ebook-convert corrupts Windows XP command.exe environment?

[nickredding]

In the course of trying to make my external fix for the KIindle 3 news problem compatible with Windows XP, I discovered that ebook-convert seems to corrupt the Windows XP command.exe environment.

The symptom is that if you run ebook-convert with a recipe, it completes the download but somehow corrupts the environment in such a way that command.exe no longer runs batch files, and if ebook-convert was called within a batch file that batch file terminates immediately after ebook-convert. The built-in Windows commands still work, but no batch file will run--the command prompt simply returns as if you had only hit the Enter key if you try to run a batch file.

You have to close the command window and open a new one to get back to normal batch file operation, so something got clobbered when ebook-convert ran.

This doesn't happen with Windows 7.

Any thoughts from someone familair with ebook-convert?

[DoctorOhh]

Originally Posted by nickredding

In the course of trying to make my external fix for the KIindle 3 news problem compatible with Windows XP, I discovered that ebook-convert seems to corrupt the Windows XP command.exe environment.

Corrupt? No.

Originally Posted by nickredding

The symptom is that if you run ebook-convert with a recipe, it completes the download but somehow corrupts the environment in such a way that command.exe no longer runs batch files,

If your going to run ebook-convert in a batch file in XP you have to use the start command with the wait switch. If I recall correctly

start /wait ebook-convert.exe

I believe this goes for other calibre command line tools too.

[nickredding]

Thanks for the quick response. Using START does indeed solve the problem.

I don't want to seem like I'm nitpicking, but the Calibre command-line commands DO clobber something in the environment if they have to run in a separate window (i.e. environment) if called from a batch file. It's also interesting that this is not required under Windows 7.

I'm not suggesting anyone try to fix the code to run cleanly on XP--it's an obsolete O/S and the START work-around suffices.

[itimpi]

I believe the problem occurs to most (if not all) program's written in Python.

Interestingly enough the problem only seems to occur with the Microsoft command line shell - third party ones do not suffer in the same way.

As has been mentioned, the workaround is to use the START command to run commands.

[nickredding]

Originally Posted by itimpi

I believe the problem occurs to most (if not all) program's written in Python.

Interestingly enough the problem only seems to occur with the Microsoft command line shell - third party ones do not suffer in the same way.

As has been mentioned, the workaround is to use the START command to run commands.

It's not a problem with Windows 7 command line shell. I guess Microsoft fixed whatever was ailing it!