Must be a FAQ, but isn't: compile, install and setup instructions for WIN32

[Henry S. Thompson]

I need a tk8.4 Python on a windows box, so I thought I'd install and
build Python and compile _tkinter using tcl8.4.  Silly me, I assumed
if I compiled pythoncore and python, I could then use setup to do the
rest.  Not so -- various aspects of setup die, as follows:

1) Compile pythoncore and python using Visual C++ 6 and the supplied
project files, under c:\Program Files\Python22;

2) Move python.exe and python.dll from c:\Program
Files\Python22\PCbuild to c:\Program Files\Python22;

3) Try running python setup.py build in c:\Program Files\Python22

Dies because get_config_var("srcdir") returns [None].

Working around this gets me a bit further, then BINDIR needs a value,
then a pervasive failure to locate pyconfig.h causes nothing to happen
at great length.

Should this work, and if so is there a cookbook description of how to
make it work somewhere (I searched quite hard and failed to find it,
sorry if it's staring me in the face somewhere).

Another way to ask the question -- using configure+make on UN*X
systems, distutils takes over early on and manages the rest.  How do I
achieve a similar installation on WIN32?

Thanks in advance,

ht
-- 
  Henry S. Thompson, HCRC Language Technology Group, University of Edinburgh
          W3C Fellow 1999--2002, part-time member of W3C Team
     2 Buccleuch Place, Edinburgh EH8 9LW, SCOTLAND -- (44) 131 650-4440
	    Fax: (44) 131 650-4587, e-mail: ht at cogsci.ed.ac.uk
		     URL: http://www.ltg.ed.ac.uk/~ht/
 [mail really from me _always_ has this .sig -- mail without it is forged spam]