This document provides instructions for setting up a Rails development environment on Windows. It recommends using Rails Installer to easily install Ruby, Rails, and other dependencies. It also discusses using Cygwin to get a Unix-like environment on Windows, as well as the Ruby Installer, Devkit, Console2, Pik, and Aptana Studio 3 to aid Ruby and Rails development in Windows. Specific steps are outlined for initializing and installing Devkit to enable building native extensions, and some gem installation hacks are mentioned for getting MySQL support working.