installation fail

[LqdBcnAtWork]

I'm usually able to at least figure out where to start. But this time, no idea.

0 verbose cli [
0 verbose cli   'C:\\Program Files\\nodejs\\node.exe',
0 verbose cli   'C:\\Program Files\\nodejs\\node_modules\\npm\\bin\\npm-cli.js',
0 verbose cli   'install',
0 verbose cli   'winax',
0 verbose cli   '--msvs_version=2017',
0 verbose cli   '-g'
0 verbose cli ]
1 info using npm@8.1.2
2 info using node@v16.13.1
3 timing npm:load:whichnode Completed in 1ms
4 timing config:load:defaults Completed in 1ms
5 timing config:load:file:C:\Program Files\nodejs\node_modules\npm\npmrc Completed in 1ms
6 timing config:load:builtin Completed in 1ms
7 timing config:load:cli Completed in 2ms
8 timing config:load:env Completed in 0ms
9 timing config:load:file:C:\Windows\system32\.npmrc Completed in 0ms
10 timing config:load:project Completed in 1ms
11 timing config:load:file:C:\Users\<user>\.npmrc Completed in 0ms
12 timing config:load:user Completed in 0ms
13 timing config:load:file:C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Roaming\npm\etc\npmrc Completed in 0ms
14 timing config:load:global Completed in 0ms
15 timing config:load:validate Completed in 0ms
16 timing config:load:credentials Completed in 1ms
17 timing config:load:setEnvs Completed in 0ms
18 timing config:load Completed in 6ms
19 timing npm:load:configload Completed in 6ms
20 timing npm:load:setTitle Completed in 1ms
21 timing npm:load:setupLog Completed in 0ms
22 timing config:load:flatten Completed in 2ms
23 timing npm:load:cleanupLog Completed in 1ms
24 timing npm:load:configScope Completed in 0ms
25 timing npm:load:projectScope Completed in 0ms
26 timing npm:load Completed in 12ms
27 timing arborist:ctor Completed in 1ms
28 timing idealTree:init Completed in 3ms
29 timing idealTree:userRequests Completed in 1ms
30 silly idealTree buildDeps
31 silly fetch manifest winax@*
32 http fetch GET 200 https://registry.npmjs.org/winax 236ms (cache revalidated)
33 silly placeDep ROOT winax@3.3.4 OK for:  want: *
34 timing idealTree:#root Completed in 243ms
35 timing idealTree:node_modules/winax Completed in 0ms
36 timing idealTree:buildDeps Completed in 243ms
37 timing idealTree:fixDepFlags Completed in 1ms
38 timing idealTree Completed in 249ms
39 timing reify:loadTrees Completed in 252ms
40 timing reify:diffTrees Completed in 0ms
41 silly reify moves {}
42 timing reify:retireShallow Completed in 0ms
43 timing reify:createSparse Completed in 0ms
44 timing reify:loadBundles Completed in 0ms
45 silly audit bulk request { winax: [ '3.3.4' ] }
46 timing reifyNode:node_modules/winax Completed in 40ms
47 timing reify:unpack Completed in 40ms
48 timing reify:unretire Completed in 0ms
49 timing build:queue Completed in 1ms
50 timing build:link:node_modules/winax Completed in 4ms
51 timing build:link Completed in 4ms
52 info run winax@3.3.4 install node_modules/winax node-gyp rebuild
53 http fetch POST 200 https://registry.npmjs.org/-/npm/v1/security/advisories/bulk 114ms
54 timing auditReport:getReport Completed in 114ms
55 silly audit report {}
56 timing auditReport:init Completed in 0ms
57 timing reify:audit Completed in 114ms
58 info run winax@3.3.4 install { code: 1, signal: null }
59 timing reify:rollback:createSparse Completed in 6ms
60 timing reify:rollback:retireShallow Completed in 0ms
61 timing command:install Completed in 1267ms
62 verbose stack Error: command failed
62 verbose stack     at ChildProcess.<anonymous> (C:\Program Files\nodejs\node_modules\npm\node_modules\@npmcli\promise-spawn\index.js:64:27)
62 verbose stack     at ChildProcess.emit (node:events:390:28)
62 verbose stack     at maybeClose (node:internal/child_process:1064:16)
62 verbose stack     at Socket.<anonymous> (node:internal/child_process:450:11)
62 verbose stack     at Socket.emit (node:events:390:28)
62 verbose stack     at Pipe.<anonymous> (node:net:687:12)
63 verbose pkgid winax@3.3.4
64 verbose cwd C:\Windows\system32
65 verbose Windows_NT 10.0.19044
66 verbose argv "C:\\Program Files\\nodejs\\node.exe" "C:\\Program Files\\nodejs\\node_modules\\npm\\bin\\npm-cli.js" "install" "winax" "--msvs_version=2017" "-g"
67 verbose node v16.13.1
68 verbose npm  v8.1.2
69 error code 1
70 error path C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Roaming\npm\node_modules\winax
71 error command failed
72 error command C:\Windows\system32\cmd.exe /d /s /c node-gyp rebuild
73 error gyp info it worked if it ends with ok
73 error gyp info using node-gyp@8.3.0
73 error gyp info using node@16.13.1 | win32 | x64
73 error gyp info find Python using Python version 3.10.8 found at "C:\Python310\python.exe"
73 error gyp info find VS using VS2017 (15.9.33027.88) found at:
73 error gyp info find VS "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\2017\BuildTools"
73 error gyp info find VS run with --verbose for detailed information
73 error gyp info spawn C:\Python310\python.exe
73 error gyp info spawn args [
73 error gyp info spawn args   'C:\\Program Files\\nodejs\\node_modules\\npm\\node_modules\\node-gyp\\gyp\\gyp_main.py',
73 error gyp info spawn args   'binding.gyp',
73 error gyp info spawn args   '-f',
73 error gyp info spawn args   'msvs',
73 error gyp info spawn args   '-I',
73 error gyp info spawn args   'C:\\Users\\<user>\\AppData\\Roaming\\npm\\node_modules\\winax\\build\\config.gypi',
73 error gyp info spawn args   '-I',
73 error gyp info spawn args   'C:\\Program Files\\nodejs\\node_modules\\npm\\node_modules\\node-gyp\\addon.gypi',
73 error gyp info spawn args   '-I',
73 error gyp info spawn args   'C:\\Users\\<user>\\AppData\\Local\\node-gyp\\Cache\\16.13.1\\common.gypi',
73 error gyp info spawn args   '-Dlibrary=shared_library',
73 error gyp info spawn args   '-Dvisibility=default',
73 error gyp info spawn args   '-Dnode_root_dir=C:\\Users\\<user>\\AppData\\Local\\node-gyp\\Cache\\16.13.1',
73 error gyp info spawn args   '-Dnode_gyp_dir=C:\\Program Files\\nodejs\\node_modules\\npm\\node_modules\\node-gyp',
73 error gyp info spawn args   '-Dnode_lib_file=C:\\\\Users\\\\<user>\\\\AppData\\\\Local\\\\node-gyp\\\\Cache\\\\16.13.1\\\\<(target_arch)\\\\node.lib',
73 error gyp info spawn args   '-Dmodule_root_dir=C:\\Users\\<user>\\AppData\\Roaming\\npm\\node_modules\\winax',
73 error gyp info spawn args   '-Dnode_engine=v8',
73 error gyp info spawn args   '--depth=.',
73 error gyp info spawn args   '--no-parallel',
73 error gyp info spawn args   '--generator-output',
73 error gyp info spawn args   'C:\\Users\\<user>\\AppData\\Roaming\\npm\\node_modules\\winax\\build',
73 error gyp info spawn args   '-Goutput_dir=.'
73 error gyp info spawn args ]
73 error gyp: C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Local\node-gyp\Cache\16.13.1\common.gypi not found (cwd: C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Roaming\npm\node_modules\winax) while reading includes of binding.gyp while trying to load binding.gyp
73 error gyp ERR! configure error
73 error gyp ERR! stack Error: `gyp` failed with exit code: 1
73 error gyp ERR! stack     at ChildProcess.onCpExit (C:\Program Files\nodejs\node_modules\npm\node_modules\node-gyp\lib\configure.js:261:16)
73 error gyp ERR! stack     at ChildProcess.emit (node:events:390:28)
73 error gyp ERR! stack     at Process.ChildProcess._handle.onexit (node:internal/child_process:290:12)
73 error gyp ERR! System Windows_NT 10.0.19044
73 error gyp ERR! command "C:\\Program Files\\nodejs\\node.exe" "C:\\Program Files\\nodejs\\node_modules\\npm\\node_modules\\node-gyp\\bin\\node-gyp.js" "rebuild"
73 error gyp ERR! cwd C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Roaming\npm\node_modules\winax
73 error gyp ERR! node -v v16.13.1
73 error gyp ERR! node-gyp -v v8.3.0
73 error gyp ERR! not ok
74 verbose exit 1

Is it my python version? VS Build Tools? I've tried 2019 and 2017.

note: I'm also running in an admin console on win 10 home 2021-09-10 19044.2728

I haven't tried downloading the source from GitHub and building it from there. But I'd rather not have to do that. npm should be enough. Sometimes it's not, but it should be.

Any ideas on at least where to start?