Python 2.3.3 on Windows 2000 Professional
-------------------------------------------
Could not start IDLE after installation of Python in 
C:\WSPrograms\Python23

Went to C:\WSPrograms\Python23\Lib\idlelib and from 
the command line typed
C:\WSPrograms\Python23\python idle.py

The following traceback obtained:

C:\WSPrograms\Python23
\Lib\idlelib>c:\wsprograms\python23\python idle.py
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "idle.py", line 23, in ?
    idlelib.PyShell.main()
  File "C:\WSPrograms\Python23\lib\idlelib\PyShell.py", 
line 1269, in main
    root = Tk(className="Idle")
  File "C:\WSPrograms\Python23\lib\lib-tk\Tkinter.py", 
line 1564, in __init__
    self.tk = _tkinter.create(screenName, baseName, 
className)
_tkinter.TclError: Can't find a usable init.tcl in the 
following directories:
    {C:\WSPrograms\ruby167ms\tcl\lib\tcl8.3} 
{C:\WSPrograms\ruby167ms\tcl\lib\tc
l8.3} C:/WSPrograms/ruby167ms/tcl/lib/tcl8.4 
c:/wsprograms/python23/lib/tcl8.4 c
:/wsprograms/lib/tcl8.4 c:/lib/tcl8.4 
c:/wsprograms/library c:/library c:/../tcl
8.4.3/library

Looking at the directories that was installed, 
I found that the tcl8.4 was actually located in
C:\WSPrograms\Python23\tcl\tk8.4
which was never on the search path.

After I copied the tcl8.4 directory to  
C:\WSPrograms\Python23\Lib
and run the commands again, it worked. Not sure what 
other implications this will cause 
but at least I have IDLE running again. 

Logged In: YES 
user_id=21627

Have you set the TCL_LIBRARY environment variable? If so,
you should unset it. If you cannot unset it, you are on your
own - as a system administrator, by setting this variable,
you express the desire to use a different Tcl installation
(apparently the one that comes with Ruby), and then it is
your responsibility to make this setting work.

Logged In: YES 
user_id=31435

This is almost certainly Ruby's "fault" -- the Ruby Windows 
installer does set environment variables forcing every app to 
try using Ruby's version of Tcl/Tk.  Get rid of the Ruby 
envars, and IDLE should work fine.

Logged In: YES 
user_id=868242

Thanks. You are right. Deleting Ruby and getting rid of the tcl 
environment variable worked. Didn't think that would have 
affected the search path, but apparently it did.

Logged In: YES 
user_id=31435

You didn't need to delete Ruby; just getting rid of the Tcl/Tk 
envars would have been enough.  I'm not sure why Ruby sets 
them to begin with (and you've noticed that Python doesn't 
set them).