[Q & A]Weirdness About Python 2.3x and Its Environment Vars Under Windows

[The Jetman]

I just spent the last hour or so trying mightily to 'fix' Python (2.3.3)
under WinME.  Have been using it on various Win9X/XP systems for 
years (since 1.52) for routine scripting.  LOVE IT !!!  Heretofore, 
the ONLY environment variable I've EVER used for ANY Pythonstallation 
was PYTHONPATH (ie. SET PYTHONPATH=.;C:\MYPY;)  However, today I 
started working on a 'new' development machine and I couldn't get 
IDLE or PYTHONWIN to operate at all.  I finally tracked it down to 
one thing:  the absence of the PYTHONHOME env var.

PYTHONWIN would crap out w/ an error dialog about not finding 
pywin.framework.startup and IDLE would simply display an hourglass 
for a sec, then nothing.  I recently heard about PYTHONHOME, added it
to my AUTOEXEC, and suddenly all was working again.

Another problem was that the cmd-line version of PYTHON wouldn't 
find ConfigParser (ie. a std Python module) from a very short, working 
script of mine.

Anyway, my question (at last) is:  has anyone had this occur to 
them ?  I've NEVER had a problem like this, altho I suspect this is 
the 1st time I've installed Python 2.3.  I figure someone else will 
get stumped like this and the thread will help.  Later....Jet