CODEWITHSUNDEEP
windowswindows-8cmdregistrywindows-shell
ElektroStudios
ElektroStudios

Reputation: 20464

Detect commandline application from CMD without messing with PATH variable or System32/SysWow64 dir

Scenario

I would like to install an x86 CommandLine application on a folder outside C:\Windows\System32 or C:\Windows\Syswow64 and still be able to access my app under CMD without adding my application's path inside the PATH environment variable.

Question

Is this possible to do? Maybe touching a needed registry keys?

Note: I know how to add my application into PATH variable/regvalue or how to access my application from CMD putting the required .exe in the System32/SysWow64 folder. This question is only to learn alternatives, it's not to solve issues with PATH or System dirs.

Code

I've tried this suggested approach from a comment of @Sertac Akyuz in this answer, I have stored MyApp.exe on C:\ root directory, but I can't detect the application just putting MyApp.exe under the CMD.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\MyApp.exe]
@="C:\\MyApp.exe"

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\MyApp.exe]
@="C:\\MyApp.exe"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\MyApp.exe]
@="C:\\MyApp.exe"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\MyApp.exe]
@="C:\\MyApp.exe"

Upvotes: 4

Views: 906

Answers (1)

vitalyster
vitalyster

Reputation: 5266

App Paths registry settings - used by Windows Explorer, to locate programs when you type program name in "Run..." box, and so on. These settings are not affecting cmd.exe behavior.

The only way to set up cmd.exe paths for searching applications is changing PATH environment variable. You can start cmd.exe from your own .bat/.cmd where you set up all required variables for current session, without changing it globally.

Upvotes: 5

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