where exactly is %system% defined?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Mike W
  • Start date Start date
M

Mike W

I have a utility that performs some windows customizations to
install/configure XP for an old dos-based program.
After running the tool, references to %system& in the path environmental
variable seem to be nullified. For example if I go to cmd and type 'edit' I
get an error that reads 'edit' is not a recognized internal/external
command....If I go into the path variable and change all instances of
%system% to c:\windows\ this resolves the issue. So, where is %system%
defined?

Thanks,
m
 
Mike W said:
I have a utility that performs some windows customizations to
install/configure XP for an old dos-based program.
After running the tool, references to %system& in the path environmental
variable seem to be nullified. For example if I go to cmd and type 'edit' I
get an error that reads 'edit' is not a recognized internal/external
command....If I go into the path variable and change all instances of
%system% to c:\windows\ this resolves the issue. So, where is %system%
defined?

Thanks,
m
Click to expand...

%system% is not a preset environmental variable in WinXP.
Maybe someone changed your %path% definition.
 
Actually I made a mistake. I meant %SystemRoot% instead of %System%

System root is in the path statement for the following locations:
%SystemRoot%
%SystemRoot%\System32
%SystemRoot%\System32\WBEM

I have to manually change these to:
c:\Windows
c:\Windows\system32
c:\windows\system32\WBEM

in order to correct the issue. Where is %SystemRoot% defined in Windows XP?
 
Ah, that's a big difference!

I suspect that the registry entry for your %path%
variable is incorrect. Have a look here:
HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Environment
The Path value must be a reg_expand_sz type, not a reg_sz type.
What do you have?
 

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