> Unfortunately, a major blunder in editing this file has left the system > unable to execute lots of basic commands like locate, update, vi, more, less > and no doubt lots of others. I am unable to re-edit the $PATH variable as vi > will not load, neither will other editors. :-| > > However the system will execute commands like echo, ls, cd, shutdown and so > on. Is the system now past repair and will a complete re-install of the OS > be necessary? If so, it just shows how easily a determined newbie can mess > up a system!
You have obviously removed some of the directories from your $PATH. You will need to use the full path when you type in your commands until you fix it. You could type: /bin/vi /etc/profile to re-edit the file. Here are a couple of tips about vi. If you make a mistake, you can undo it by pressing 'u'. If you completely stuff it up, you can close the file without saving it by typing ':q!'. It is also a good idea sometimes to backup a file before you edit it. This is especially true if you are not going to be able to remember how to get the file back to the way it was if it doesn't do what you expected. -- Later David Kirk ** Beware the dreaded GMail reply-to header if replying to this message **
