Mailing List Archive

Fwd: Query re Windows and adding Clamav to the system "environmental variables"
Hi,

Is it possible to run "clanscan - r <directory>" and "freshclam" from a
command prompt without the need of going into the C:\Program Files\ClamAV
folder to start or run these .exe's?

I tried adding the ";C:\Program Files\ClamAV" to my Windows 8.1 machine set
of system environmental variables, restarted the Command Prompt in Admin
mode and tried running "clamscan" and "freshclam" but nothing was working.
Also did a full restart and that didn't work either.

I know I'm chancing my arm on it but if it works for other programs, I
guessed it may work for clamav .exe files also.

See screenshot attached.

Please note the program works as expected when I enter in to "C:\Program
Files\ClamAV".

Regards
Fergus Courtney
Re: Fwd: Query re Windows and adding Clamav to the system "environmental variables" [ In reply to ]
--On Friday, June 09, 2023 3:45 PM +0100 Fergus Courtney via clamav-users
<clamav-users@lists.clamav.net> wrote:

> Is it possible to run "clanscan - r <directory>" and "freshclam" from a
> command prompt without the need of going into the C:\Program Files\ClamAV
> folder to start or run these .exe's?
>
> I tried adding the ";C:\Program Files\ClamAV" to my Windows 8.1 machine
> set of system environmental variables, restarted the Command Prompt in
> Admin mode and tried running "clamscan" and "freshclam" but nothing was
> working. Also did a full restart and that didn't work either.
>
> I know I'm chancing my arm on it but if it works for other programs, I
> guessed it may work for clamav .exe files also.
>
> See screenshot attached.
>
> Please note the program works as expected when I enter in to "C:\Program
> Files\ClamAV".

Commands run from a command prompt are searched for using the PATH
environment variable. This is true of all the popular operating systems.

<https://www.maketecheasier.com/what-is-the-windows-path/>

As a rule, when running a system program from a script or batch file, use
the full path. Quoted for Windows, since MS sticks a space in "Program
Files". That insures that a malicious program can't trick your script into
running its own version of a program.



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Re: Fwd: Query re Windows and adding Clamav to the system "environmental variables" [ In reply to ]
I managed to fix the issue. Under System -> Advanced System Settings ->
Environment Variables, I edited the 'Path' system environment variable and
added the following text at the beginning of the string, using a semi-colon
as the required separator: 'C:\Program Files\ClamAV'. Now, 'clamscan.exe'
and 'freshclam.exe' work as expected when I enter them into the Command
Prompt or the Command Line Interpreter. I had mistakenly added the text
'C:\Program Files\ClamAV' to the 'ComSpec' variable area, which caused my
issue. I apologize for wasting your time; I'm not the most proficient
Windows user or fan. I also thought about whether this functionality would
be useful to others and if it should be added to the online documentation
page at docs.clamav.net. Just a thought.

On Fri, 9 Jun 2023 at 17:37, Kenneth Porter <shiva@sewingwitch.com> wrote:

> --On Friday, June 09, 2023 3:45 PM +0100 Fergus Courtney via clamav-users
> <clamav-users@lists.clamav.net> wrote:
>
> > Is it possible to run "clanscan - r <directory>" and "freshclam" from a
> > command prompt without the need of going into the C:\Program Files\ClamAV
> > folder to start or run these .exe's?
> >
> > I tried adding the ";C:\Program Files\ClamAV" to my Windows 8.1 machine
> > set of system environmental variables, restarted the Command Prompt in
> > Admin mode and tried running "clamscan" and "freshclam" but nothing was
> > working. Also did a full restart and that didn't work either.
> >
> > I know I'm chancing my arm on it but if it works for other programs, I
> > guessed it may work for clamav .exe files also.
> >
> > See screenshot attached.
> >
> > Please note the program works as expected when I enter in to "C:\Program
> > Files\ClamAV".
>
> Commands run from a command prompt are searched for using the PATH
> environment variable. This is true of all the popular operating systems.
>
> <https://www.maketecheasier.com/what-is-the-windows-path/>
>
> As a rule, when running a system program from a script or batch file, use
> the full path. Quoted for Windows, since MS sticks a space in "Program
> Files". That insures that a malicious program can't trick your script into
> running its own version of a program.
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
>
> Manage your clamav-users mailing list subscription / unsubscribe:
> https://lists.clamav.net/mailman/listinfo/clamav-users
>
>
> Help us build a comprehensive ClamAV guide:
> https://github.com/Cisco-Talos/clamav-documentation
>
> https://docs.clamav.net/#mailing-lists-and-chat
>