Python 2.4 - Help does not work in Windows

[rzed]

stuart_white_ at hotmail.com wrote in
news:1136379859.481598.63700 at g44g2000cwa.googlegroups.com: 

> I've just upgraded from Python 2.3.3 to Python 2.4.2, and,
> although the new version of Python seems to be running
> correctly, I can't seem access the help from the interpreter.
> 
> On Python 2.3.3
> ---------------
> Python 2.3.3 (#51, Dec 18 2003, 20:22:39) [MSC v.1200 32 bit
> (Intel)] on win32
> Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more
> information. 
>>>> import time
>>>> time.ctime()
> 'Wed Jan 04 12:59:13 2006'
>>>> help(time)
> Help on built-in module time:
> 
> NAME
>     time - This module provides various functions to manipulate
>     time 
> values.
> 
> ... etc ...
> 
> On Python 2.4.2
> ---------------
> Python 2.4.2 (#67, Sep 28 2005, 12:41:11) [MSC v.1310 32 bit
> (Intel)] on win32
> Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more
> information. 
>>>> import time
>>>> time.ctime()
> 'Wed Jan 04 13:01:22 2006'
>>>> help(time)
> cannot import name warn
> 
> I get this warning for all modules which I've tried. I guess
> this is an installation problem, and have tried uninstalling and
> re-installing but that gives me the same results.
> 
> Could anyone give me some pointers on where I might look to
> debug this problem? In case it's any help, I'm running Windows
> XP SP2, and have installed both Python2.3 and Python 2.4 on the
> same system. Could this be causing some conflict?
> 
> Any help would be greatly appreciated!
> 

I've been running 2.4.x for some time on a Win2K machine, with no 
problems. Just recently I got an XP system, and after installation 
of numerous things, I had help disappear(!). That is, I am *fairly* 
certain that at one point it worked in Python and later did not, on 
that same system. It is possible that it never did on XP, though. 

Incidentally, this manifested itself both in Python and in the 
system command line (cmd.exe), for some reason. I expect there was 
a clash with some other software I installed. 

At any rate, I re-installed Python over the top of the existing 
installation, and *both* Python help and the command-line help 
reappeared. I don't know what to make of that. 

The XP system does have a Python 2.2.3 version that came pre-
installed, though I've not used it directly. (checking) It's help 
seems to work now, but then so does my 2.4.2 help, now.

-- 
rzed