Windows 10: System environment variable won't stick

Running Win10 Home on an Acer Spin 3, 64bit, i7cpu. I try to add a path to the system environment variables by:

1. Control Panel > System > Advanced system settings > Advanced tab > Environment variables

2. The "Environment Variables" window opens.
3. In the "System Variables" pane I select "Path" and click the EDIT button.
4. A list of the current system paths is displayed.
5. I click the NEW button, browse to the path I want to add which is "C:\Python36-32" and click OK. The path "C:\Python36-32" is added to the list of current system paths.
6. I click OK and am returned to the "Environment Variables" window.
7. I click the "X" at the top right to close the "Environment Variables" window.

Now if I click the "Environment Variables" button again (end of step-1) and repeat steps 2-4, the new path I added in step-5 is gone. IOW, adding a new path won't stick.

What am I doing wrong?

:)

 

Edit Environment Variables of Standard User Account

In Windows 10, how can I set user-level (not system wide) environment variables for a standard user account? To clarify: I'm not talking about editing system environment variables. Also, just running the System app in Control Panel as admin won't work because
that would set the environment variables for that admin user.

When I go to Control Panel -> User Accounts, then click the "Change my environment variables" link in the left-hand action pane, nothing happens.

If I go to the search box on the task bar and type "environment", then click "Edit environment variables for your account", nothing happens.

Currently I have JAVA_HOME set to an incorrect value in my user account, which is a standard user not an admin. If I edit environment variables as admin, it does not show up in the system environment variables nor in the user environment variables (since
the Administrator account is a different user).

 

User File Relocation

You can use System Properties, Startup and Recovery, Environment Variables.

Open

Control Panel->System and Security->System->Advanced System Settings->Advanced tab->Environment Variables.

Here you can edit complete environment variables, both for your account and for system-wide variables. But I strongly advise not to do this as it may cause system instability and errors.

 

If you open a CMD prompt type set does it show there how long is the path could it be to long 256 is the max length unless your on new version

 

Doing what you suggested above, the path is 200 characters. Here's a copy:

Path=C:\WINDOWS\system32;C:\WINDOWS;C:\WINDOWS\System32\Wbem;C:\WINDOWS\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v 1.0\;C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Adobe\AGL;C:\Users\Mo Spin3\AppData\Local\Microsoft\WindowsApps

Any other ideas appreciated. Thanks.

 

256 characters is the limit on an individual path, but PATH is an environment variable that happens to contain multiple paths. None of the paths it contains should be longer that 256 characters, but...

https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/old...03-00/?p=15083

Even 2048 characters is far longer than the few hundred @mck needs.

I've just added another path to PATH in the way described in the OP. Not only does adding a new path 'stick', but my PATH is now 514 characters. There is obviously something getting in the way of @mck adding a path, but it's not a character limit.

 

Bree,

Thank you for testing the procedure on your PC. After a lot of Googling before opening this thread, I saw folks who could and could not add a path the way I described. There seems to be something with either the version of Win10 installed or something in the PC itself that prevents updating the system environment variable's path.

Is your version Win10 home? I have Win10 home on my Acer Spin3 laptop.

 

Yes @mck, Win10 Home (x64) version 1607 os build 14393.693 (English International, EN-GB) on Toshiba L750. The path I added is still there after a full shutdown and restart. It was something I'd been meaning to add anyway, but not got round to yet. You gave me a good excuse to try *Smile

 

Hi Bree,

I also have Win10 Home (x64) version 1607 os build 14393.693. (English U.S.)
I wonder if the version of Win10 Home that came with my Acer Spin3, 64bit, i7, 12GB laptop is a modified OEM version of Win10 Home?

If I'm unable to find a solution to my problem, if I download a Win10 Home (x64) and do a fresh install, would the activation be automatic as I've read that Win10 is supposed to work? I don't know the Win10 product key on my laptop since it came preinstalled from the factory.

If you don't know, if anyone who does know can chime in, it will be appreciated.
Also a link for where to download a good copy of Win10 Home would also be appreciated, though I could search these forums for an answer.

Thanks,

 

Yes, with a previously activated Win10 on the PC its hardware ID is registered on Microsoft's activation servers. You can skip entering a key if asked (there's an 'I don't have one' link) and it should activate automatically once it can contact the activation servers.

You may like to try an in-place repair install first - you can keep all your files and installed apps that way.
Repair Install Windows 10 with an In-place Upgrade

 

Ohh, that is really helpful advice! I'm on vacation right now but will try an in-place repair install when I return home.

Thanks much,

 

To get Windows 10 from Microsoft...
Windows 10 ISO Download

 

Again, Thanks!

 

Step 7 should be,

 

I triple checked that when I did the procedure in my first post. Unfortunately, there is no "OK" at the bottom, only NEW, EDIT and DELETE buttons, so I had to click the "X" at the top. There is no scroll bar to scroll the screen. When I move the window up, the bottom shows so there is no "OK" button at all.

Is there an "OK" button on your Environment Variables window?