The Run Dialog can serve as an easy and very useful way to open programs on your computer, but just how does it know where those applications are located at on your system? Today’s SuperUser Q&A post has the answer to a curious reader’s question.
Today’s Question & Answer session comes to us courtesy of SuperUser—a subdivision of Stack Exchange, a community-driven grouping of Q&A web sites.
The Question
SuperUser reader mt025 wants to know how the Run Dialog knows where applications are that aren’t in Windows’ system PATH:
As a power user, I frequently use the Run Dialog. I can understand why the following commands work, as they are in the PATH environment variable.
- mspaint
- diskmgmt.msc
- explorer
These commands also work in CMD.
The commands below work in the Run Dialog, but they are not in the PATH environment variable, and they do not work in CMD.
How does Run know where these files are?
The Answer
SuperUser contributor w32sh has the answer for us:
When you execute a command from the Run Dialog, the system looks at the App Paths registry keys here:
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths
and
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths
Example
- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\filezilla.exe
(Default) value data has the full path to the executable. If it is not found, it looks at each folder included in the PATH, whereas CMD (the Command Prompt) does not reference these registry keys, it only searches the PATH.
Have something to add to the explanation? Sound off in the comments. Want to read more answers from other tech-savvy Stack Exchange users? Check out the full discussion thread here.
Notifications are obnoxious. Few of us actually need a “ding!” from our pocket every time we get a new email. But some emails are more important, and you might want to hear about them immediately with a notification.
Computers are like anything else. Myths and urban legends have built up over time, passed from person to person. Some myths once had a grain of truth, but are no longer true thanks to technological progress.
Google didn’t announce any shiny new Chromebooks at Google I/O. Instead, they highlighted their two big “platforms” — Chrome and Android. Whether you’re using Windows, Linux, or Mac, Google will be bringing the Chrome OS experience to you.
Today we are going to show you a nifty new shortcut built into Windows 8 that lets you capture everything that’s on your screen–this is the first time that Windows has really included a built-in way to capture screenshots.
It’s a tale as old as mobile technology time: buy a new phone or gadget, buy a new 12v car charger for it, repeat again next year. We’re here to give you some simple advice. Stop it. The days of device specific car chargers are over. Read on as we outline why you should switch and what products we
Do you get too many newsletters and other promotional emails? These emails aren’t technically “spam” — they’re from legitimate organizations. Thanks to the US CAN-SPAM act, every legitimate company offers a consistent way to unsubscribe from their newsletters.
Malwarebytes Anti-Malware is a great security tool that’s particularly effective against “potentially unwanted programs (PUPs)” and other nasty software traditional antivirus programs don’t deal with. But it’s intended to be used alongside an antivirus and doesn’t replace one entirely.
The Task Manager in Windows 8 and 10 has been completely overhauled. It’s easier-to-use, slicker, and more feature-packed than ever. Windows 8 may be all about Metro, but the Task Manager and Windows Explorer are better than ever.
Computer networking is filled with jargon that isn’t self-explanatory. Here’s a quick overview of many of the terms you’ll see when you glance at the network status information on any device.
Internet connection problems can be frustrating. Rather than mashing F5 and desperately trying to reload your favorite website when you experience a problem, here are some ways you can troubleshoot the problem and identify the cause.