I always include msvcr71.dll with my python distributives to avoid this exact problem.
get msvcr71.dll http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=msvcr71.dll&btnG=Google+Search
and place it in *the same* directory as your python app. In this case, within PyMol.Python 2.4 apps seem to ignore this dll if it's in system folders on some machines.
