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I upgraded from 2.5.2 to 2.6.5 on a WinXP system. Console interpreter worked fine, but IDLE would not launch (quit without displaying anything on screen). Same with 2.6.4. Finally tried 2.5.4, which works as expected (like the old 2.5.2).

Please run "python.exe Lib/idlelib/idle.py" in a console window, and report any errors that you get.

Also, try renaming/moving the directory C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\.idlerc, and then try to start IDLE.

Here's the result of doing what Martin asked (and then launching the interpreter, to confirm that it's the 2.5.4 version that I installed on Thursday just before submitting my original bug report).
C:\PYTHON25 is the first item in the PATH. 
C:\Python25\Lib\idlelib\idle.py exists, and IDLE launches properly when I double-click its icon on the desktop. But Python scripts (including idle.py and all of my own) do not show the Python icon.
Renaming .idlerc has no effect except that IDLE now doesn't have a list of recent files. Or did you mean to try this after installing one of the later (2.6) versions of Python, under which IDLE would not launch?
Is this looking like a registry problem?

Let's focus on the problem you're having with Python 2.6, with which you said IDLE won't launch.
Please try to run IDLE using Python 2.6.5:
1) Install Python 2.6.5, say to C:\Python26
2) Rename/move your .idlerc directory so there isn't any such directory under C:\Documents and Settings\<username>
3) Then go to that directory and run:
C:\Python26> .\python.exe Lib\idlelib\idle.py
Post the output of that here, so that we can help diagnose the problem.

> Here's the result of doing what Martin asked (and then launching the
> interpreter, to confirm that it's the 2.5.4 version that I installed
> on Thursday just before submitting my original bug report).
>
> C:\PYTHON25 is the first item in the PATH.
> C:\Python25\Lib\idlelib\idle.py exists, and IDLE launches properly
> when I double-click its icon on the desktop. But Python scripts
> (including idle.py and all of my own) do not show the Python icon.
Unfortunately, this is not what I asked. Instead, I asked you to
run idle.py IN A CONSOLE WINDOW (i.e. not by double-clicking),
and to report any output you see in that console window.

Actually I did do exactly what Martin requested, but then somehow I failed to include the output in my message, which doesn't really make sense as a result. How embarrassing! I apologize. I thought I had included something like the following:
C:\Documents and Settings\jon\Desktop>python Lib\idlelib\idle.py
python: can't open file 'Lib\idlelib\idle.py': [Errno 2] No such file or directory
Same response with forward or back slashes in the argument. However, if I give python the full path (either with forward or back slashes), then it successfully launches IDLE:
C:\Documents and Settings\jon\Desktop>python c:/python25/Lib/idlelib/
idle.py
Now my remark about c:\Python25 being the first item in the path should make more sense than it did in the message as I sent it!
Again, this is all with 2.5.4, the installation that DOES launch IDLE when I click the desktop icon. I'll try later today with 2.6.5.

Is this still a problem?

Ping.
I like to close the issue next week if no response.

Closing as out if date and not active.