ntvdm problem on win2k

[Al Christians]

I started having some problems running python programs (python 2.3) from
the Win2k command line. I would get crashes with an NTVDM error. Even
just executing python would cause it. I upgraded to python 2.3.5, and
no difference. When I rearranged my path to move cygwin and a bunch of
other stuff (.net, etc) after C:\python23, the problem went away.

Is this problem known to anyone but me? Any diagnosis, solution of 12
or fewer steps, or support group? If I'm distributing python programs
(python 2.3.5 packaged with py2exe) should I warn or notify the
recipients that this is a possible problem with the programs?

TIA

Al

[Alexander Schremmer]

On Sat, 09 Apr 2005 11:00:08 -0700, Al Christians wrote:

I started having some problems running python programs (python 2.3) from
the Win2k command line. I would get crashes with an NTVDM error.

Windows tries to execute the cygwin symbolic link and fails.
Correcting your path works (as you said).

Kind regards,
Alexander

[Al Christians]

Here's some more info on this:

When I use the Win2k feature to search for files, it turns up python.exe
in the \cygwin\bin directory. The file size is shown as 24 bytes.
Mighty small for an executable. The file is hidden. This is evidently
the guy who was caussing the problem.

Why does cygwin include a hidden file that hides python on the path?

Al Christians wrote:

I started having some problems running python programs (python 2.3) from
the Win2k command line. I would get crashes with an NTVDM error. Even
just executing python would cause it. I upgraded to python 2.3.5, and
no difference. When I rearranged my path to move cygwin and a bunch of
other stuff (.net, etc) after C:\python23, the problem went away.

Is this problem known to anyone but me? Any diagnosis, solution of 12
or fewer steps, or support group? If I'm distributing python programs
(python 2.3.5 packaged with py2exe) should I warn or notify the
recipients that this is a possible problem with the programs?

TIA

Al

[Al Christians]

Alexander Schremmer wrote:

Windows tries to execute the cygwin symbolic link and fails.
Correcting your path works (as you said).

One thing about that: I re-installed python (ie upgraded to python
2.3.5) and it did not solve the error. I assume that the python 2.3.5
installer is so well-mannered that it did not put itself at the head of
the path, but saw that it was already in the path somewhere, and left
itself there. This is nice, but it was disappointing, in that I did a
fresh install to no avail. And, is it not fairly common for other
installers of less refined software to add to the head of the path each
time that they run, no matter how many times the same entry is repeated.
So, by being very nice, python is sort of non-conformist or nearly
eccentric, which I wish everyone would be. But how can one despise 99%
of everything?

When I installed cygwin, I checked it for python. It had something like
python2.4.1.exe visible, but that symbolic link was not.

No big deal.
Al