"'python' is not recognized" error in ODM console

[Jan]

Hello all,

I have so far been able to successfully use ODM to create some nice geolocated Maps. But today the ODM console gave this error:

"'python' is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file."

and when run with admin priv it returned:

'run' is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.

See Images below:

Python is added to PATH and can be accessed through a shell as expected. Any ideas what ma have happened?

Kind regards,
Jan

[Saijin_Naib]

It may in fact be that Python in the path is polluting our local environment and python.

Can you remove that python/path entry, reboot, and try again?

[Jan]

I have removed python from PATH, and rebooted.
The console still outputs the same error, except now typing “python” into a regular shell also yields this error (as expected).

Some additional System Information:
Im using Windows Server 2016 Operating system with Python 3.9
A try with Python 3.11 had the same resulting “not found” issue.

[Jan]

Things I tried so far (I have never worked with or heard of virtual enviornments before so most probably never had a chance to work at all):

1. Setting the PYTHONPATH in win32env.bat to the pyth of Python, explicitly

UPDATE: This has at least fixed the “python not found” and replaced it with “Error: No module names ‘dateutil’”, which is progress, maybe. DOnt actually know, but at least its new.

2. Reinstalling Python
3. Runing ODM with administrator permissions
4. Removing Python from PATH
5. A ton of restarts

The thing that confuses me most it that it worked only a few weeks back ad now it just doesnt anymore - I have gone through the changes I made and none of them pertained to ODM or the installation of pyhon - also reverting them has not made it run.

Any Ideas welcome, at this point I’ll try everything less than a full OS reinstall

[Saijin_Naib]

Our program can not use an external python.

I would recommend reverting all changes and removing the system-installed python, cleaning the path of all python references, rebooting, and trying again.

[Jan]

I have now just reinstalled the OS, downloaded ODM and it still doesnt find its python.

Presumably it just doesnt like the OS, which is understandable, because I also do not

[Saijin_Naib]

We have not noted any specific issues under 10 or 11 related to this on clean installations.

Are you able to share your path and environment variables, as well as list of installed software?

[Jan]

PATH: %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\WindowsApps
C:\Users\Administrator\AppData\Local\Programs\Microsoft VS Code\bin

Installed Software:
Visual Studio Code
VLC media player
Qfinder Pro
Picasa 3
git
VirtualBox-7.0.10-158379-Win
Docker Desktop (non-functional)
ODM

Operating System:
Microsoft Windows Server 2016 Standard Evaluation

Also:
I have had a look into win32env.bat and there are these two references re: python

set PYTHONPYCACHEPREFIX=%PROGRAMDATA%\ODM\pycache
set PYTHONPATH=%VIRTUAL_ENV%

of which I m not sure where they are supposed to lead, as the folder does not appear to contain a “pycache” subfolder and pytython itself isnt installes/located in the root of the folder itself?

[Jan]

I have found a solution - by going to an old backup which has a copy of ODM 3.1.7, and runs on a system with exactly the same installed programs that the new one does not.

I have no Idea why or how or what - just happy its working. I can provide you a copy of this version if you want it for debugging.