_env\Scripts\activate

Step 4: Install Required Libraries

Install all at once

pip install numpy pandas scikit-learn matplotlib seaborn jupyter tensorflow keras xgboost lightgbm

Or install from requirements.txt

pip install -r requirements.txt

requirements.txt:

numpy==1.24.3
pandas==2.0.3
scikit-learn==1.3.0
matplotlib==3.7.2
seaborn==0.12.2
jupyter==1.0.0
tensorflow==2.13.0
keras==2.13.0
xgboost==2.0.0
lightgbm==4.0.0
statsmodels==0.14.0
scipy==1.11.2

Step 5: Launch Jupyter Notebook

jupyter notebook

Opens at: http://localhost:8888

Step 6: Verify Installation

Create a test file test_installation.py:

import sys
print(f"Python: {sys.version}")

import numpy as np
print(f"NumPy: {np.__version__}")

import pandas as pd
print(f"Pandas: {pd.__version__}")

import sklearn
print(f"Scikit-learn: {sklearn.__version__}")

import matplotlib
print(f"Matplotlib: {matplotlib.__version__}")

import tensorflow
print(f"TensorFlow: {tensorflow.__version__}")

print("\n✅ All libraries installed successfully!")

Run:

python test_installation.py

Troubleshooting

Issue: Python not found

Solution: Add Python to PATH

• Windows: Edit environment variables
• macOS/Linux: Check installation in /usr/local/bin/python3

Issue: pip command not found

Solution: Use python -m pip

python -m pip install package_name

Issue: Permission denied

Solution: Use sudo (macOS/Linux) or run PowerShell as admin (Windows)

sudo pip install package_name

Issue: TensorFlow installation slow

Solution: Install CPU version first

pip install tensorflow-cpu

IDE Setup

VS Code

1. Download VS Code
2. Install Python extension
3. Select Python interpreter (ml_env)
4. Create .py files and run

PyCharm

1. Download PyCharm Community
2. Create new project
3. Set interpreter to ml_env

Jupyter Lab (Advanced)

pip install jupyterlab
jupyter lab

Next Steps

1. Complete Practical 1
2. Review Quick Start Guide
3. Explore Python Basics

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