I needed to add a new entry to my PATH variable. This is a common activity for me in my job, but I've recently started using Windows 8. I assumed the process would be similar to Windows 7, Vista, XP...

Here's my sequence of events:

1. Open System properties (Start-> [type "Control Panel"] -> Control Panel\System and Security\System -> Advanced system settings -> Environment Variables)
2. Add the new path to beginning of my USER PATH variable (C:\dev\Java\apache-ant-1.8.4\bin;)
3. Opened a command prompt (Start -> [type "command prompt" enter] -> [type "path" enter]

My new path entry is not available (see attached image and vide). I Duplicated the exact same process on a Windows 7 machine and it worked.

EDIT

Windows 8 Environment Variables and Command Prompt video

EDIT

This is definitely not the behavior of Windows 7. Watch this video to see the behavior I expect working in Windows 7. http://youtu.be/95JXY5X0fII

EDIT 5/31/2013

So, after much frustration, I wrote a small C# app to test the WM_SETTINGCHANGE event. This code receives the event in both Windows 7 and Windows 8. However, in Windows 8 on my system, I do not get the correct path; but, I do in Windows 7. This could not be reproduced in other Windows 8 systems.

Here is the C# code.

using System;
using Microsoft.Win32;

public sealed class App
{
    static void Main()
    {
        SystemEvents.UserPreferenceChanging += new UserPreferenceChangingEventHandler(OnUserPreferenceChanging);

        Console.WriteLine("Waiting for system events.");
        Console.WriteLine("Press <Enter> to exit.");
        Console.ReadLine();
    }

    static void OnUserPreferenceChanging(object sender, UserPreferenceChangingEventArgs e)
    {
        Console.WriteLine("The user preference is changing. Category={0}", e.Category);
        Console.WriteLine("path={0}", System.Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("PATH"));
    }
}

OnUserPreferenceChanging is equivalent to WM_SETTINGCHANGE

C# program running in Windows 7 (you can see the event come through and it picks up the correct path).

C# program running in Windows 8 (you can see the event come through, but the wrong path).

There is something about my environment that is precipitating this problem. However, is this a Windows 8 bug?