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classification
Title: Invisible Files in Windows 7
Type: behavior Stage:
Components: ctypes, IDLE, Windows Versions: Python 3.2, Python 2.7
process
Status: closed Resolution: not a bug
Dependencies: Superseder:
Assigned To: Nosy List: amaury.forgeotdarc, jrbryan, loewis
Priority: normal Keywords:

Created on 2011-11-04 22:15 by jrbryan, last changed 2022-04-11 14:57 by admin. This issue is now closed.

Messages (5)
msg147052 - (view) Author: Jon Bryan (jrbryan) Date: 2011-11-04 22:15
Running 32-bit Python in 64-bit Windows 7 Enterprise.  I am very much a Python noob.

A .dll in c:\Windows\System32 that I need to access can't be found by ctypes.WinDLL().  Upon further investigation I have found that the file, along with many others, doesn't show up in an os.listdir() either.  Within IDLE the files don't appear in the drop-down autocomplete list.

I don't have this problem on either of the Windows XP machines I've tried it on, but in Win7 I see the same behavior in both 2.7 and 3.2.
msg147053 - (view) Author: Amaury Forgeot d'Arc (amaury.forgeotdarc) * (Python committer) Date: 2011-11-04 22:27
Does the file exist at all? Does it have some specific properties? a "Hidden" flag?
msg147087 - (view) Author: Martin v. Löwis (loewis) * (Python committer) Date: 2011-11-05 15:11
Most likely, you are using a 32-bit Python on a 64-bit Windows. 32-bit programs can't access c:\windows\system32, as that will contain the 64-bit DLLs. Instead, access is redirected to c:\windows\syswow64.

Please confirm whether or not this is the case here also.
msg147231 - (view) Author: Jon Bryan (jrbryan) Date: 2011-11-07 15:38
Thanks for the suggestions.

Since I can put the OEM-supplied DLL in another directory and everything works just fine, I'm not going to spend any more time on it.  I assume that it's something to do with file permissions in Win7 that I don't have any inclination to delve into further.  And I can always run it on my old laptop if I have to.

===
Jon
msg147256 - (view) Author: Martin v. Löwis (loewis) * (Python committer) Date: 2011-11-07 21:11
Closing the report as invalid then.
History
Date User Action Args
2022-04-11 14:57:23adminsetgithub: 57554
2011-11-07 21:11:17loewissetstatus: open -> closed
resolution: not a bug
messages: + msg147256
2011-11-07 15:38:45jrbryansetmessages: + msg147231
2011-11-05 15:11:25loewissetnosy: + loewis
messages: + msg147087
2011-11-04 22:27:03amaury.forgeotdarcsetnosy: + amaury.forgeotdarc
messages: + msg147053
2011-11-04 22:15:48jrbryancreate