Installation issues

[densendroot]

Background

Please let us know how you installed the Python install manager, and/or what you are trying to do. A lot of questions are answered at https://docs.python.org/dev/using/windows.html.

I firstly installed python install manager on the website python.org for windows but after I tried to open it and couldn't I downloaded the install manager on Microsoft store. I deleted the one I got on python.org.

Details

I couldn't open that version from the store either so I just reinstalled the one on python.org. Still can't get it to run. I know I messed up but I have no idea where to start. I then went to my windows powershell and typed "python" and what came up was:
[ERROR] INTERNAL ERROR: JSONDecodeError: Expecting value: line 1 column 1 (char 0)
I have no idea what to do. I have a Lenovo laptop that runs windows. I know nothing about tech.

Got logs? (Check your %TEMP% directory.) Drag-and-drop files to attach them here, or paste relevant output in a code block.
My %TEMP% file was labeled python_first_Rrun

Writing logs to C:\Users\denes\AppData\Local\Temp\python_first_run_20260330124905_19088.log
Checking app execution aliases
Checking for PythonSoftwareFoundation.PythonManager_qbz5n2kfra8p0
Reading from C:\Users\denes\AppData\Local\Microsoft\WindowsApps\py.exe
Check failed: did not find C:\Users\denes\AppData\Local\Microsoft\WindowsApps\py.exe
Checking long paths setting
Check passed: registry key is OK
Checking for legacy py.exe on PATH
Check passed: no py.exe on PATH at all
Checking for global dir on PATH
Check passed: C:\Users\denes\AppData\Local\Python\bin is on PATH
Checking if any default runtime is installed
Loading configuration from C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\PythonSoftwareFoundation.PythonManager_26.0.240.0_x64__qbz5n2kfra8p0\pymanager.json
Setting config install to {'fallback_source': 'file:///C:/Program Files/WindowsApps/PythonSoftwareFoundation.PythonManager_26.0.240.0_x64__qbz5n2kfra8p0/bundled/fallback-index.json', 'default_install_tag': '3'}
Setting config list to {}
Setting config registry_override_key to 'HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Python\PyManager'
Setting config shebang_can_run_anything_silently to False
Setting config install_dir to C:\Users\denes\AppData\Local\Python
Setting config download_dir to C:\Users\denes\AppData\Local\Python_cache
Setting config global_dir to C:\Users\denes\AppData\Local\Python\bin
Setting config bundled_dir to C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\PythonSoftwareFoundation.PythonManager_26.0.240.0_x64__qbz5n2kfra8p0\bundled
Setting config user_config to C:\Users\denes\AppData\Roaming\Python\PyManager.json
Setting config pep514_root to 'HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Python'
Setting config start_folder to 'Python'
Setting config launcher_exe to C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\PythonSoftwareFoundation.PythonManager_26.0.240.0_x64__qbz5n2kfra8p0\templates\launcher.exe
Setting config launcherw_exe to C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\PythonSoftwareFoundation.PythonManager_26.0.240.0_x64__qbz5n2kfra8p0\templates\launcherw.exe
Setting config welcome_on_update to True
Setting config config_files to C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\PythonSoftwareFoundation.PythonManager_26.0.240.0_x64__qbz5n2kfra8p0\pymanager.json
Skipping configuration at C:\Users\denes\AppData\Roaming\Python\PyManager.json because it does not exist
Get CPU architecture, its prefix is -64
Finished processing options for list
Loading 'install' command to get source
Loading configuration from C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\PythonSoftwareFoundation.PythonManager_26.0.240.0_x64__qbz5n2kfra8p0\pymanager.json
Setting config install to {'fallback_source': 'file:///C:/Program Files/WindowsApps/PythonSoftwareFoundation.PythonManager_26.0.240.0_x64__qbz5n2kfra8p0/bundled/fallback-index.json', 'default_install_tag': '3'}
Setting config list to {}
Setting config registry_override_key to 'HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Python\PyManager'
Setting config shebang_can_run_anything_silently to False
Setting config install_dir to C:\Users\denes\AppData\Local\Python
Setting config download_dir to C:\Users\denes\AppData\Local\Python_cache
Setting config global_dir to C:\Users\denes\AppData\Local\Python\bin
Setting config bundled_dir to C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\PythonSoftwareFoundation.PythonManager_26.0.240.0_x64__qbz5n2kfra8p0\bundled
Setting config user_config to C:\Users\denes\AppData\Roaming\Python\PyManager.json
Setting config pep514_root to 'HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Python'
Setting config start_folder to 'Python'
Setting config launcher_exe to C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\PythonSoftwareFoundation.PythonManager_26.0.240.0_x64__qbz5n2kfra8p0\templates\launcher.exe
Setting config launcherw_exe to C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\PythonSoftwareFoundation.PythonManager_26.0.240.0_x64__qbz5n2kfra8p0\templates\launcherw.exe
Setting config welcome_on_update to True
Setting config config_files to C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\PythonSoftwareFoundation.PythonManager_26.0.240.0_x64__qbz5n2kfra8p0\pymanager.json
Skipping configuration at C:\Users\denes\AppData\Roaming\Python\PyManager.json because it does not exist
Get CPU architecture, its prefix is -64
Overriding command option fallback_source with 'file:///C:/Program Files/WindowsApps/PythonSoftwareFoundation.PythonManager_26.0.240.0_x64__qbz5n2kfra8p0/bundled/fallback-index.json'
Overriding command option default_install_tag with '3'
Finished processing options for install
BEGIN list_command.execute: ['default']
Replacing 'default' with '3'
Fetching: file:///C:/Program Files/WindowsApps/PythonSoftwareFoundation.PythonManager_26.0.240.0_x64__qbz5n2kfra8p0/bundled/fallback-index.json
Fetched 1 installs from file:///C:/Program Files/WindowsApps/PythonSoftwareFoundation.PythonManager_26.0.240.0_x64__qbz5n2kfra8p0/bundled/fallback-index.json
END list_command.execute
Reading installs from C:\Users\denes\AppData\Local\Python
!! INTERNAL ERROR: JSONDecodeError: Expecting value: line 1 column 1 (char 0)
TRACEBACK:
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "manage_init.py", line 50, in main
File "manage\commands.py", line 1019, in execute
File "manage\firstrun.py", line 458, in first_run
File "manage\firstrun.py", line 280, in check_latest_install
File "manage\commands.py", line 640, in get_installs
File "manage\installs.py", line 94, in get_installs
File "manage\installs.py", line 25, in get_installs
File "json_init.py", line 298, in load
File "json_init.py", line 352, in loads
File "json\decoder.py", line 345, in decode
File "json\decoder.py", line 363, in raw_decode
json.decoder.JSONDecodeError: Expecting value: line 1 column 1 (char 0)

[densendroot]

sorry, typo on file name. meant to say python_first_run

[zooba]

Thanks for the log. I suspect you've got a directory in C:\Users\denes\AppData\Local\Python that is a failed install - deleting it should clean up the error, and you can try the install again.

We should not be failing this badly on that kind of failure, it should be handled properly. We'll treat that as a bug and get it fixed (at "manage\installs.py", line 25, in get_installs).

[densendroot]

Thank you, this was the exact issue and was able to fix it!