QGIS 2.16 barfs with a severe python error during startup (can't find "qgis.core")

[qgib]

Author Name: Bo Thomsen (Bo Thomsen)
Original Redmine Issue: 15279
Affected QGIS version: 2.16.0
Redmine category:build/install

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When you start QGIS 2.16 it barfs with the following error:

Couldn't load PyQGIS.
Python support will be disabled.

Traceback (most recent call last):
File "", line 1, in
ImportError: No module named qgis.core

Python version:
2.7.5 (default, May 15 2013, 22:44:16) [MSC v.1500 64 bit (AMD64)]

QGIS version:
2.16.0-Nødebo 'Nødebo', d0b3e39

Python path:
['C:/PROGRA1/QGIS N\xc3\xb8debo/apps/qgis/./python', u'C:/Users/bvtho/.qgis2/python', u'C:/Users/bvtho/.qgis2/python/plugins', 'C:/PROGRA1/QGIS >N\xc3\xb8debo/apps/qgis/./python/plugins', 'C:\\PROGRA1\\QGIS >N\xf8debo\\apps\\Python27\\lib\\site-packages\\matplotlib-1.3.1-py2.7-win-amd64.egg', >'C:\\PROGRA1\\QGIS N\xf8debo\\apps\\Python27\\lib\\site-packages\
ose-1.3.3-py2.7.egg', 'C:\\PROGRA1\\QGIS >N\xf8debo\\apps\\Python27\\lib\\site->packages\\tornado-4.0.1-py2.7-win-amd64.egg', 'C:\\PROGRA1\\QGIS N\xf8debo\\apps\\Python27\\lib\\site-pack>

(and more Python path statements...)

QGIS then starts normally, but without Python support

AFAIK, the problem is the use of the character "ø" (o-slash) in the directory name for the QGIS program directory: "C:\Program Files\QGIS Nødebo". If you make a name change of the installation directory to ex. "C:\Program Files\QGIS Noedebo" it works without a hitch.

(As a Dane, I would never use local danish "æøå" or other accented character in file or directory names that might be installed on windows-pc's with different encoding than "Latin1", ex. slavic windows pc's.)

The specific problem might the representation of "ø" in the Python path: There is 2 different versions: "N\xc3\xb8debo" and "N\xf8debo"

"\xf8" -> "ø" in Latin1 encoding.
"\xc3\xb8" -> UTF-8 "ø" -> "ø" (if UTF8 "ø" is interpreted as a 2 character Latin1 encoded string).

QGIS ver. 2.16 64 bit, Stand-alone installation, Windows-7 64 bit

[qgib]

Author Name: Giovanni Manghi (@gioman)

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• category_id was changed from Python plugins to Build/Install

[qgib]

Author Name: Andre Joost (Andre Joost)

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Should be solved with the recent installer QGIS-OSGeo4W-2.16.0-2-Setup-x86_64.exe which installs to C:\Program files\QGIS 2.16.0.

At least it now works for me.

[qgib]

Author Name: Jürgen Fischer (@jef-n)

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standalone installer issue fixed.

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• resolution was changed from to fixed/implemented
• status_id was changed from Open to Closed