graphlab-create 2.1 installation fails to uninstall 'certifi', a distutils installed project

Question

I have installed Anaconda3 on a Windows 8.1 Laptop and wanted to install GraphLab-Create 2.1. When I follow the Installation procedure from Turi, an Anaconda2 is installed as well, which is not what I want.

From within Anaconda3 Navigator 1.8.3 I created a new Environment called "gl-env", by selecting packages Python 2.7. From within Anaconda Navigator I opened a terminal in the gl-env. As described on https://turi.com/download/install-graphlab-create-command-line.html I checked the pip Version: 10.0.1 Then I entered the pip command as described in Step 5: "Install GraphLab Create". I have a valid product key.

The Installation proceeds until an error message: "Cannot uninstall 'certifi'. It is a distutils installed Project and thus we cannot accurately determine which files belog to it which would lead to only a partial uninstall".

I tried to uninstall 'certifi' from the gl-env in Anaconda Navigator, but it gave me 51 packages which would be uninstalled as well. And after doing that, the GraphLab Create Installation process didn't even start.

Any ideas?

Answer 1

There's a dependancy between pip 10.0.1 and certifi, try downgrading your pip to version 9.0.1 and then install graphlab.

To downgrade: pip install pip==9.0.1

Edit Aug 17th

Good point made in the comments below about pip being past version 20. Use virtual environments and trying ignoring the certifi component as suggest in the other answer.

Answer 2

Add the following to the pip command-line to ignore the uninstall:

 --ignore-installed certifi

Worked for me with Graphlab Create and Jupyter installed today.