Solved .bat files not running ..?

m0zzy · Feb 17, 2024

Im signed up to this forum in a desperate attempt to fix this without having to reinstall windows 11 again ..
so is i REALLY hope someone can help / fix this ... long story short ...>

when i run a .bat file, its saying that .. ^^^
Ive searched and tried EVERYTHING for 2 days trying to fix it ..
its like Windows doesnt know what a .bat file is ..
Its saying it 'cannot find' even tho ive obviously just double clicked on it ..
Please OB1, u are my only hope ........
(If theres anything been put on the 'net within the last 2 yrs, ive tried it .. )

Thanks in advance ..

thecaretaker · Feb 17, 2024

Make a copy of the .bat file and change it to a .txt file. Look at it in notepad or similar and check that where it is looking. In that example above it is showing your 'D' drive. I'm guessing Windows is stored on your 'C' drive. Just alter the 'D' to 'C' and change its name back to .bat. Right click the .bat file and choose run as administrator.

EDIT: Have you checked that path to see if the file actually exists? It's running the .bat file but not finding the path in it.

OAT · Feb 17, 2024

m0zzy said:
Im signed up to this forum in a desperate attempt to fix this without having to reinstall windows 11 again ..
so is i REALLY hope someone can help / fix this ... long story short ...>
View attachment 87482

when i run a .bat file, its saying that .. ^^^
Ive searched and tried EVERYTHING for 2 days trying to fix it ..
its like Windows doesnt know what a .bat file is ..
Its saying it 'cannot find' even tho ive obviously just double clicked on it ..
Please OB1, u are my only hope ........
(If theres anything been put on the 'net within the last 2 yrs, ive tried it .. )

Thanks in advance ..

Hi @m0zzy , welcome,
One question: Do you CCleaner by any chance?

Try3 · Feb 17, 2024

Create some innocuous text file in that folder & double-click on it. This should prove that the problem is not a folder path problem.
Then try creating another batch file in the same folder [a simple one such as one just containing a Pause command] to see if that has the same problem.

I think your problem might well be a PathExt [system variable] problem because its symptoms match.
Run this command in a Command prompt window
echo %PathExt%
Its response should include
.bat
showing that it knows .bat files are things to be run.
A typical response is
.COM;.EXE;.BAT;.CMD;.VBS;.VBE;.JS;.JSE;.WSF;.WSH;.MSC

If this does prove to be the cause of your problem, you'll need to restore the value of this environment variable. See
List of Environment Variables - TenForumsTutorials
List of Environment Variables - ElevenForumTutorials
Set New User and System Environment Variables - TenForumsTutorials
Path, PathExt - SS64

PathExt is also referred to in Command shell overview - MSDocs and discussed in Order in which command prompt executes files with the same name (a.bat vs a.cmd vs a.exe) - Stack Overflow

All the best,
Denis

LesFerch · Feb 17, 2024

This has been marked as solved without explanation. That doesn't help others visiting here looking for an answer.

Anyhow, I found this interesting discussion on Superuser, but again, no clear answer:

Double Clicking Batch File Windows cannot find file

I've found variants of this question being asked all over the place, and I've attempted all of the actual answer I've found out there (including changing the registry for associations). The basic i...

superuser.com

The usual reason, in my experience, is interference from AV software, but I'm open to other explanations.

m0zzy · Feb 17, 2024

Whoa, sorry ... i went out not expecting so much help .. so THANKS EVERYONE ..
short story long ..>
I got a new computer in Nov, I make games as an hobby so i installed GameMaker Studio, and it needs
Microsoft Visual Studio, GMS has its own built in Compiler, but uses MVS to compile 'better' .. so within
GMS, you point it to a MSV .bat file for it to use its compiler,.. In Nov, this all worked perfectly, but for some reason,
now it doesnt, i just dont know what ive done between then and now...
THanks in advance ..

m0zzy · Feb 17, 2024

thecaretaker said:
Make a copy of the .bat file and change it to a .txt file. Look at it in notepad or similar and check that where it is looking. In that example above it is showing your 'D' drive. I'm guessing Windows is stored on your 'C' drive. Just alter the 'D' to 'C' and change its name back to .bat. Right click the .bat file and choose run as administrator.

EDIT: Have you checked that path to see if the file actually exists? It's running the .bat file but not finding the path in it.

I select it within GM preferences for it to use it, so GM knows its there.. and MVS was originally on the D: drive, when it originally didnt work, so i REinstalled MVS onto the C: drive and still doesnt work,
I have tried to run the .bat file on its own, and it gives me the same error, or aany other .bat file ...

m0zzy · Feb 17, 2024

OAT said:
Hi @m0zzy , welcome,
One question: Do you CCleaner by any chance?

no, but i use WinTools ..

m0zzy · Feb 17, 2024

Try3 said:
Create some innocuous text file in that folder & double-click on it. This should prove that the problem is not a folder path problem.
Then try creating another batch file in the same folder [a simple one such as one just containing a Pause command] to see if that has the same problem.

I think your problem might well be a PathExt [system variable] problem because its symptoms match.
Run this command in a Command prompt window
echo %PathExt%
Its response should include
.bat
showing that it knows .bat files are things to be run.
A typical response is
.COM;.EXE;.BAT;.CMD;.VBS;.VBE;.JS;.JSE;.WSF;.WSH;.MSC

If this does prove to be the cause of your problem, you'll need to restore the value of this environment variable. See
List of Environment Variables - TenForumsTutorials
List of Environment Variables - ElevenForumTutorials
Set New User and System Environment Variables - TenForumsTutorials
Path, PathExt - SS64

PathExt is also referred to in Command shell overview - MSDocs and discussed in Order in which command prompt executes files with the same name (a.bat vs a.cmd vs a.exe) - Stack Overflow

All the best,
Denis

I did ^^ that, and this was the outcome > C:\Users\m0zzy>echo %PathExt%
.COM;.EXE;.BAT;.CMD;.VBS;.VBE;.JS;.JSE;.WSF;.WSH;.MSC ..
so the .bat is there ...

Try3 · Feb 17, 2024

So why have you marked this thread as solved?
If it was by accident, just un-solve it so people know you still want help.

You commented on the third test I suggested.
What were the results of the first two tests?

Denis

m0zzy · Feb 17, 2024

Try3 said:
So why have you marked this thread as solved?
If it was by accident, just un-solve it so people know you still want help.

You commented on the third test I suggested.
What were the results of the first two tests?

Denis

Sorry, i didnt realise i had..
Sorry, but it says .. "If this does prove to be the cause of your problem" ..
and the first test proved to not be the cause of the problem ..
It isnt just the one .bat file, its any of them in any folder ..

Berton · Feb 17, 2024

Just a weird thought, have you tried putting the .bat file on the Desktop and run from there for testing? I've seen times where a .bat file wouldn't work when it was in the folder mentioned in the Path, something about not regressing to the beginning.

m0zzy · Feb 17, 2024

WELL!!!! ... I will Eat My Hat!!!

LesFerch said:
This has been marked as solved without explanation. That doesn't help others visiting here looking for an answer.

Anyhow, I found this interesting discussion on Superuser, but again, no clear answer:

Double Clicking Batch File Windows cannot find file

I've found variants of this question being asked all over the place, and I've attempted all of the actual answer I've found out there (including changing the registry for associations). The basic i...

superuser.com

The usual reason, in my experience, is interference from AV software, but I'm open to other explanations.

I looked in ^^^ THAT Forum, and someone right at the bottom says they just copied the
cmd.exe from his other computer and it worked .. so i tried that ..
*** It worked *** , tho ... my laptop has W10 and this is W11 .. would that matter .?

THANKS ALL..!!