pip install Windows registry error Access is denied

[Enchiridion]

Description

When installing a package using pip, it fails with the error: PermissionError: [WinError 5] Access is denied. I used Process Monitor to trace the error to a registry key it couldn't access. Instead of pip skipping the inaccessible key and continuing the installation, it failed. It was failing over 3 registry keys I had earlier removed my own access to to prevent Google Drive from constantly recreating new ShellNew entries (a known and very annoying issue with GD), one of them is HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.gdoc. Not sure why pip is enumerating all the entries in HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT but I think it should skip any it can't access.

Expected behavior

For the install to successfully complete. If pip can't access a registry key in HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT it should skip and continue.

pip version

24.0

Python version

3.12.4

OS

Windows 11

How to Reproduce

1. Use regedit to modifying the permissions of any key in HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT by marking the Administrators group with Deny permission for Full Control and Read.
2. Try to install any package using pip.

Output

ERROR: Could not install packages due to an OSError.
Check the permissions.
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\PythonSoftwareFoundation.Python.3.12_3.12.1264.0_x64__qbz5n2kfra8p0\Lib\site-packages\pip\_internal\commands\install.py", line 377, in run
    requirement_set = resolver.resolve(
                      ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
  File "C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\PythonSoftwareFoundation.Python.3.12_3.12.1264.0_x64__qbz5n2kfra8p0\Lib\site-packages\pip\_internal\resolution\resolvelib\resolver.py", line 179, in resolve
    self.factory.preparer.prepare_linked_requirements_more(reqs)
  File "C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\PythonSoftwareFoundation.Python.3.12_3.12.1264.0_x64__qbz5n2kfra8p0\Lib\site-packages\pip\_internal\operations\prepare.py", line 552, in prepare_linked_requirements_more
    self._complete_partial_requirements(
  File "C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\PythonSoftwareFoundation.Python.3.12_3.12.1264.0_x64__qbz5n2kfra8p0\Lib\site-packages\pip\_internal\operations\prepare.py", line 487, in _complete_partial_requirements
    self._prepare_linked_requirement(req, parallel_builds)
  File "C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\PythonSoftwareFoundation.Python.3.12_3.12.1264.0_x64__qbz5n2kfra8p0\Lib\site-packages\pip\_internal\operations\prepare.py", line 613, in _prepare_linked_requirement
    local_file = File(file_path, content_type=None)
                 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
  File "C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\PythonSoftwareFoundation.Python.3.12_3.12.1264.0_x64__qbz5n2kfra8p0\Lib\site-packages\pip\_internal\operations\prepare.py", line 87, in __init__
    self.content_type = mimetypes.guess_type(path)[0]
                        ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
  File "C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\PythonSoftwareFoundation.Python.3.12_3.12.1264.0_x64__qbz5n2kfra8p0\Lib\mimetypes.py", line 309, in guess_type
    init()
  File "C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\PythonSoftwareFoundation.Python.3.12_3.12.1264.0_x64__qbz5n2kfra8p0\Lib\mimetypes.py", line 371, in init
    db.read_windows_registry()
  File "C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\PythonSoftwareFoundation.Python.3.12_3.12.1264.0_x64__qbz5n2kfra8p0\Lib\mimetypes.py", line 256, in read_windows_registry
    _mimetypes_read_windows_registry(add_type)
PermissionError: [WinError 5] Access is denied
Remote version of pip: 24.0
Local version of pip:  24.0
Was pip installed by pip? True

Code of Conduct

• I agree to follow the PSF Code of Conduct.

[ichard26]

We can add a internal utility function which wraps mimetypes.guess_type and returns (None, None) on an OSError, although care needs to be taken that pip degrades gracefully when the mimetype fails to be deduced.

[georgepr0xy]

Ensure you are using the latest version of pip. Sometimes, updating pip can resolve unexpected issues:

Use the below command

python -m pip install --upgrade pip

[georgepr0xy]

Since the issue is caused by restricted registry keys, you might need to temporarily restore access to these keys:

Open the Registry Editor (regedit).

1.Navigate to the problematic keys, such as HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT.gdoc.
2.Right-click on the key, select "Permissions," and restore your access.
3.Run the pip install command again.
4.Revoke the permissions again after the installation is complete.

[Enchiridion]

@georgepr0xy This was on a fresh install of Python 3. I tried to update pip, but due to pip quitting on the first registry error, it was unable to update itself.

Temporarily changing the reg key permissions is what I did to get around the issue for now.

[georgepr0xy]

Since pip is failing due to registry errors, manually updating pip might help:

1. Download the get-pip.py script from the official [pip website] (https://bootstrap.pypa.io/get-pip.py).
2. Open Command Prompt as an administrator and run the following command:
   python get-pip.py

[georgepr0xy]

You might consider modifying the pip source code temporarily to skip over registry keys it can't access. This is a bit more advanced and involves editing the pip package files:

Locate pip installation:
Find where pip is installed. It is typically located in Lib\site-packages\pip within your Python directory.

Modify the code:
Identify the part of the code where pip might be accessing the registry (this might be a bit complex as pip does not typically interact with the registry directly). Insert try-except blocks to catch and ignore permission errors.

[ichard26]

@georgepr0xy Are you copying and pasting AI responses? If so, I ask that it stops as it simply serves to add noise to this issue, failing to provide a proper solution to this issue.

[Kolukuluru33]

Modify the permissions of the problematic registry keys to grant read access temporarily, install the package, and then revert the permissions. Alternatively, run the pip installation with elevated privileges using an Administrator command prompt.

[Shrinkhal01]

You can first navigate to the directory by opening the terminal/commandprompt using admin account[run as administrator] and then go and try that again the same error i encountered and did this (it worked )