title: Trouble installing pymssql on Windows
body: <p>I can't find great support for pymssql installation support on Windows. I'm trying to connect to an enterprise database through another employee's python wrapper. This wrapper requires my installing of pymssql. The <a href="http://pymssql.org/en/v2.1.2/freetds.html#windows" rel="nofollow">RTFM</a> on this doesn't have very explicit instructions on the installation process of FreeTDS and OpenSSL.</p>
  
  <h1>Steps to Install</h1>
  
  <p>All downloaded files (FreeTDS and OpenSSL) are from the RTFM link mentioned above. There is mention of adding both downloads to a C:\Program Files folder and adding the binaries into the system <code>PATH</code>, so I did this:</p>
  
  <h2>FreeTDS</h2>
  
  <ol>
  <li>Downloaded FreeTDS >> created the directory C:\Program Files (x86)\FreeTDS >> copy/paste contents of FreeTDS download into C:\Program Files (x86)\FreeTDS directory >> added C:\Program Files (x86)\FreeTDS into my system's <code>PATH</code></li>
  </ol>
  
  <h3>Contents of FreeTDS download:</h3>
  
  <pre><code>\bin
      \bsqldb.exe
      \bsqldb.exe.manifest
      \bsqlodbc.exe
      ...
      \tsql.exe
  \include
      \bkpublic.h
      \cspublic.h
      \cstypes.h
      ...
      \tds_sysdep_public.h
  \lib
      \static
          \db-lib.lib
          \iconv.lib
          \libct.lib
          \replacements.lib
          \tds.lib
      \ct.dll
      \ct.dll.manifest
      ...
      \tsodbc.lib
  \lib-nossl
  (same as \lib)
  </code></pre>
  
  <h2>OpenSSL</h2>
  
  <ol start="2">
  <li>Downloaded OpenSSL >> created the directory C:\Program Files (x86)\OpenSSL >> copy/paste contents of OpenSSL download into C:\Program Files (x86)\OpenSSL directory >> added C:\Program Files (x86)\OpenSSL into my system's <code>PATH</code></li>
  </ol>
  
  <h3>Contents of OpenSSL download:</h3>
  
  <pre><code>\HashInfo.txt
  \libeay32.dll
  \OpenSSL License.txt
  \openssl.exe
  \ReadMe.txt
  \ssleay32.dll
  </code></pre>
  
  <h2>PYMSSQL</h2>
  
  <ol start="3">
  <li>Install pymssql through pip: <code>python -m pip install pymssql</code> >> then check for install status:</li>
  </ol>
  
  <h3>Open Python Environment</h3>
  
  <ul>
  <li>run: <code>import pymssql</code></li>
  <li>get: <code>ImportError: DLL load failed: The specified module could not be found.</code></li>
  </ul>
  
  <p>Super frustrating. Really appreciate any help here!</p>
  
  <p>(unfortunately most everyone I know runs pymssql from Linux and they don't have this problem)</p>