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I want to install the new Python 2.7 on my Windows XP 32bit PC.

having CDO (thats OCD with initials sorted in alphabetical order) I want to install it multiple times on the same computer (to different TARGETDIRs).

how do i do that ? double clicking on the installer, or running msiexec multiple times did not work for me

Coincidentally, I noticed that the windows python installation does not ask me if I want to add a Start Menu option. I want my installations of python not to show up on the Start Menu. How do I do that?

be well

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    +1 for "CDO" ;) and its a fair question that I don't know the answer to. Commented Jul 16, 2010 at 10:12
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    It was all nice and easy right up until you said "Windows". Then it got hard as hell. Commented Jul 16, 2010 at 10:14
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    Why do you want to - if you have different libraries then virtualenv might be a better solution Commented Jul 16, 2010 at 10:27
  • As to Start Menu, can't you just delete the shortcut? Commented Jul 16, 2010 at 10:35
  • @Mark: I am creating an python-based application for clients. i dont want them to install python themselves. i dont know if they already have python on their computers. i want to install a separate version of python as part of my application installation. this version will be used only to run my app Commented Jul 16, 2010 at 10:50

2 Answers 2

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If I understand correctly you want multiple independent copies of Python 2.7 running on Windows. I assume that is so you can install just the packages you need for each project and not have different projects fighting over conflicting versions.

Try using virtualenv (http://pypi.python.org/pypi/virtualenv). You install Python once, then whenever you need a new copy you run virtualenv.py and it effectively gives you a clean environment with an activate script (activate.bat on Windows) that makes that environment the current one.

Having said all that, I've only used virtualenv on Linux so I don't know how well it works on Windows, but it certainly claims to work on Windows so give it a go.

Edit: For running Python scripts on machines without having to worry whether or not it is already there, the usual solution is to use py2exe (http://www.py2exe.org/). That bundles your application and all libraries together with Python in a single standalone file which can be run without any installation.

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Ah, ok. My answer crossed with your comment about wanting to install on clients machines without affecting their existing Python. So my assumption was wrong.
unfortunately py2exe and its brethren dont play nice with some of the libraries im using (Chaco, Traits etc. due to some very funky import work these libraries perform) so i havent been able to create an executable. Thus i resort to a python installation
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Based on one of your comments, it looks like you don't actually need to install it, you just need it on the computer so your program can run. In that case you can take a page from Dropbox's book and include the interpreter, DLL, and standard library in one of your directories, and just use it from there.

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Technically speaking - using py2exe is also a little hacking - it's just an automated process.
Unfortunately, just copying the files (without registering the python27.dll and dlls of other python libraries) wont work. so I guess i need to run the installation somehow

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