Command line prompt broken on XP with Python 2.5 - help!

[Jim]

On Feb 16, 5:52 am, "Endless Story" <usable.thou... at gmail.com> wrote:
> My last version of Python was 2.4, running smoothly on XP with path c:
> \Python24 - no need even to include this path in PATH; everything
> worked as it's supposed to at the command line.
>
> Just installed Python 2.5, after uninstalling 2.4 (and also 2.3 which
> had lingered). Now if I open a shell in Windows Python is not
> available! Here are the symptoms:
>
> - If I open a shell using "Command line here" with XP Powertools, then
> enter "python" at the prompt, nothing happens. I don't get a message
> that the command is not recognized, but neither do I get the Python
> prompt. Instead the Windows prompt comes back. No messages, no Python,
> no nothing.
>
> - If I go so far as to specify the full path to the Python executable,
> I do get the Python prompt and Python appears to work properly -
> except that I can't exit with CTRL-Z.
>
> - If I open a shell from the Start menu, e.g. Start > run "command",
> then try entering "python", the shell simply blows up.
>
> What is going on here? I have uninstalled and reinstalled Python 2.5,
> to no avail. I have gone so far as to specify c:\Python25 (the install
> path) in my PATH variable, but this makes no difference. Right now
> Python is unusable to me from the command prompt, meaning all of my
> automation scripts that I run at the command line are gone too.

Are you talking about the Environment Variables-->System Variable--
>path?
You may want to right click on My Computer-->System Properties--
>Advanced-->Environment Variables-->System variables-->Path-->Edit.
And check to see if it's there, if not then add it.
Thanks,
Jim