XP Pro disregards PATH variable

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.configuration_manage (More info?)

I have seen several similar posts, but none that matches my situation
directly:
Whe I restart Windows, the PATH variable seems to be gone.
i.e. cannot run any typical DOS apps (e.g. ping, runas, etc) without
first CD to system32 dir.
If I follow these steps, it works again, but only until I restart my
system again:
Open System Properties Environment Variable editor and rename PATH to
PATH1, then rename back to PATH again and close dialog.
Open a new cmd window and note that Path var works now.

Why is this? I thought there is no longer an autoexec that messes
with the PATH var at system start!?!?!

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.configuration_manage (More info?)

Control Panel|System|Advanced|Environment Variables|System Variables and
make sure that "Path" has
%SystemRoot%\system32;%SystemRoot%
at least somewhere in the string.

Also check that "Path" found at
HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Environment
is a type Reg_Expand_Sz string and not type Reg_Sz

--
Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect

"rox.scott" wrote:
|I have seen several similar posts, but none that matches my situation
| directly:
| Whe I restart Windows, the PATH variable seems to be gone.
| i.e. cannot run any typical DOS apps (e.g. ping, runas, etc) without
| first CD to system32 dir.
| If I follow these steps, it works again, but only until I restart my
| system again:
| Open System Properties Environment Variable editor and rename PATH to
| PATH1, then rename back to PATH again and close dialog.
| Open a new cmd window and note that Path var works now.
|
| Why is this? I thought there is no longer an autoexec that messes
| with the PATH var at system start!?!?!

 

[Scott]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.configuration_manage (More info?)

Thanks for the quick reply Dave.
Answers to both of the above are TRUE.
The PATH var is correct.
XP seems to disregard its contents altogether.

However, I cannot reproduce the problem since closing my Registry...
There is a svchost.exe Application Error that appears on OS shutdown
and startup.
Seems like something is writing to the Registry after Windows is
finished, and this is what is messing up my PATH var.
Since opening the Registry and closing it again (implicit save?) my
PATH var seems to stay intact, even though I made no changes to it.

--scott


Dave Patrick wrote:
> Control Panel|System|Advanced|Environment Variables|System Variables
and
> make sure that "Path" has
> %SystemRoot%\system32;%SystemRoot%
> at least somewhere in the string.
>
> Also check that "Path" found at
> HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Environment
> is a type Reg_Expand_Sz string and not type Reg_Sz
>
> --
> Regards,
>
> Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
> Microsoft Certified Professional
> Microsoft MVP [Windows]
> http://www.microsoft.com/protect
>
> "rox.scott" wrote:
> |I have seen several similar posts, but none that matches my
situation
> | directly:
> | Whe I restart Windows, the PATH variable seems to be gone.
> | i.e. cannot run any typical DOS apps (e.g. ping, runas, etc)
without
> | first CD to system32 dir.
> | If I follow these steps, it works again, but only until I restart
my
> | system again:
> | Open System Properties Environment Variable editor and rename PATH
to
> | PATH1, then rename back to PATH again and close dialog.
> | Open a new cmd window and note that Path var works now.
> |
> | Why is this? I thought there is no longer an autoexec that messes
> | with the PATH var at system start!?!?!

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.configuration_manage (More info?)

I'm wondering how you could know this?

"Seems like something is writing to the Registry after Windows is
| finished, and this is what is messing up my PATH var."

When it happens again, before closing the session type;
echo %path%
to see what it returns.

--
Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect

<scott@rox.ca> wrote:
| Thanks for the quick reply Dave.
| Answers to both of the above are TRUE.
| The PATH var is correct.
| XP seems to disregard its contents altogether.
|
| However, I cannot reproduce the problem since closing my Registry...
| There is a svchost.exe Application Error that appears on OS shutdown
| and startup.
| Seems like something is writing to the Registry after Windows is
| finished, and this is what is messing up my PATH var.
| Since opening the Registry and closing it again (implicit save?) my
| PATH var seems to stay intact, even though I made no changes to it.
|
| --scott

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.configuration_manage (More info?)

so then it should just be a matter of waiting after startup?

BTW, an update: I can now reproduce this issue from a vrigin XPSP2
install with only a single program installation ... so I know the
culprit. However, it always seems to follow the Event ID 1517 noted
above.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.configuration_manage (More info?)

so then it should just be a matter of waiting after startup?

BTW, an update: I can now reproduce this issue from a vrigin XPSP2
install with only a single program installation ... so I know the
culprit. However, it always seems to follow the Event ID 1517 noted
above.