Initial Setup

copy .profile or any other unix files to your home directory if you have them

download and run setup-x86_64.exe from http://www.cygwin.com/

select “Install from Internet”

Root Directory should be C:\cygwin

Install For: All Users (RECOMMENDED)

Local Package Directory: C:\cygwin64_packages

Use Internet Explorer Proxy Settings

Available Download Sites: (select) http://sourceware.mirrors.tds.net

the first time you are running this installer, don't make changes after this point - simply click Next until it finishes once

after the installer has finished one time, you can install again to add other packages

edit environment variables for your account, and set up HOME = C:\Users\yourusername; if you don't do this, cygwin will think your /home is at c:\cygwin64\home

after a while you may want to see if updates are available for your programs

download the latest setup.exe and use the options above until you get to the Select Packages screen

in the upper right, click the View button until you get to “Pending”

this will show you the list of files that will be updated when you click Next

if you do not want to update anything, click cancel

if you do not want to update certain packages, click the value in the New column until it says “Keep”, then click Next to install the other listed packages

if anything is messed up with cygwin, you can always rename or delete the C:\cygwin64 folder

after everything is set up and working well, it is advisable to make a backup of your entire cygwin folder before future updates are installed so you can easily go back