Error message IDLE

[Terry Reedy]

On 1/9/2017 6:48 AM, Gretchen Hasselbring wrote:
> Hello
>
> Trying to learn python on a laptop.  Was successful for awhile then...
>
> Had a 'subprocess startup error'
>
> 'IDLE's subprocess didn't make connection.  Either IDLE can't start subprocess or personal firewall software is blocking the connection '
>
>
> Doesn't appear to be firewall and I uninstalled and reinstalled python 3.6.032 bit???
>
> Any advice?

When IDLE works consistently and then consistently does not work, 
something changed on your system.  Since reinstalling did not fix the 
issue, the change was not in Python and IDLE.  The first thing to do is 
to run IDLE from your system's console with '<path to>/python -m 
idlelib' and see if an error message appears.

There are at least 5 other possible causes, including

1. You created a file with the same name as a stdlib mdoule. (Rename it.)
2. There is a problem with a config file in $HOME/.idlerc/.  (Easier is 
to delete.)
3. Some network setting change cause socket connection to fail.

-- 
Terry Jan Reedy