Modify the System and User Paths
SUMMARY: The PATHMAN DOS command can make it easier to modify the system and user paths used by Windows XP. If you are in the C:\TEMP directory and type in NETSTAT at a command prompt to view active connection statistics, Windows will most likely not find "netstat.exe" in the C:\TEMP directory. However, the C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32 directory is in what's called the path, or a list of directories Windows uses if it can't find an executable in the current directory. Since C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32 contains the file "netstat.exe", Windows will run the command from there. By using the SET command with the PATH environment variable, you can modify Windows XP's path. However, doing so can be messy and error-prone. If you frequently need to modify the PATH, the Windows 2003 Resource Kit comes built-in with a command called PATHMAN, or Path Manager, that lets you cleanly modify the system and user paths. To use this command, you'll need to first download and install th...