Home Folder Is Searched First When You Try to Run a Program (264061)

IMPORTANT: This article contains information about modifying the registry. Before you modify the registry, make sure to back it up and make sure that you understand how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For information about how to back up, restore, and edit the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

256986 Description of the Microsoft Windows Registry

SYMPTOMS

If you have a home folder set and you try to run a program by clicking Start and then clicking Run, Windows searches your home folder for the program before searching the path. If your home folder is on the network, this creates unnecessary network traffic if the program is located on the local computer.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Windows 2000. For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

260910 How to Obtain the Latest Windows 2000 Service Pack

Required Registry Change

WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

This fix is activated by using a registry entry. To activate the fix, add a REG_DWORD value named StartRunNoHOMEPATH in the following registry key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

Set the the data value to a value higher than 0 to activate the fix. Doing so causes Windows not to search the current working folder (which is the home folder by default) first when you start a program by clicking Start and then clicking Run. However, if the HOMEDRIVE variable is listed in the path, Windows will search it (in the order in which it exists in the PATH environment variable).