Python failing to install module "spacepy"

I'm currently trying to install the Python package spacepy due to its ability to read CDF files, along with a few other useful functions. However, any time I try to install this module I receive a myriad of errors - whether I try to install it via Anaconda, command prompt, or by downloading the package manually and running setup.py from the package directory. Currently, I've spent hours trying to chase down these errors, but as I'm not a programmer it's been slow going.

I've managed to "install" it, however the module throws an error when trying to load it:

Traceback (most recent call last):

  File "<ipython-input-1-4bcf91e29885>", line 1, in <module>
    import spacepy

  File "C:\Anaconda\lib\site-packages\spacepy\__init__.py", line 329, in <module>
    _read_config(rcfile)

  File "C:\Anaconda\lib\site-packages\spacepy\__init__.py", line 297, in _read_config
    _write_defaults(rcfile, defaults)

  File "C:\Anaconda\lib\site-packages\spacepy\__init__.py", line 236, in _write_defaults
    key=k, value=defaults[k], ver=__version__))

IOError: [Errno 0] Error

...and so I don't believe it's been installed properly, and one or more of the errors from the initial build is causing issues.

This package has a number of dependencies, most being other Python modules. The only one that the installer would be unable to do itself would be the Fortran compiler (for which I have installed myself using MinGW), however this shouldn't prevent the package from installing.

Here is the complete log of errors that I recieve when trying to force-reinstall it via the command prompt:

python -m pip install --upgrade --force-reinstall spacepy

Solution

So it turns out that, among a few smaller errors with the dependencies here and there (that could be fixed just by following the errors thrown), the major issue was the version of numpy. Spacepy was designed for numpy v1.6, and doesn't seem to be backwards compatible with future versions of numpy (like the current v1.12).

Rolling back my version of numpy, as well as moving over to a linux virtual environment (which allowed complete control of modules and dependencies) eventually got spacepy on my system. Now I've just got to become more familiar with linux!