can't install launcher for all users

[amineharrabi]

BPO	46177
Nosy	@pfmoore, @tjguk, @zware, @zooba, @sweeneyde, @amine harrabi
Files	Annotation 2021-12-25 165843.png

^{Note: these values reflect the state of the issue at the time it was migrated and might not reflect the current state.}

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GitHub fields:

assignee = None
closed_at = None
created_at = <Date 2021-12-25.19:00:42.462>
labels = ['type-bug', '3.10', 'OS-windows']
title = "can't install launcher for all users"
updated_at = <Date 2021-12-31.21:37:25.577>
user = 'https://github.com/amineharrabi'

bugs.python.org fields:

activity = <Date 2021-12-31.21:37:25.577>
actor = 'terry.reedy'
assignee = 'none'
closed = False
closed_date = None
closer = None
components = ['Windows']
creation = <Date 2021-12-25.19:00:42.462>
creator = 'Amine'
dependencies = []
files = ['50520']
hgrepos = []
issue_num = 46177
keywords = []
message_count = 3.0
messages = ['409174', '409175', '409257']
nosy_count = 6.0
nosy_names = ['paul.moore', 'tim.golden', 'zach.ware', 'steve.dower', 'Dennis Sweeney', 'Amine']
pr_nums = []
priority = 'normal'
resolution = None
stage = None
status = 'open'
superseder = None
type = 'behavior'
url = 'https://bugs.python.org/issue46177'
versions = ['Python 3.10']

[amineharrabi]

the install launcher for all users is grayed out although im logged in as admin
windows 10 64bit

[sweeneyde]

Try right-clicking the installer and choosing "run as administrator". Then hopefully that checkbox should be available.

It's not enough to be logged in as an admin, you also have to run this particular program with admin permissions.

[zooba]

This normally happens because you've already installed the launcher "just for me". You can't change that setting later.

Open Add/Remove Programs and uninstall the Python Launcher first. Then you should be able to reinstall it for all users.

[dwightfowler-cd]

Uninstalling the "just for me" version of Python does not fix this. What does the user need to do to get the installer to allow "for all users"?

[zooba]

Uninstall the Python Launcher using Programs & Features. It's separate from Python, because there is one launcher and many Python versions.

[jerekupari]

I had the option grayed out on the initial install screen, like the OP. Running as admin or not did not make a difference.

But the option was available in a later screen, after I clicked Next a couple of times. (Running the installer with a double click, not as admin.)

(I already had 3.11.3 installed for all users, and installed also 3.8.10 to try an incompatible program.)

[zooba]

Do you have the setup log? If so, can you attach it here. That should have enough info about how/why it was detected like that.

[jerekupari]

I found some log files, would this be the correct one?

Python 3.8.10 (64-bit)_20230810113205.log

[jerekupari]

I think I had some problems uninstalling 3.8.5 in the past: I downloaded the same version install package again, installed it on top of the broken installation and then managed to get it uninstalled. Could that leave something behind, that would cause this?

[zooba]

Oh you were downgrading? You shouldn't be able to install an older version of the launcher if you have a newer version already installed.

[32B8:471C][2023-08-10T11:32:05]i103: Detected related package: {C41DB702-D72D-40F4-A2B3-5BAC2DCA2DF2}, scope: PerMachine, version: 3.11.3150.0, language: 0 operation: Downgrade
[32B8:471C][2023-08-10T11:32:05]i000: Setting numeric variable 'InstallLauncherAllUsers' to value 1
[32B8:471C][2023-08-10T11:32:05]i000: Setting numeric variable 'Include_launcher' to value 1
[32B8:471C][2023-08-10T11:32:05]i000: Setting numeric variable 'DetectedLauncher' to value 1
[32B8:471C][2023-08-10T11:32:05]i000: Setting string variable 'Include_launcherState' to value 'disable'
[32B8:471C][2023-08-10T11:32:05]i000: Setting string variable 'InstallLauncherAllUsersState' to value 'disable'

And yeah, the launcher is left behind, because it's independent of the Python installer. It appears separately in Installed Apps (a.k.a. Apps & Features a.k.a. Programs & Features a.k.a. Add/Remove Programs)

[jerekupari]

Oh now I see. I did know about the launcher being separate, but looking for the all users option, quick scanning through the installation options, I was confused.

Maybe the options should read
[ ] Install py launcher for all users.
[ ] Install Python for all users.
Also it would be clearer if the options were on the same page.

[zooba]

We updated the options more recently, I forget exactly what they are now, but they got updated.

"Same page" just means we'd remove the launcher option from the front page. We haven't really needed to default to an all users install for a while now (we had to override 3.4 installs for a while, but I assume those are all gone now), so the option can probably be hidden away under an Advanced install with the Python one.