cx_Oracle throws: ImportError: DLL load failed: This application has failed to start ...

[Ruben van den Berg]

I'm on Windows XP SP3, Python 2.7.1. On running

import cx_Oracle

I got the error

ImportError: DLL load failed: This application has failed to start because the application configuration is incorrect. Reinstalling the application may fix this problem.

I then ran Dependency Walker on cx_Oracle.pyd. Its first complaint was about msvcr80.dll. However, this file is present in C:\WINDOWS\WinSxS\x86_Microsoft.VC80.CRT_1fc8b3b9a1e18e3b_8.0.50727.91_x-ww_0de56c07. (I believe it's part of the MS Visual Studio C++ 2008 package which I installed.)

I obviously uninstalled and reinstalled the cx_Oracle a couple of times but so far to no avail.

Does anybody have a clue what to try next?

For a screenshot of Dependency Walker, please see: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/116120595/dep_walker_orac.jpg