Of course. Here is a comprehensive guide covering everything you need to know about using Python 2.7.4 on Windows, including installation, usage, and crucial warnings about why you should avoid it for new projects.

⚠️ Important Warning: Why You Should Avoid Python 2.7.4

Before we begin, it's critical to understand that Python 2.7.4 is ancient software.

• End-of-Life (EOL): The entire Python 2 series reached its official end-of-life on January 1, 2025. This means it no longer receives security updates, bug fixes, or improvements.
• Security Vulnerabilities: Running this version makes your system and any applications you build with it highly vulnerable to security exploits.
• Incompatibility: It is incompatible with virtually all modern Python libraries and frameworks (like Django, Flask, Pandas, NumPy, etc.) which have dropped support for Python 2.
• Legacy Only: You should only use Python 2.7.4 if you are maintaining a legacy application that cannot be upgraded.

My strong recommendation is to use a modern version of Python 3 (e.g., Python 3.10 or newer) for any new work.

Where to Download Python 2.7.4

The official Python website no longer hosts older installers directly. However, you can find them on reliable third-party archives. The most trusted source is the Python Archive.

1. Go to the Python Archive page: https://www.python.org/downloads/archive/
2. Scroll down to the "Python 2.7" section.
3. Find the version Python 2.7.4 and click the link for the Windows installer. You will see two options:
   • Windows x86-64 MSI installer: For 64-bit versions of Windows.
   • Windows x86 MSI installer: For 32-bit versions of Windows.

How to check if your Windows is 32-bit or 64-bit:

• Press the Windows Key + Pause/Break key.
• In the "System" window, look for "System type". It will say "64-bit Operating System" or "32-bit Operating System".

Installation Steps for Python 2.7.4

The installation process for Python 2.7 is very similar to modern versions, but with a few critical differences.

1. Run the Installer:

   • Right-click the downloaded .msi file and select "Run as administrator". This helps avoid permission issues.
   • If you see a User Account Control (UAC) prompt, click "Yes".

2. Welcome Screen:

   Click "Next".

   
   （图片来源网络，侵删）

3. License Agreement:

   Select "I agree" and click "Next".

4. Choose Components (CRITICAL STEP):

   • This is the most important screen. By default, Python might only be installed for the "current user".
   • To avoid problems, select the "For all users" option.
   • Ensure the following are checked:
     • Python Interpreter (essential)
     • Documentation (optional, but useful)
     • pip (This is CRITICAL. Pip is the package manager for Python. It was not included by default in early 2.7 versions, but for 2.7.4, it should be included. Make sure it's selected).
   • Click "Next".

5. Choose Install Location:

   • The default location is C:\Python27. This is perfectly fine and the standard convention.
   • Click "Next".

6. Customize Python 2.7 (Advanced Options):

   • Associate .py files with Python: This is useful. It allows you to double-click .py files to run them.
   • Add Python.exe to Path: This is extremely important. If you check this box, you can run Python from the Command Prompt from any directory. If you don't, you'll have to type the full path to the executable (C:\Python27\python.exe) every time. Highly recommended to leave this checked.
   • Click "Next".

7. Ready to Install:

   Review your selections and click "Install". The installer will run.

8. Complete:

   • Once finished, you may see a screen asking if you want to "Disable path length limit". Click "Yes". This prevents errors with long file paths in Windows.
   • Click "Finish".

Verifying the Installation

1. Open Command Prompt:

   • Press Win + R, type cmd, and press Enter.

2. Check Python Version:

   • Type the following command and press Enter:

     python --version

   • You should see the output: Python 2.7.4

3. Check Pip Version:

   • Type the following command and press Enter:

     pip --version

   • You should see information about pip and its version (e.g., pip 7.1.2 from C:\Python27\lib\site-packages\pip (python 2.7)).

Using Python 2.7.4

You now have two main ways to interact with Python.

A. Interactive Mode (REPL)

This is a command-line where you can type Python code and see the results immediately.

1. Open Command Prompt.
2. Type python and press Enter.
3. You'll see the Python >>> prompt.

   Python 2.7.4 (default, Apr  6 2025, 00:28:57) [MSC v.1500 64 bit (AMD64)] on win32
   Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
   >>> print "Hello, Python 2.7.4 World!"
   Hello, Python 2.7.4 World!
   >>> 2 + 2
   4
   >>> exit()

B. Running Python Scripts

1. Create a Script:

   • Open Notepad (or a code editor like Notepad++ or VS Code).
   • Type the following code. Note the print statement syntax. In Python 2, print is a statement, not a function.

     # This is a comment
     print "Hello from a script!"
     name = "User"
     print "Welcome,", name

   • Save the file as hello.py on your Desktop.

2. Run the Script from Command Prompt:

   • Open Command Prompt.
   • Navigate to your Desktop using the cd (change directory) command:

     cd C:\Users\YourUsername\Desktop

   • Run the script by typing python followed by the filename:

     python hello.py

   • You should see the output:

     Hello from a script!
     Welcome, User

Managing Packages with Pip

Since Python 2.7.4 is EOL, many packages will not install or will be severely outdated.

1. Upgrade Pip: It's good practice to upgrade pip to the latest version that supports Python 2.7.

   python -m pip install --upgrade pip

2. Install a Package: Let's try to install a simple library.

   pip install requests

   This might install an old version of requests that works with Python 2.7. If you try to install a modern library like pandas, it will likely fail with an error about not being compatible with Python 2.7.

Summary

Again, please use this information only for maintaining legacy systems. For any new development, please download and install a modern version of Python 3 from python.org.