"Mike W" <thewittmer@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:wKNbf.54299$5e4.26018@tornado.texas.rr.com...
> I have a utility that performs some windows customizations to
> install/configure XP for an old dos-based program.
> After running the tool, references to %system& in the path environmental
> variable seem to be nullified. For example if I go to cmd and type 'edit'
I
> get an error that reads 'edit' is not a recognized internal/external
> command....If I go into the path variable and change all instances of
> %system% to c:\windows\ this resolves the issue. So, where is %system%
> defined?
>
> Thanks,
> m
>
>

%system% is not a preset environmental variable in WinXP.
Maybe someone changed your %path% definition.