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I needed psexec and copied into C:\Windows. A youTube tutorial example shows creating an additional folder and adding the folder to the path.

Is there any advantage or reason to create a folder and modify the path?

Update

Although this factoid is tangentially related to the question at-best, it may be useful:

If you don't specify the path of the program you want to execute, PsExec looks in the \windows\system32 directory of the remote system.

gatorback
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  • Please leave constructive feedback if downvoted: I would like to understand if the critique is with the subject matter or the communication – gatorback Feb 25 '17 at 13:57
  • " PsExec looks in the \windows\system32 directory of the remote system" - this applies to psexec behavior and it isn't related to your question - where to keep psexec locally. Regardless location where you start psexec, it will do the same. – Alex Feb 25 '17 at 20:47

2 Answers2

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No.

The video you reference is called "How to install psexec".

What a worthless video. PSExec doesn't need to be "installed". You could download it from https://live.sysinternals.com/Tools/ and run it from whatever location it is stored.

You could also try running this:

net start WebClient \\Live.sysinternals.com\Tools\PsExec.exe

(Although, that method may be slow. I've also heard that firewalls can often prevent that from working. On other system, though, it works like a charm.)

The bottom line is that since PsExec doesn't require any external data files, you simply need the operating system to find the executable. That can be done by placing the program in a location that is already in the PATH, or creating a new folder and adding that folder to the PATH, or just specifying the entire location right on the command line. (Use quotation marks if needed, e.g., "C:\My Location\PSExec.exe" ...) The big difference is just going to be a matter of "ease of use", and there may be different opinions on what is easier, so simply do whatever you find easier.

For instance, some places might have C:\Windows locked down so that a standard (non-"administrator") user cannot write to that directory. If you are using such a computer, making a new directory may be easier. Placing that directory in the PATH is completely optional, but can free you from needing to type the PATH. If you only plan to run the program once and then deleting the program once your task is finished, then fussing with the PATH is a waste of time. Ultimately, the best advice I can give is to do whatever seems easiest for you.

TOOGAM
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If you need just a psexec then there no needs to create additional folder, it will be automatically in the PATH if you drop it to C:\Windows. I just guessing that the person from youtube video probably using the whole package pstools that include many utilities besides of psexec, so in a future if you'll decide to upgrade it, it will be easy to navigate to dedicated for pstools folder and simply unpack archive there. I can't see any additional profit for an extra folder.

Alex
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  • using c:\windows for things that need path is messy though. I tend to create a seperate folder for such things and add it to path. – Journeyman Geek Feb 25 '17 at 08:03
  • @JourneymanGeek I think it just matter of personal preferences. Since psexec is now part of Microsoft, I can't see any negative effects if it would be in Windows folder as well as any other useful utilities that expand OS capabilities. Windows folder already set in PATH and it has appropriate permissions that protecting executables, so no need to mess with it too and it will automatically applied to all users with the same permissions as any other system programs. – Alex Feb 25 '17 at 08:38