New guy question

[Alex Martelli]

"Glen Mettler" <Glen.Mettler at home.com> wrote in message
news:DfKU6.130092$I5.33794657 at news1.rdc1.tn.home.com...
    ...
> I went to the MS DOS Prompt ("Command") and typed in python alook.py and
got
> an error message:  Bad command or file name.

Then the directory with Python.Exe (e.g. C:\Python21 in a typical
Python 2.1 installation) is not in your PATH.  You can remedy this
differently in different versions of Windows.  Easiest in NT/2000
(and I assume XP): Start/Settings/Control Panel/System/
Environment -- you'll find a PATH among the user and/or system
environment settings, a list of directories separated by semicolons
(;), and you can add c:\Python21 to it.  Easiest in 95/98/ME: edit
c:\Autoexec.bat.  It probably already exists and already includes
a PATH statement of a form such as
    PATH c:\foo;d:\bar;%PATH%
edit it to
    PATH c:\Python21;c:\foo;d:\bar;%PATH%
or if no such statements were there, create one
    PATH c:\Python21;%PATH%

Rebooting after such setting-change is not strictly necessary for
NT (it is for 95) but is advisable anyway.

There are alternatives (that involve editing the Windows registry,
for example) but I think they're less simple.


Alex