Uninstalling Python

[Pete]

I am using xpsp2, and I have two versions of python (2.2 and 2.2.3 - both
are listed as 29.3 mb, and listed as rarely used, which means never to me)
listed in add/remove programs in the control panel. I assume they were put
in by HP out of the factory install, when I got my pc last April, since I
certainly did not install the first one or do an update to it.

I googled "python" and have no interest in it and know nothing about it.

Therefore, I would like to uninstall both the versions since I do not
believe I need them. Would it be okay to uninstall them or would you
recommend that I keep them even though I will probably never use them (ie
for the future just in case). Or could something else get screwed up if I
uninstalled them. Is this analogous to java (which I also do not believe I
have a need for).

Thanks...Pete

 

[Ben Finney]

I googled "python" and have no interest in it and know nothing about it.

Therefore, I would like to uninstall both the versions since I do not
believe I need them. Would it be okay to uninstall them or would you
recommend that I keep them even though I will probably never use them (ie
for the future just in case).

It should be okay to uninstall *any* software on your system if you
believe you don't want it.

If you don't have a system that defaults to removing software without
checking if other packages depend on it, I'd hope you have stern words
to say to your operating system vendor and seek out more user-friendly
operating systems.

On the other hand, if packaged programs depend on other packages but
don't use the operating system package manager to declare this, those
programs are poorly packaged.

In short: it's your computer. We hope you'll one day be interested
enough in Python to want to use it some more. For now, if you want to
uninstall it, you should feel free, and demand an explanation from
anything that breaks as a result.

 

[Pete]

It should be okay to uninstall *any* software on your system if you
believe you don't want it.

If you don't have a system that defaults to removing software without
checking if other packages depend on it, I'd hope you have stern words
to say to your operating system vendor and seek out more user-friendly
operating systems.

Thanks Ben...I told you in my very first few words who my operating system
vendor was (ie non other than "Bill Gates"). I said I was using xpsp2. So
do all "windows" xp computer operating systems do what you said (ie, check
if other packages depend on something that you are uninstalling). I would
certainly hope so, since MS is the world leader with "windows". I am not a
pc guru like you are, so when you tell me to seek out more user friendly
operator systems, it is over my head. I buy my pc's out of the box with
windows installed on them...Pete

 

[Robert Kern]

I am using xpsp2, and I have two versions of python (2.2 and 2.2.3 - both
are listed as 29.3 mb, and listed as rarely used, which means never to me)
listed in add/remove programs in the control panel. I assume they were put
in by HP out of the factory install, when I got my pc last April, since I
certainly did not install the first one or do an update to it.

I googled "python" and have no interest in it and know nothing about it.

Therefore, I would like to uninstall both the versions since I do not
believe I need them. Would it be okay to uninstall them or would you
recommend that I keep them even though I will probably never use them (ie
for the future just in case). Or could something else get screwed up if I
uninstalled them. Is this analogous to java (which I also do not believe I
have a need for).

"Why is Python Installed on my Computer?" FAQ:
http://www.python.org/doc/faq/installed/

--
Robert Kern
(e-mail address removed)

"I have come to believe that the whole world is an enigma, a harmless enigma
that is made terrible by our own mad attempt to interpret it as though it had
an underlying truth."
-- Umberto Eco

 

[Michael Ekstrand]

Thanks Ben...I told you in my very first few words who my operating system
vendor was (ie non other than "Bill Gates"). I said I was using xpsp2. So
do all "windows" xp computer operating systems do what you said (ie, check
if other packages depend on something that you are uninstalling). I would
certainly hope so, since MS is the world leader with "windows". I am not a
pc guru like you are, so when you tell me to seek out more user friendly
operator systems, it is over my head. I buy my pc's out of the box with
windows installed on them...Pete

AFAIK, Windows does not have such dependency information standard.

My recommendation: If it was, in fact, installed by HP's standard stuff,
leave it there. It's taking up relatively little space, most likely
isn't hurting anything, and is quite possibly used by some of the HP
utilities (they wouldn't install it if it wasn't).

- Michael

 

[John Salerno]

"Why is Python Installed on my Computer?" FAQ:
http://www.python.org/doc/faq/installed/

Most importantly from that link:

Some Windows machines also have Python installed. At this writing we're
aware of computers from Hewlett-Packard and Compaq that include Python.
Apparently some of HP/Compaq's administrative tools are written in Python.

 

[Pete]

Most importantly from that link:

Some Windows machines also have Python installed. At this writing
we're aware of computers from Hewlett-Packard and Compaq that include
Python. Apparently some of HP/Compaq's administrative tools are
written in Python.

Thanks to Everyone...I will leave it to be safe. I don't think I will ever
need any of HP's tools or utilities either, but I will leave it. Am I
correct in assuming that "administrative tools" and "user accounts" in the
control panel is windows driven and not HP driven (excuse my choice of words
if not correct). This gets into the folders in c:\docs and settings, so I'm
not sure what the interface is between the windows operating system and
HP...Pete

 

[Dennis Lee Bieber]

Thanks to Everyone...I will leave it to be safe. I don't think I will ever
need any of HP's tools or utilities either, but I will leave it. Am I
correct in assuming that "administrative tools" and "user accounts" in the
control panel is windows driven and not HP driven (excuse my choice of words
if not correct). This gets into the folders in c:\docs and settings, so I'm
not sure what the interface is between the windows operating system and
HP...Pete

One thing to check is the stuff started at boot/login... From an
admin account, run msconfig and look at all the entries in the (blast,
I'm in a user account at the moment and can't bring it up to get the tab
name) startup list... You might find something that might invoke Python.

The other thing you could try is a find-files with *.py (there will
be a lot in the Python install directories) -- any found outside the
Python install is likely an HP utility...
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