Fixing Python install on the Mac after running 'CleanMyMac'

[Ned Deily]

In article <201505290347.t4T3lYjC006610 at fido.openend.se>,
 Laura Creighton <lac at openend.se> wrote:
> webmaster at python.org just got some mail from some poor embarrased
> soul who ran this program and broke their Python install.
> 
> They are running Mac OSX 10.7.5
> 
> They are getting:
> 
>      Utility has encountered a fatal error, and will now terminate.  A
>      Python runtime could not be located. You may need to install a
>      framework build of Python or edit the PyRuntimeLocations array in this
>      applications info.plist file.  Then there are two oblong circles. One
>      says Open Console. The other says Terminate.
> 
> So https://docs.python.org/2/using/mac.html says:
> 
>    The Apple-provided build of Python is installed in
>    /System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework and /usr/bin/python,
>    respectively. You should never modify or delete these, as they are
>    Apple-controlled and are used by Apple- or third-party software.
> 
> So, I assume this poor soul has done precisely that.
> 
> What do I tell her to do now?

It would be helpful to know what utility it is that is encountering the 
fatal error; that message is not familiar and I suspect it is coming 
from trying to run some third-party application.  It may be that the 
application was depending on a third-party framework installation of 
Python (in /Library/Frameworks rather than the system Python in 
/System/Library/Frameworks), such as provided by the python.org OS X 
installers, but without knowing more information, like what particular 
version of Python is needed, it would only be speculation.  Perhaps the 
best thing to do is to suggest the OP to participate directly here or an 
Apple users' forum like http://apple.stackexchange.com.

-- 
 Ned Deily,
 nad at acm.org