Installer deletes nearly all components, reports successful installation

[GoogleCodeExporter]

If relevant, please answer to the following questions:
1. What version of Python(x,y) have you installed?
2.7.9.0

2. Which components have you installed (Python(x,y) installer:
componentpage):
    a. Have you selected the "Recommended" component selection?
Initially selected and deselected some packages. On subsequent install 
attempts, left the default (custom) selections and another time with 
"Recommended." All approaches resulted in the unexpected behavior described 
below.

3. Have you selected the option "Customize installation directories"?
b. No
Left the option to have everything installed in the base location.

5. Where did you install Python(x,y) itself?
b. custom path, which one?
As I am installing without administrative privileges, I have to install in a 
custom path.
C:\Data_User\programs\pythonxy

6. Have you installed Python(x,y):
    a. For "Current user only"
No administrative rights.

7. What is your operating system?
c. Windows 7
Enterprise

8. Is the operating system 64 bit?
b. No

9. When you installed Python(x,y), were you logged in as :
a. a regular user

10. If you are using Windows Vista/7, have you installed Python(x,y):
a. simply by double-clicking on the installer

11. Regarding installed software on your machine, how did you clean your
machine before installing Python(x,y)  (multiple answers are possible):

Each of the following apply for one or the other attempt:

a. you didn't do anything, you installed Python(x,y) directly on your
machine without precaution
--> This is valid for the initial installation attempt.

b. you uninstalled any previous Python distribution (including the
official .msi)
d. you cleaned the environment variables by removing all deprecated
entries
--> see explanation below

Python did not exist on the machine prior to the initial install attempt. 
Before each subsequent install, ran Uninstall.exe. In both cases the unexpected 
behavior continues. Environment PATH does not contain Python directories after 
uninstall. I did not find instructions for removing any deprecated environment 
variables the uninstaller does not remove.

What steps will reproduce the problem?
1. Launch installer.
2. Leave components at Recommended and select installation folder.
3. Finish/install and watch ("Show details") installer delete nearly everything 
it installs.

What is the expected output? What do you see instead?

Expect the installer to install all selected components and programs. Instead, 
it installs and then deletes nearly every component, based on the output of the 
installer dialogue (see below). One can also watch in a file browser during 
installation as the executable files appear and disappear one after the other. 
The following is an excerpt of the output (typed by hand, as it doesn't allow 
copying the output) based on the "Recommended" option.

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Output folder: C:\Data_User\programs\pythonxy
Output folder: C:\Data_User\programs\pythonxy\icons
Extract: c++folder.ico
....
Output folder: C:\Data_User\programs\pythonxy
Extract: License-en.rtf
Extract: License-fr.rtf
Extract: vcredist_x86.exe
Installing: Visual C++ 2008 SP1 runtime
Delete file: vcredist_x86.exe
Output folder: C:\Data_User\programs\pythonxy\installers
Extract: python-2.7.9.msi
Installing: Python 2.7.9
Target was appended to PATH
Target was appended to PATH
Target was appended to PATH
Output folder: C:\Data_User\programs\pythonxy\installers
Extract: VCForPython27.msi
Installing: Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 for Python
Output folder: C:\Python27\Lib\site-packages
Extract: xyinstall.py
Output folder: C:\Python27
Create folder: C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start 
Menu\Programs\Python(x,y)
....
Output folder: C:\Data_User\programs\pythonxy
Installing: Base Libraries
Delete file: C:\Data_User\programs\pythonxy\base_libraries-1.6.2-14_py27.exe
Output folder: C:\Data_User\programs\pythonxy
Installing: Base Python
Delete file: C:\Data_User\programs\pythonxy\base_python-1.10.0-32.exe
Output folder: C:\Data_User\programs\pythonxy
Installing: setuptools
Delete file: C:\Data_User\programs\pythonxy\setuptools-7.0-26_py27.exe
....
(Installs then deletes, in this order: requests, html5lib, Pip, PyCrypto, PyQt, 
xydoc, xy, QtHelp, Spyder, PyQwt, MumPy, SciPy, numexpr, h5py, Pillow, 
Pyreadline, pycparser, cffi, pyzmq, Torando, IPython, guidata, guiqwt, 
Matplotlib, nose, formlayout, docutils, jinja2, pygments, Sphinx, ReportLab, 
PyOpenGL, NetworkX, PyTables, vitables, Pywin32, pylint, wxPython, ply, 
gnuplot, cx_Freeze, py2exe, pyparsing, Veusz, pandas, psutil, statsmodels, 
SQLAlchemy, virtualenv, freeimage, PyICU, lxml, gevent, paramiko, Bottleneck, 
mahotas, PycURL, Babel, BeautifulSoup4, patsy, pyyaml, astropy, blosc-python, 
pyOpenSSL, PyAudio, Mako, pyasn1, grin, SciTE, and Console.)
....
Output folder: C:\Data_User\programs\pythonxy
Installing: Console
Delete file: C:\Data_User\programs\pythonxy\console-1.12.0.14282-11.exe
Delete file: C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start 
Menu\Programs\Python 2.7\IDLE (Python GUI).lnk
Delete file: C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start 
Menu\Programs\Python 2.7\Module Docs.lnk
Delete file: C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start 
Menu\Programs\Python 2.7\Python (command line).lnk
Delete file: C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start 
Menu\Programs\Python 2.7\Python Manuals.lnk
Delete file: C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start 
Menu\Programs\Python 2.7\Uninstall Python.lnk
Remove folder: C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start 
Menu\Programs\Python 2.7\
Completed
-----------------------------------------------------------------

After installing and then deleting the components, the installer claims "Setup 
was completed successfully." Upon inspection, the content of the base install 
folder is:
icons\*.ico     (23 files)
installers\     (empty)
License-en.rtf
License-fr.rtf
Uninstall.exe   (thankfully!)

C:\Python27 is populated with 3915 files in 120 folders with a size of 49.1 MB.

In short, since the installer merrily deletes every useful component as it is 
installed, the installation effectively fails. Only IDLE, the Python 
interpreter and help files are available in the start menu.

Original issue reported on code.google.com by mike.br...@gmail.com on 21 Feb 2015 at 6:25

[GoogleCodeExporter]

The Python path should be customized as well.
Customize output directories and use 
C:\Data_User\programs\Python27

The support for user installs is still experimental - any help you can provide 
in additional to the above is most welcome.

Original comment by grizzly.nyo on 22 Feb 2015 at 4:22

• Changed state: Accepted

[GoogleCodeExporter]

Since I couldn't install successfully I installed another NumPy/SciPy pack, but 
I am willing to experiment on this and another Windows 7 machine on which I 
have administrative rights for comparison. What other help might I provide? 
Given instructions, I should be able to generate a traceback or some kind of 
log that gives more insight into what happens. Are instructions available?

Original comment by mike.br...@gmail.com on 24 Feb 2015 at 12:24

[GoogleCodeExporter]

I installed using a copy of the installer Python(x,y)-2.7.9.0.exe twice on a 
separate Windows 7 machine on which I have admin rights.

Attempt 1: as normal user
-------------------------
1. 2.7.9.0
2. Almost the default: selected to add xlrd, xlwt, xlsxwriter
3. Yes.
4. I selected custom installation and installed everything in the same base 
directory (C:\data_user\programs\pythonxy), including Python27.
5. C:\data_user\programs\pythonxy
6. Current user only
7. Windows 7 Professional
8. No, 32-bit
9. regular user
10. Double-clicking on the installer
11. a. "you didn't do anything," but I did first stop the anti-virus and 
firewall/HIPS.

What steps will reproduce the problem?
1. Did not try to reproduce as normal user.

What is the expected output? What do you see instead?

After experience of original post, expected problems. There was the same 
pattern of "Output folder: / Installing: / Delete file:", but 32 executable 
files (besides Uninstall.exe) remained in the base directory. Not all 
components are present, however. For instance, Spyder is not installed -- it is 
not present in the base directory and not present in the Start Menu.

After installation, the base folder contains 3,253 files in 123 folders, taking 
up 176 MB.

I took screenshots of all 24 screens of output in case they are of interest.
I took a screenshot of the base directory if of interest.

Attempt 2: as administrator
---------------------------
1. 2.7.9.0
2. Almost the default: selected to add xlrd, xlwt, xlsxwriter
3. Yes.
4. Installed everything in the base directory "C:\Program Files\pythonxy", 
including Python27.
5. a. default path (C:\Program Files\pythonxy)
6. For "All users"
7. Windows 7 Professional
8. No, 32-bit
9. An administrator
10. Double-clicking on the installer when logged into admin account
11. a. Uninstalled above installation of Python(x,y) when logged in as normal 
user by executing Uninstall.exe, which removed all files, environment 
variables, menu entries, etc.

In this installation [there was a different pattern], but the pattern of 
"Output file: / Installing: / Delete file:" was still there, for example:

  Output folder: C:\Program Files\pythonxy
  Installing: Spyder
  Delete file: C:\Program Files\pythonxy\spyder-2.3.2-14_py27.exe

This time, however, the components do seem to be installed (screenshots 
available). The expected programs, such as Spyder, are available in the Start 
Menu and at least Spyder and iPython do start when selected. The contents of 
the base folder are:

console\
icons\
installers\
Python27\
SciTE-3.5.1-4\
xydoc\
License-en.rtf
License-fr.rtf
Uninstall.exe

After installation, the base folder contains 24,620 files in 2,583 folders, 
taking up 725 MB. This is with the same package selection as in attempt 1 above.

It finally occured to me that the files being deleted during installation, such 
as C:\Program Files\pythonxy\spyder-2.3.2-14_py27.exe, are not the program 
executables but installation packages that the installer executes in order to 
install the program components. It then makes sense that they should appear and 
disappear as they are executed and subsequently removed. If so, the 32 
executables not being removed during attempt 1 indicates that the installation 
has problems.

Unfortunately, the machine from the original post for which I have no admin 
access is my real target, so my issue with Python(x,y) remains.

Original comment by mike.br...@gmail.com on 24 Feb 2015 at 6:04