How to execute an EXE via os.system() with spaces in the directory name?

[rbt]

jepler at unpythonic.net wrote:
> This comes up from time to time.  The brain damage is all Windows', not
> Python's.  Here's one thread which seems to suggest a bizarre doubling
> of the initial quote of the commandline.
> 
> http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.python/browse_frm/thread/89d94656ea393d5b/ef40a65017848671

I do this:

  # remove spaces from ends of filenames.
  for root, dirs, files in os.walk('programs'):
      for fname in files:
          new_fname = fname.strip()
          if new_fname != fname:
              new_path = os.path.join(root,new_fname)
              old_path = os.path.join(root,fname)
              os.renames(old_path,new_path)

  # remove spaces from middle of filenames.
  for root, dirs, files in os.walk('programs'):
      for f in files:
          new_f = string.replace(f, ' ' , '-')
          new_path = os.path.join(root,new_f)
          old_path = os.path.join(root,f)
          os.renames(old_path,new_path)

  # install files.
  for root, dirs, files in os.walk('programs'):
      installable = ['.exe', '.msi', '.EXE', '.MSI']
      for f in files:
          ext = os.path.splitext(f)
          if ext[1] in installable:
              print f
              install = os.system(os.path.join(root,f))