Print - What environment variables are available in Windows?

A. You can use environment variables to gain information about a system. For a complete list of environment variables available in Windows, see the following table:

Table 1: Environment Variables

ALLUSERSPROFILE Local returns the location of the All Users Profile.

APPDATA Local returns the location where applications store data by default.

CD Local returns the current directory string.

CMDCMDLINE Local returns the exact command line used to start the current cmd.exe.

CMDEXTVERSION System returns the version number of the current Command Processor Extensions.

COMPUTERNAME System returns the name of the computer.

COMSPEC System returns the exact path to the command shell executable.

DATE System returns the current date. This variable uses the same format as the date /t command. Cmd.exe generates this variable. For more information about the date command, see the Date command.

ERRORLEVEL System returns the error code of the most recently used command. A non-0 value usually indicates an error.

HOMEDRIVE System returns which local workstation drive letter is connected to the user's home directory. This variable is set based on the value of the home directory. The user's home directory is specified in Local Users and Groups.

HOMEPATH System returns the full path of the user's home directory. This variable is set based on the value of the home directory. The user's home directory is specified in Local Users and Groups.

HOMESHARE System returns the network path to the user's shared home directory. This variable is set based on the value of the home directory. The user's home directory is specified in Local Users and Groups.

LOGONSEVER Local returns the name of the domain controller that validated the current logon session.

NUMBER_OF_PROCESSORS System specifies the number of processors installed on the computer.

OS System returns the OS name. Windows XP and Windows 2000 display the OS as Windows_NT.

PATH System specifies the search path for executable files.

PATHEXT System returns a list of the file extensions that the OS considers to be executable.

PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE System returns the processor's chip architecture. Values: x86, IA64.

PROCESSOR_IDENTFIER System returns a description of the processor.

PROCESSOR_LEVEL System returns the model number of the computer's processor.

PROCESSOR_REVISION System returns the revision number of the processor.

PROMPT Local returns the command-prompt settings for the current interpreter. Cmd.exe generates this variable.

RANDOM System returns a random decimal number between 0 and 32767. Cmd.exe generates this variable.

SYSTEMDRIVE System returns the drive containing the Windows root directory (i.e., the system root).

SYSTEMROOT System returns the location of the Windows root directory.

TEMP or TMP System and User return the default temporary directories for applications that are available to users who are currently logged on. Some applications require TEMP and others require TMP.

TIME System returns the current time. This variable uses the same format as the time /t command. Cmd.exe generates this variable. For more information about the time command, see the Time command.

USERDOMAIN Local returns the name of the domain that contains the user's account.

USERNAME Local returns the name of the user currently logged on.

USERPROFILE Local returns the location of the profile for the current user.

WINDIR System returns the location of the OS directory

To access these environment variables, you must place a percentage symbol (%) before and after the variable. For example,

echo %PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE%
x86

will display the processor type (but still won't display Intel's ia64 platform). Some environment variables are available only in later OSs (e.g., %RANDOM% is not available in Windows NT 4.0).

Well, in xp, set USERPROFILE=D:\Somefile works only during the current session. Logging out and in resets the environment variable to default. I don't know how to fix that.

i have set reg values for env so that bat files can use them but the pc needs to be rebooted before set can see them from cmd prompt,who can i force a reread from a vbs script, is there a reg reread similar to reg read/regwrite

does anyone know if there is one to find the path that a bat file was started from. i want to copy a file from the same dir as the .bat file TIA Dom

It's a good article but i think there are more environment variables p.e. %programfiles%

I want to uses there variables in java or vbscript for some calcuation can any one tell me some api for this task

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/home/using/productdoc/en/ntcmds_shelloverview.asp

to the person looking to copy a file from the same directory that the .BAT or .CMD file was run from, simply do this copy %0\..\filename.ext destination It works!

when java(ver.1.5) is installed in windows it put the java.exe in windows system folder and also in its on directory, and it the path variable if we add the path of java, ie: path=%path%;C:\JDK1.5\bin; which java.exe will be invocked by windows ?? java.exe in he system folder or java.exe in the jdk folder ?? and also is there any way to understand the full path name of the program that is beeing executed ??? ie: there are two java.exe in the path, one in the windows system folder and one in the jdk folder, and path of both directoy is mapped into the path variable, how to know which java.exe is working ????

Rendall Said: > Well, in xp, set USERPROFILE=D:\Somefile works > only during the current session. Logging out and > in resets the environment variable to default. I > don't know how to fix that. If you have XP Pro, you can set that under "Manage Users". If you have XP Home will have to manually edit your registry. Open the following key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList You need to find your profile discription, the easyest way to do this is: Click Edit -> Find then type: \YOUR_USER_NAME_HERE (replace YOUR_USER_NAME_HERE with your username, put NO space between the \ and your username) check "Match whole string only" Click "Find Next" This should find your profile information, stopping on the entry "ProfileImagePath". Right Click "ProfileImagePath" -> Modify You will now be able to modify your profile path, something currently like "%SystemDrive%\Documents and Settings\xxx" So, in short, you want to edit this entry: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProfileList\S-???-???-???\ProfileImagePath Disclaimer: Messing with your registry can turn your PC into a nice paperweight, so backup anything you are about to change. And then STILL act with care. The registry is not for the faint of heart, nor the stupid. ===== Dom Asked: > [how can I] find the path that a bat file was started from. > i want to copy a file from the same dir as the .bat file TIA > Dom %~dp0 To use it as requested: copy "%~dp0\somefile.ext" "E:\where\ever\U\like" FYI some neat ~ options are d - drive p - path n - name (w/o extention) x - extention only s - short filenames (8.3 format) a - the file attributes t - time and date z - file size (These are not the only modifiers, but they are the ones I use most.) All or none can be used, and in any order, so %~dpnxsatz0 will return something like: --a------ 08/19/2007 01:46 AM 127 C:\PROGRA~1\SUPPOR~1\x.bat