Oracle Database Discussions

I am looking for a simple way to install odbc drivers so I can connect to our one Oracle database. I don't need to install the whole behemoth on my laptop, just need to run a few queries. I work with MS SQL, MySQL, and Postgres all the time and connecting to them is very easy, not sure why connecting to Oracle is so difficult (maybe because it is...).

The documentation is useless, it tells you exactly how to do the obvious, like to download the instant client and to extract it. Really. that is how you do that. I have downloaded the "instant client" and extracted it to "D:\oracle\instantclient_11_1". I added the directory to my "PATH" environment variable (it did take me a bit to realize what it was wanting me to do, again a little better documentation here would be sweet). I ran the odbc_install.exe which tells me that the "Oracle ODBC Driver with same name already exists." That means that it is installed right? That would be too easy. My ODBC Admin doesn't find the driver. I reboot a few times. Nothing.

What am I missing? Where is the documentation that says step by step what to do? Even reading the responses to some of these same basic questions here in the forums are as cryptic as the documentation with the original poster rarely coming back with a "thanks, that worked", they just stop asking.

Why is there not a simple install/setup that can be run? Is it some elitist mindset to keep the user community pure?

Sorry to be so harsh, I just want to do a few simple queries. I would be done by now if I could connect...