'c:\program' is not recognized as a command

[ghsamm]

'c:\program' is not recognized as a command

[run-time]

I hit this error running the very first how-to-npm verify command.

I decided to uninstall nodejs from the default location C:\Program Files\nodejs
Then install it to this location instead C:\nodejs

Doing this got me a little further but the command still failed...

I looked at the proposed fix here...
https://github.com/npm/how-to-npm/pull/17/files

And manually made the following change to see if it would get me any further...

Making the change above got me past the first how-to-npm verify command...

Pardon the detailed response but us windows users need the most help. People running into this error need how-to-npm the most! 😆

[8fdafs2]

If you have the error you may try run 'how-to-npm' in 'Node.js command prompt'.

[IanLawrence]

@jgbbarreiros it only works if you run Node.js command prompt as Administrator user. If you do not you still get the error below

[linclark]

Yes, this is very likely related to the Windows path. Thanks for posting the issue, we'll have to look into it.

[sejoker]

I have the same problem with chapter 5 as @ghsamm has, but in addition I have failed validation of the first chapter ( I am also Windows 7 user):
verifying that npm is installed...
Uh oh! npm had a problem! {"killed":false,"code":1,"signal":null}
'c:\Program' is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.
#########################################

YOUR SOLUTION IS NOT CORRECT!

#########################################

[jsjaimohan]

Error is reproducible : same as ghsamm 's

[gitting]

This seems to be related to https://www.npmjs.com/package/which that returns escaped path to node.exe, but doesn't escape blanks. That is, it would be C:\\Program Files\\nodejs\\node.exe instead of C:\\Program\ Files\\nodejs\\node.exe.

As a temp fix one could edit problems' js files that have that "problem" and remove references to which and just assign 'npm' to npm variable where which.sync(...) was used.

There's where command on windows similar to which on linux so maybe it'd make sense to get rid of which package altogether and use those instead.

EDIT:

I looked a bit more into it and it doesn't seem which package problem. Somehow the verify causes windows cmd.exe with /s flag which causes the subsequent command interpretation to fail.

[ghsamm]

thank you @gitting this is working just replace var
npm = require('which').sync('npm')
with
var npm = "npm"

[No9]

Should we convert this into a pull request as +5 folks had it tonight nodeschool dublin?

[rustybailey]

Just wanted to add my +1 to this. Got this error on Windows 8. @ghsamm 's solution worked, but not doing a PR yet -- first I'm just curious why require('which').sync('npm') was there in the first place? Is there any harm in just using 'npm'?

[gitting]

@rustybailey - good question, and I have wondered as well. At least in Windows, if where finds npm then npm can be used by itself and be found just the same. I would assume that Linux's which works the same way.

+1 on Windows 8.1. Happening on all steps after '05 Login'.

Glad to see it has already been noted nonetheless!

[CKcaesar]

verifying that npm is installed...
Uh oh! npm had a problem! {"killed":false,"code":1,"signal":null,"cmd":"C:\Win
dows\system32\cmd.exe /s /c "D:\Program Files\nodejs\npm.CMD --version""}

'D:\Program' �����ڲ����ⲿ���Ҳ���ǿ����еij���
���������ļ���
#########################################

YOUR SOLUTION IS NOT CORRECT!

#########################################

same thing happens to me

[No9]

Hey @isaacs @mmalecki @linclark with nodeschool Intl only a couple of weeks away any chance we can have #17 reviewed and pushed by someone from the
"wombat distribution unit" ? :)
Thanks

[pcgeek86]

+1 same issue here. Running how-to-npm verify on Windows 10 Build 10130 inside of PowerShell 5.0. I'm a bit surprised that the issue hasn't been resolved after months of reported issues.

Code needs to properly plan for spaces in filesystem paths. :)

Cheers,
Trevor Sullivan
Microsoft MVP: PowerShell

[jgbbarreiros]

I think this was made to run on the Node.js command prompt. There it works fine for me.

[ashleygwilliams]

related: #19 #32 #33 #17

[divo93]

Getting the same error.

[cannelflow]

i was also getting same error then tried this using nodejs cmd it worked

[nickpapasavvas]

@run-time Thank you for the solution I had the same problem (windows 10, npm 3.10.5) at the exercises 00, 02,07 and your solution worked for all of them. Thanks a lot!!

[sahil-lakhwani]

@ghsamm Thank you for the solution.

[watilde]

#108 is shipeed as v2.4.1. Closing as resolved :)

[jszabo98]

Still a bug? https://stackoverflow.com/questions/72518859/npx-isnt-working-on-powershell-or-cmd-even-using-the-right-file-types