How to Setup Your New Windows Device for Data Science

A guide on Installing Git, R, R Studio, Python (Anaconda), Powershell, and VS Code using scoop: Step-by-Step Tutorial

Scoop

A guide on Installing Software with scoop: Quickly and Easily via Command Line. Visit https://scoop.sh/ for more information.

Learn how to download scoop on your computer using PowerShell. Easiest way is by pressing Win + R keys and typing PowerShell on the Run dialog. The blue screen may not look friendly, but it will be updated later in this guide.

To use scoop on your computer, you will need to run specific code on PowerShell. Don’t worry, even if it looks complicated, this guide will make it easy 😆

Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser
irm get.scoop.sh | iex

Git

Git is a free and open-source version control system that allows for efficient handling of projects of all sizes. Installation on your computer is made easy with the use of Scoop.

scoop bucket add main
scoop install git

Learn how to link your Github account with git by creating an SSH key. Follow these simple steps and use the provided code to create a secure RSA 4096-bit key associated with your email address for easy access and collaboration on Github.

ssh-keygen -o -t rsa -C "MAIL ADRESS"

Learn how to generate an SSH key for linking your Github account with git. Follow the instructions provided, run the code and proceed by pressing the ENTER keys. Discover where your password is recorded by using the command line at the end of the process for easy and secure access to your Github account.

Example Result

Your public key has been saved in C:\Users\<username>/.ssh/id_rsa.pub.

To access the SSH256 code within this file, open it using a text editor and create a new SSH key in the ‘SSH and GPG Keys’ section of your Github account settings. Then, add the code found within the file to the newly created key.

You have successfully set up Git and connected it to your Github account 👍

R and R Studio

To install R Studio, it’s necessary to have R already installed on your computer. Thus, the first step is to install R before proceeding with R Studio installation.

scoop install r

R installation has been completed, however, there’s a minor issue. Scoop installs programs in the scoop folder within the user files for isolation. But for R Studio to function properly, R needs to be located in the Program Files directory. To fix this, we will use Windows’ Symbolic Link function.

Make sure to open PowerShell in administrator mode first!!!

New-Item -ItemType SymbolicLink -Path "C:\Program Files\r" 
-Target "C:\Users\<username>\scoop\apps\r"

We have created a symbolic link of the R files installed by scoop and placed it in the Program Files directory using the command above. To get more information about this topic, visit https://blogs.windows.com/windowsdeveloper/2016/12/02/symlinks-windows-10/

Having completed all the required setup for R, we can now proceed to install R Studio.

scoop bucket add extras
scoop install rstudio

By executing the commands above, we can easily install RStudio and it’s now ready for use 👍

R Studio

Python (Anaconda)

Learn how to install Python for data science, including the Anaconda distribution with pre-installed packages. Installation of Anaconda may take around 10 minutes, but the process is worth it for the convenience it offers to data scientists.

scoop install anaconda3

Set up a working environment for Python programming with Anaconda and Visual Studio Code (VS Code). VS Code offers a convenient and practical solution for writing and running Python codes with its various extensions

VS Code

Enhance your Python programming experience with Visual Studio Code (VS Code), a versatile code editor that supports multiple programming languages. Use Excel Viewer extension to analyze data and review excel files without switching applications. The built-in terminal allows you to easily install and manage packages for your working environment.

scoop install vscode

Easily set up your Python working environment with Visual Studio Code (VS Code) by installing the necessary extensions and Python packages after completing the installation process. To run your codes as a notebook in VS Code, download the required extensions: Python and Jupyter. Once the extensions are installed, you have a fully functional environment for Python programming. Remember to save your work as a .py file if you want it to run as a Python script or .ipynb if you want it to run as a Python notebook.

Example Python File

.py File

Example Python Notebook File

.ipynb File

Powershell

Learn how to install the latest version of PowerShell, released by Microsoft, which provides various customization options for personalization and improve your productivity.

scoop install pwsh

Efficiently install softwares on your computer by checking their availability on https://scoop.sh/ before downloading. You can now ensure a fast and smooth installation process for all necessary softwares.👍

Powershell Terminal

Discover how to personalize the PowerShell you have installed with my next article. Keep following to learn more and don’t miss out. See you soon 😃