os.popen3() - how to close cmd window automatically?

[Nico Grubert]

Dear Python developers,

I use a short python script in order to run an external application plus 
to open a browser displaying a default page.

My Setup: Python 2.4.3. / Windows2000

# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
# Script "shortcut.py"
import os
import webbrowser
import win32api

# open default web browser and display webbpage
page = 'C:\\Temp\\Welcome.html'
webbrowser.open(page)

# path to application that is opened
path = "C:\\Program Files\\ExternalApplication.exe"

# get short name
shortpath = win32api.GetShortPathName(path)

# open external application
stdin, stdout, stderr = os.popen3(shortpath)
output = stdout.read()
errors = stderr.read()
stdin.close()
stdout.close()
stderr.close()
print output
print errors
# ----------------------------------------------------------------------


In order to make this Script available on other Windows2000 machines 
where no Python installation is present, I made this script executable 
using "py2exe" (http://www.py2exe.org/). This creates a "shortcut.exe" file.
If I run "shortcut.exe" everything works fine but a black empty cmd 
window opens and its kept open until I close the application 
"ExternalApplication.exe".
How can I close that black empty window automatically?

Thanks in advance,
   Nico