[Python-Dev] Installing Python 2.6 alpha1 on Windows XP

[Jim Kleckner]

Martin v. Löwis wrote:
>> That's odd. In theory, having msvcr90.dll in C:\Python26 should be
>> sufficient, as once python.exe is loaded, its directory is added to
>> the DLL search path. Maybe it's something to do with the "side by side
>> manifest installation" stuff (or whatever it's called).
> 
> Yes, with VS 2008, the DLL search path becomes irrelevant (or so it
> seems).
> 
>> Martin, can you comment? It looks like the 3.0 installer uses 2 copies
>> of msvcr90.dll, where the 2.6 one doesn't. I would have thought that
>> only one is necessary, but Gregor's experiments seem to demonstrate
>> otherwise.
> 
> I haven't figured it out myself; it's a complete mess, and Microsoft
> is heavily wasting our time.
> 
> It seems that you absolutely *must* have the manifest file in each 
> directory that has a DLL which links with the CRT. Whether or not
> separate copies of the DLL are then also necessary, and whether or
> not that causes two copies to be loaded into the address space,
> I don't know. HELP!!!!
> 
> To reproduce the problem, you probably have to test on a machine
> which doesn't have the CRT redistributable installed centrally
> (neither through VS 2008 installation, nor by running the
> standalone CRT installer, nor by having installed any other software
> that provides an SxS copy of the CRT).


FYI, here is a related bug report on this:
  http://bugs.python.org/issue2256

If you send me private email, I can test installs
on that machine.