In my experience, Python is more Windows-friendly than Perl. Mark Hammond's Python Extensions for Windows are a lifesaver. You can download the package from http://sourceforge.net/projects/pywin32/ or install the ActiveState Python package, which includes the Windows extensions.
I use Python for example to automate user and mailbox management in Active Directory and Exchange. I also use the mxODBC module to interact with SQL Server. I warmly recommend "Python Programming on Win32" by Mark Hammond and Andy Robinson (O'Reilly). Grig -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
