[Tutor] A few Python Mysteries

[Steven D'Aprano]

Wayne Watson wrote:
> Win 7, 64-bit
> 
> I had Py 2.5 installed on my PC earlier this year, and it began failing 
> around June. I finally uninstalled it, and tried 2.6.  Still had 
> problems that centered around getting to IDLE. Uninstalled 2.6, and went 
> to 2.7. Same problem. I completely uninstalled 2.7. I do have several 
> folders of py programs. No Python.


Programs should not just "begin failing" unless somebody (you?) or something 
(a virus, another program?) mess with them. Especially not something as simple 
and stable as Python.

Who installed Python 2.5 in the first place? If it was provided with your 
computer, then it was provided for a reason. Python is not a standard part 
Windows, but a number of PC manufacturers provide Python 2.5 to run their 
tools, and by removing it, you have broken whatever it is that the 
manufacturer tools are supposed to be doing. Installing Python 2.6 or 2.7 will 
probably not work as a replacement.

If you installed Python 2.5 yourself, then it doesn't matter.

However, my guess is that Python 2.5 was installed by the manufacturer, and my 
evidence for this is the error messages that you now see at boot up:


> After that episode, I began to notice the following messages when I 
> signed on to my PC after a boot. I do not bring my PC down very often.
> 
> Specified module could not be found: Loadlib python.dll failed, and 
> another of the same for Python25.dll failed (maybe not found).  I did a 
> search for both, but neither were found.

Of course they're not found. You uninstalled them.

My first advice: re-install Python 2.5. If you have a recovery disk supplied 
by the manufacturer, try using that. Make sure you install a 64-bit version of 
Python, not 32-bit.

Then do the same with Python 2.7. Make sure it is the 64-bit version. Then 
check that you still have BOTH Python 2.5 and 2.7 installed: look in the start 
menu, and you should see two entries for Python.


> I ignored this inconvenience for a few weeks, and had developed a need 
> to copy a particular python program on Win 7 to another computer. Call 
> it abc.py.  I copied it to a thumb drive, and plugged the drive into the 
> other PC, which has Python on it.  abc.py was missing from the drive.  I 
> tried this about three times, and even went to yet another PC. No abc.py.

This has *nothing* to do with Python. To Windows, abc.py is just another file, 
like abc.txt or abc.jpg or abc.doc. If copying files to a thumb drive is 
failing (other than by human error, or faulty thumb drive), then you have 
deeper problems with your Windows installation than just missing Python.

But I suspect either human error or a faulty thumb drive. Since I don't use 
Windows 7, and did not see how you tried to copy the file to the thumb drive, 
I can't be sure, but if something as fundamental as copying files was failing, 
then I would expect your Windows machine to be crashing constantly. So more 
likely the thumb drive is failing, or human error.

Can you copy *other* files from the Windows 7 machine onto the thumb drive, 
and then from there to the second computer?


-- 
Steven