Windows 7 / Getting Started

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Modifying the Path to Executables

If you need to modify the known paths of the system, you can do so with either the SET PATH statement or via the GUI. As an example, you may have an executable in the C:\App path, and you may want this path included in the Path variable. You can use one of these methods.

SET PATH Command

Before modifying the path, take a look at what it currently is with the following command:

SET PATH

You can use the SET PATH statement to modify the path to include the C:\App folder with the following command.

SET PATH = C:\App

After you modify the path, view the current path by executing SET PATH again. You'll notice that there are two paths currently set-the original default path and another PATH = C:\App path that you just created, as shown in code Listing 1 and Listing 2. Listing 1 is what appears before executing the Set Path = C:\App statement. Listing 2 shows what appears after executing the statement.

Listing 1: Output of the Set Path statement

Path=C:\Windows\system32;C:\Windows;
C:\Windows\System32\Wbem;
c:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SQL Server\90\Tools\binn\;
C:\Windows\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\;
C:\Windows\System32\Windows System Resource Manager\bin;
C:\Windows\idmu\common;C:\Program Files\Windows Imaging\
PATHEXT=.COM;.EXE;.BAT;.CMD;.VBS;.VBE;.JS;.JSE;.WSF;.WSH;.MSC

Listing 2: Output of the Set Path statement after appending the path

Path=C:\Windows\system32;C:\Windows;
C:\Windows\System32\Wbem;
c:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SQL Server\90\Tools\binn\;
C:\Windows\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\;
C:\Windows\System32\Windows System Resource Manager\bin;
C:\Windows\idmu\common;C:\Program Files\Windows Imaging\
PATH = C:\App
PATHEXT=.COM;.EXE;.BAT;.CMD;.VBS;.VBE;.JS;.JSE;.WSF;.WSH;.MSC

Note This behavior of the set path statement is different in Windows 7 than it was in previous versions of Windows In previous versions, if you used the Set Path = C:\App statement, it would overwrite the previous path and only C:\ App would be included in the path However, when you execute the Set Path statement in Windows 7, it appends, not replaces, the current path This modified path will be modified for only the current session. In other words, if you exit the command-prompt window, launch it again, and enter SET PATH, you'll see only the original system default path.