Windows + 3.6.0b1: The application has failed to start because its side-by-side configuration is incorrect.

[tianon]

$ docker build 3.6/windows/windowsservercore
Sending build context to Docker daemon 3.584 kB
Step 1 : FROM microsoft/windowsservercore
 ---> 02cb7f65d61b
Step 2 : SHELL powershell -Command $ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop';
 ---> Using cache
 ---> 0d7d66eae88e
Step 3 : ENV PYTHON_VERSION 3.6.0b1
 ---> Using cache
 ---> d9f46cdfbb0b
Step 4 : ENV PYTHON_RELEASE 3.6.0
 ---> Using cache
 ---> 21cf9c549b7a
Step 5 : ENV PYTHON_PIP_VERSION 8.1.2
 ---> Using cache
 ---> 8edbeca923d9
Step 6 : RUN $url = ('https://www.python.org/ftp/python/{0}/python-{1}-amd64.exe' -f $env:PYTHON_RELEASE, $env:PYTHON_VERSION);         Write-Host ('Downloading {0} ...' -f $url);     (New-Object System.Net.WebClient).DownloadFile($url, 'python.exe');             Write-Host 'Installing ...';    Start-Process python.exe -Wait          -ArgumentList @(                        '/quiet',              'InstallAllUsers=1',                     'TargetDir=C:\Python',                 'PrependPath=1',                         'Shortcuts=0',                  'Include_doc=0',                        'Include_test=0'                );             $env:PATH = [Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable('PATH', [EnvironmentVariableTarget]::Machine);                 Write-Host 'Verifying install ...';     Write-Host '  python --version'; python --version;              Write-Host 'Removing ...';      Remove-Item python.exe -Force;          $pipInstall = ('pip=={0}' -f $env:PYTHON_PIP_VERSION);  Write-Host ('Installing {0} ...' -f $pipInstall);      pip install --no-cache-dir --upgrade --force-reinstall $pipInstall;             Write-Host 'Verifying pip install ...';  pip --version;          Write-Host 'Complete.';
 ---> Running in 676a5285a110
Downloading https://www.python.org/ftp/python/3.6.0/python-3.6.0b1-amd64.exe ...
Installing ...
Verifying install ...
 python --version
Program 'python.exe' failed to run: The application has failed to start
because its side-by-side configuration is incorrect. Please see the
application event log or use the command-line sxstrace.exe tool for more
detailAt line:1 char:626
+ ... nstall ...'; Write-Host ' python --version'; python --version; Write- ...
+                                                  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.
At line:1 char:626
+ ... nstall ...'; Write-Host ' python --version'; python --version; Write- ...
+                                                  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : ResourceUnavailable: (:) [], ParentContainsError
   RecordException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : NativeCommandFailed

The command 'powershell -Command $ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop'; $url = ('https://www.python.org/ftp/python/{0}/python-{1}-amd64.exe' -f $env:PYTHON_RELEASE, $env:PYTHON_VERSION);    Write-Host ('Downloading {0} ...' -f $url);     (New-Object System.Net.WebClient).DownloadFile($url, 'python.exe');             Write-Host 'Installing ...';    Start-Process python.exe -Wait          -ArgumentList @(                        '/quiet',                       'InstallAllUsers=1',   'TargetDir=C:\Python',                   'PrependPath=1',                       'Shortcuts=0',                   'Include_doc=0',                        'Include_test=0'                );              $env:PATH = [Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable('PATH', [EnvironmentVariableTarget]::Machine);                Write-Host 'Verifying install ...';     Write-Host '  python --version'; python --version;              Write-Host 'Removing ...';      Remove-Item python.exe -Force; $pipInstall = ('pip=={0}' -f $env:PYTHON_PIP_VERSION);   Write-Host ('Installing {0} ...' -f $pipInstall);       pip install --no-cache-dir --upgrade --force-reinstall $pipInstall;             Write-Host 'Verifying pip install ...';        pip --version;           Write-Host 'Complete.';' returned a non-zero code: 1

[tianon]

I've also tried using python-3.6.0b1-amd64-webinstall.exe instead, and it fails in the exact same way.

[tianon]

Boo, looks like 3.6.0b2 fails too. 😞

[tianon]

Anyone know the most appropriate way to get some upstream attention on this (a bug in their issue tracker, post on a mailing list, etc)? 🙏

[tianon]

For completeness, here's the full log from 3.6.0b2:

$ docker build 3.6/windows/windowsservercore
Sending build context to Docker daemon 3.584 kB
Step 1 : FROM microsoft/windowsservercore
 ---> 02cb7f65d61b
Step 2 : SHELL powershell -Command $ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop';
 ---> Using cache
 ---> 0d7d66eae88e
Step 3 : ENV PYTHON_VERSION 3.6.0b2
 ---> Using cache
 ---> 39dff54e4938
Step 4 : ENV PYTHON_RELEASE 3.6.0
 ---> Using cache
 ---> 3dfaa731f39b
Step 5 : ENV PYTHON_PIP_VERSION 8.1.2
 ---> Using cache
 ---> cb67147eef1c
Step 6 : RUN $url = ('https://www.python.org/ftp/python/{0}/python-{1}-amd64.exe' -f $env:PYTHON_RELEASE, $env:PYTHON_VERSION);         Write-Host ('Downloading {0} ...' -f $url);     (New-Object System.Net.WebClient).DownloadFile($url, 'python.exe');             Write-Host 'Installing ...';    Start-Process python.exe -Wait          -ArgumentList @(                        '/quiet',              'InstallAllUsers=1',                     'TargetDir=C:\Python',                 'PrependPath=1',                         'Shortcuts=0',                  'Include_doc=0',                        'Include_test=0'                );             $env:PATH = [Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable('PATH', [EnvironmentVariableTarget]::Machine);                 Write-Host 'Verifying install ...';     Write-Host '  python --version'; python --version;              Write-Host 'Removing ...';      Remove-Item python.exe -Force;          $pipInstall = ('pip=={0}' -f $env:PYTHON_PIP_VERSION);  Write-Host ('Installing {0} ...' -f $pipInstall);      pip install --no-cache-dir --upgrade --force-reinstall $pipInstall;             Write-Host 'Verifying pip install ...';  pip --version;          Write-Host 'Complete.';
 ---> Running in 952229a301c0
Downloading https://www.python.org/ftp/python/3.6.0/python-3.6.0b2-amd64.exe ...
Installing ...
Verifying install ...
 python --version
Program 'python.exe' failed to run: The application has failed to start
because its side-by-side configuration is incorrect. Please see the
application event log or use the command-line sxstrace.exe tool for more
detailAt line:1 char:626
+ ... nstall ...'; Write-Host ' python --version'; python --version; Write- ...
+                                                  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.
At line:1 char:626
+ ... nstall ...'; Write-Host ' python --version'; python --version; Write- ...
+                                                  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : ResourceUnavailable: (:) [], ParentContainsError
   RecordException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : NativeCommandFailed

The command 'powershell -Command $ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop'; $url = ('https://www.python.org/ftp/python/{0}/python-{1}-amd64.exe' -f $env:PYTHON_RELEASE, $env:PYTHON_VERSION);    Write-Host ('Downloading {0} ...' -f $url);     (New-Object System.Net.WebClient).DownloadFile($url, 'python.exe');             Write-Host 'Installing ...';    Start-Process python.exe -Wait          -ArgumentList @(                        '/quiet',                       'InstallAllUsers=1',   'TargetDir=C:\Python',                   'PrependPath=1',                       'Shortcuts=0',                   'Include_doc=0',                        'Include_test=0'                );              $env:PATH = [Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable('PATH', [EnvironmentVariableTarget]::Machine);                Write-Host 'Verifying install ...';     Write-Host '  python --version'; python --version;              Write-Host 'Removing ...';      Remove-Item python.exe -Force; $pipInstall = ('pip=={0}' -f $env:PYTHON_PIP_VERSION);   Write-Host ('Installing {0} ...' -f $pipInstall);       pip install --no-cache-dir --upgrade --force-reinstall $pipInstall;             Write-Host 'Verifying pip install ...';        pip --version;           Write-Host 'Complete.';' returned a non-zero code: 1

[tianon]

Soo.... I just tested Windows Server 2016 (RTM) which was officially made available today, and this is fixed there. Looks like it was a Windows issue, not a Python issue.