"DLL load failed: The specified module could not be found." when using "from PIL import Image"

If relevant, please answer to the following questions:
1. What version of Python(x,y) have you installed?
2.7.5.2

2. Which components have you installed (Python(x,y) installer:
componentpage):
    a. Have you selected the "Recommended" component selection?
    b. Have you selected the "Full" component selection?
c. Have you selected manually plugins in the component list?
Whatplugins?
b. Full

3. Have you selected the option "Customize installation directories"?
a. Yes
b. No
No

4. If the answer to 3. is yes, what installation directories have you
chosen?

5. Where did you install Python(x,y) itself?
a. default path
b. custom path, which one?
a. default

6. Have you installed Python(x,y):
    a. For "Current user only"
    b. For "All users"
b. All users

7. What is your operating system?
a. Windows XP
b. Windows Vista
c. Windows 7
d. Windows 8
c. Windows 7

8. Is the operating system 64 bit?
a. Yes
b. No
a. Yes

9. When you installed Python(x,y), were you logged in as :
a. a regular user
b. an administrator of the machine
b. admin

10. If you are using Windows Vista/7, have you installed Python(x,y):
a. simply by double-clicking on the installer
    b. by right-clicking on the installer and selecting "Run as an
administrator"
b. run as admin

11. Regarding installed software on your machine, how did you clean your
machine before installing Python(x,y)  (multiple answers are possible):
a. you didn't do anything, you installed Python(x,y) directly on your
machine without precaution
b. you uninstalled any previous Python distribution (including the
official .msi)
c. you cleaned the Windows registry by removing all Python-related keys
d. you cleaned the environment variables by removing all deprecated
entries
11. b

What steps will reproduce the problem?
1. "from PIL import Image" or
2. "import _imaging"

What is the expected output? What do you see instead?
library should be loading without error, but instead:

ImportError                               Traceback (most recent call last)
<ipython-input-1-0f6709e38f49> in <module>()
----> 1 from PIL import Image

C:\Python27\lib\site-packages\PIL\Image.py in <module>()
     51     # them.  Note that other modules should not refer to _imaging
     52     # directly; import Image and use the Image.core variable instead.
---> 53     from PIL import _imaging as core
     54     if PILLOW_VERSION != getattr(core, 'PILLOW_VERSION', None):
     55          raise ImportError("The _imaging extension was built for another
 "

ImportError: DLL load failed: The specified module could not be found.

Please provide any additional information below.
- was working fine under python(x,y) 2.7.5.0
- when reinstalling python 2.7.5.0 still working
- tried steps in: http://effbot.org/zone/pil-imaging-not-installed.htm but 
didn't help
Original issue reported on code.google.com by mh.se...@gmail.com on 12 Jan 2014 at 12:28
haluhak149 / pythonxy

"DLL load failed: The specified module could not be found." when using "from PIL import Image" #712
