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Python Locator fails on clean Windows 11 installation due to missing VCRUNTIME140.dll #25689
Description
Type: Bug
- Install Windows 11 Pro.
- Install Python 3.13 from Microsoft Store.
- Install VSCode.
- Create python file, install python extension.
- Notice run doesn't work.
Output, Python Locator says: "2025-12-19 15:30:57.557 [info] Starting Python Locator c:\Users\erikl.vscode\extensions\ms-python.python-2025.20.1-win32-x64\python-env-tools\bin\pet.exe server" and nothing else.
Running this .exe manually shows "The code execution cannot proceed because VCRUNTIME140.dll was not found. Reinstalling the program may fix this problem.".
- Install https://aka.ms/vc14/vc_redist.x64.exe
- Restart VSCode.
- Now python extension works.
Extension version: 2025.20.1
VS Code version: Code 1.107.1 (994fd12f8d3a5aa16f17d42c041e5809167e845a, 2025-12-17T14:15:14.850Z)
OS version: Windows_NT x64 10.0.26200
Modes:
System Info
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| CPUs | 11th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-11800H @ 2.30GHz (8 x 2304) |
| GPU Status | 2d_canvas: unavailable_software direct_rendering_display_compositor: disabled_off_ok gpu_compositing: disabled_software multiple_raster_threads: enabled_on opengl: disabled_off rasterization: disabled_software raw_draw: disabled_off_ok skia_graphite: disabled_off trees_in_viz: disabled_off video_decode: disabled_software video_encode: disabled_software webgl: unavailable_software webgl2: unavailable_software webgpu: unavailable_software webnn: unavailable_software |
| Load (avg) | undefined |
| Memory (System) | 7.07GB (3.06GB free) |
| Process Argv | |
| Screen Reader | no |
| VM | 0% |
A/B Experiments
vsliv368:30146709
vswsl492cf:30256860
binariesv615:30325510
nativeloc1:31344060
dwcopilot:31170013
dwoutputs:31242946
copilot_t_ci:31333650
e5gg6876:31282496
pythonrdcb7:31342333
9hi5e907:31436603
aj953862:31281341
82j33506:31327384
nes-set-on:31351930
6abeh943:31336334
cloudbuttont:31379625
todos-1:31405332
3efgi100_wstrepl:31403338
trigger-command-fix:31379601
use-responses-api:31390855
2a0ce269:31428710
ec5jj548:31422691
terminalsuggestenabled:31431119
cp_cls_c_966_ss:31435507
c0683394:31419495
478ah919:31426797
a5gib710:31434435
7a04d226_do_not_restore_last_panel_session:31438103
anthropic_thinking_t:31432745
406hc587_ask_agent:31428393
cp_cls_c_1081:31433293
Activity
DakotaB75 commentedon Dec 20, 2025
Thanks for the detailed report — this makes sense.
pet.exeis a native binary and appears to depend on the MSVC runtime. On clean Windows 11 installations, the VC++ Redistributable (VCRUNTIME140.dll) is not guaranteed to be present, especially when Python is installed via the Microsoft Store.At the moment, the failure mode is silent from the extension perspective, which makes this hard to diagnose for users.
A few potential improvements that could help here:
This would significantly improve the out-of-the-box experience on fresh Windows setups.
eleanorjboyd commentedon Jan 5, 2026
great recommendations - will look into this
enhance error handling and user notifications for Python Locator fail…
Harman16 commentedon Apr 7, 2026
This helped, thank you!