Idle won't start when Python is installed in Program Files directory

[Gary Feldman]

Since I prefer to keep all my installed programs in one place, I went ahead
and installed Python in Program Files/Python.  The command line shell seems
to work just fine, and I'm able to import things like urllib and its
dependencies.

However, I can't get Idle to startup. When I try running it manually (i.e.
python ...idle.py), I get 
  E:Program: can't open file 'Files\Python\python.exe

Obviously this is an error in in parsing the path name, but I can't figure
out where it's occurring.  I've instrumented the python code, and it seems
to happen on the call to accept, but instrumenting the .c code and
rebuilding the socket library is more than I'm willing to do right now.
I'm also not sure it isn't being triggered in a different process (which
makes more sense to me), but I don't know why the main process would die in
accept.  (I have prints before and after the call to self._sock.accept().).

In any event, the obvious workaround for me is to move my install.
However, I'm not sure if this is a known problem, a new problem, or a
"won't be fixed" problem.

Many thanks,

Gary