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>>> import os
>>> os.defpath
'.;C:\\bin'
>>> os.path.defpath
'.;C:\\bin'
>>>
These are invalid paths on windows.

Can you suggest a fix?

On the second try it was much easier.
For py3k I saw a post about removing defpath and some of its friends, 
with which I partially agree.
http://groups.google.com/group/comp.lang.python/browse_thread/thread/e8072370bfbef398/a0215b5820f76c0e 

3.1.2 still has defpath and gives same erroneous result
Patch is a trivial revision of one line in os.py.

Adding our esteemed Windows experts for review.

The code is still the same in 3.3.1rc1. Is this an opportunity to get this committed as it's a one line patch?

Release candidates are separate from the main branch and only get critical patches selected by release manager. Changes usually reuire a new .rc.
This seems to have fallen thru the crack between Brian and Tim. 
I suspect that the next line about (win) 'ce' is obsolete if still present.

This is, in principle, a backwards-incompatible change as any code will stop working which relies on exec* running useful tools in c:\bin. (I have a c:\tools which is basically the same thing).
Frankly, I'm -0 on changing it; it does no real harm that I can see. If we do decide to ditch it, I'd only do it for the current release and not backport.

Closing, as no-one's come back after my -0 for 6 months.

os.defpath also seems wrong on Mac (':') and Linux (':/bin:/bin/sh'. The extra ':' at the beginning means the same thing as '.:/bin:/bin/sh' which is probably a security problem.
I just started up discussion on http://bugs.python.org/issue16353 (which may require a correct os.defpath).