How do I get easy_install to use the right version of setuptools?

Question

The latest version of setuptools (3.5.1) is installed in /Library/Python/2.7/site-packages. But when I use easy_install, it uses setuptools version 0.6c12dev_r88846 inside /System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/Extras/lib/python.

Answer 1

You have to remove the older versions of setuptools.

Sometime it is not so easy and it might need to try:

• removing it by installation program you used to install it (brew?, apt-get...)
• deleting it manually from directories incl. scripts, which are installed in your system (finding them by which setuptools)
• finally you shall reinstall setuptools

If I remember well, installation instructions for setuptools are asking to remove old version first.

I would even recommend:

1. remove the old setuptools completely
2. remove the latest setuptools completely
3. remove pip
4. install pip by means of get_pip.py as described here: http://pip.readthedocs.org/en/latest/installing.html#install-pip
5. install setuptools by $ pip install setuptools

Even if these steps sound complex, you shall do that, otherwise you will run into strange problems sooner or later.