E
Environment Variables
11JAN2005, 10:00 AM CST, USA
Subject: Problem with Environment Variables
Dear Microsoft.Public.WindowsXP.General,
I am having some conflicts with an OEM installation of WindowsXP on a
notebook computer. It appears that some shortcuts were taken in the "roll-
out" where they installed thousands of OS's on as many machines. It
involves an ATI shared graphics card, and the inability to execute simple
Command Prompt operations from within a user account. I will withhold the
namebrand of the notebook for purposes of discretionary caution, unless
it's deemed necessary to identify a pattern relevant to the necessary
corrective measures.
I am wondering if I copy and paste the [apparent] offending entries from
the Envirionment Variables dialog in my System Properties, can someone
assist me sorting out an appropriate modification so that both my ATI
graphics card and access to Command Prompt operations are compatible?
Here is the way the Path line reads on my desktop computer:
C:\WINDOWS\system32;C:\WINDOWS;C:\WINDOWS\system32\WBEM
This is where everything works fine.
Here is the way the Path line reads on my notebook:
C:\WINDOWS\system32;C:\WINDOWS;C:\WINDOWS\system32\WBEM;C:\Program Files
\ATI Technologies\ATI Control Panel;C:\PROGRA~1\dpp\
This is where Command Prompt needs to drilled to the directory.
Here is the way the Path line copies from the edit field on my notebook:
%SystemRoot%\system32;%SystemRoot%;%SystemRoot%\system32\WBEM;C:\Program
Files\ATI Technologies\ATI Control Panel;C:\PROGRA~1\dpp\
I have no knowledge of programming, and no clue what all those
abbreviations and symbols% mean or how they function with the system.
What I do know is that there is an ATI string appended to the end of the
Path string, past the "WBEM" - which is where it differs from my desktop.
With that, in order to conduct simple Command Prompt operations, I have to
navigate, or "cd\" into the folder where the executable lives in order to
not get a "... not recognized..." response to an attempted Command Prompt
operation.
So, as it is, in order to ping, I launch Command Prompt, and if I try from
the user account, it gives the above error dialog in response, but if I go
from the cursor and cd\ to C:\WINDOWS\system32 where ping.exe resides, it
works.
I am hoping that someone may recognize this particular problem, because ATI
is a common graphics card, and everything else seems to work just fine.
The problem is what to do *safely* with the ATI string. If I just remove it
within the edit field, (inside Windows > System Properties > Advanced >
Env. Var's.) and reboot, and that causes a malfunction during the boot, I
have no clue how to put it back from outside Windows.
So, can I get some assistance here from someone who really understands the
Windows NT/Windows XP Operating Systems with making the exactly appropriate
corrections?
Thank you.
Subject: Problem with Environment Variables
Dear Microsoft.Public.WindowsXP.General,
I am having some conflicts with an OEM installation of WindowsXP on a
notebook computer. It appears that some shortcuts were taken in the "roll-
out" where they installed thousands of OS's on as many machines. It
involves an ATI shared graphics card, and the inability to execute simple
Command Prompt operations from within a user account. I will withhold the
namebrand of the notebook for purposes of discretionary caution, unless
it's deemed necessary to identify a pattern relevant to the necessary
corrective measures.
I am wondering if I copy and paste the [apparent] offending entries from
the Envirionment Variables dialog in my System Properties, can someone
assist me sorting out an appropriate modification so that both my ATI
graphics card and access to Command Prompt operations are compatible?
Here is the way the Path line reads on my desktop computer:
C:\WINDOWS\system32;C:\WINDOWS;C:\WINDOWS\system32\WBEM
This is where everything works fine.
Here is the way the Path line reads on my notebook:
C:\WINDOWS\system32;C:\WINDOWS;C:\WINDOWS\system32\WBEM;C:\Program Files
\ATI Technologies\ATI Control Panel;C:\PROGRA~1\dpp\
This is where Command Prompt needs to drilled to the directory.
Here is the way the Path line copies from the edit field on my notebook:
%SystemRoot%\system32;%SystemRoot%;%SystemRoot%\system32\WBEM;C:\Program
Files\ATI Technologies\ATI Control Panel;C:\PROGRA~1\dpp\
I have no knowledge of programming, and no clue what all those
abbreviations and symbols% mean or how they function with the system.
What I do know is that there is an ATI string appended to the end of the
Path string, past the "WBEM" - which is where it differs from my desktop.
With that, in order to conduct simple Command Prompt operations, I have to
navigate, or "cd\" into the folder where the executable lives in order to
not get a "... not recognized..." response to an attempted Command Prompt
operation.
So, as it is, in order to ping, I launch Command Prompt, and if I try from
the user account, it gives the above error dialog in response, but if I go
from the cursor and cd\ to C:\WINDOWS\system32 where ping.exe resides, it
works.
I am hoping that someone may recognize this particular problem, because ATI
is a common graphics card, and everything else seems to work just fine.
The problem is what to do *safely* with the ATI string. If I just remove it
within the edit field, (inside Windows > System Properties > Advanced >
Env. Var's.) and reboot, and that causes a malfunction during the boot, I
have no clue how to put it back from outside Windows.
So, can I get some assistance here from someone who really understands the
Windows NT/Windows XP Operating Systems with making the exactly appropriate
corrections?
Thank you.