[Windows] Error: The system cannot find the path specified

[9812334]

• I have searched for similar issues
• I am using the latest version of npm-check-updates
• I am using node >= 10.17

---

Steps to Reproduce

$ ncu -u

C:\Users\test\AppData\Roaming\npm\node_modules\npm-check-updates\lib\npm-check-updates.js:427
throw err
^
The system cannot find the path specified.
The system cannot find the path specified.

(Use node --trace-uncaught ... to show where the exception was thrown)

I just re-installed the latest node and I still get this error.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks

[raineorshine]

Yes, interesting that there isn't a stack trace. What do you get with ncu --loglevel verbose?

It might be having trouble finding your package.json, as it seems it's not getting that far.

[raineorshine]

@9812334 Any update?

[mborecki]

I have this problem for a couple mounts.

Trace stack shows only this:

$ node --trace-uncaught /c/Users/Marek/AppData/Roaming/npm/node_modules/npm-check-updates/bin/ncu.js

C:\Users\Marek\AppData\Roaming\npm\node_modules\npm-check-updates\lib\npm-check-updates.js:427
  throw err
  ^
System nie mo�e odnale�� okre�lonej �cie�ki.
System nie mo�e odnale�� okre�lonej �cie�ki.

Thrown at:
    at C:\Users\Marek\AppData\Roaming\npm\node_modules\npm-check-updates\lib\npm-check-updates.js:427:3
    at emit (events.js:311:20)
    at processPromiseRejections (internal/process/promises.js:209:33)
    at processTicksAndRejections (internal/process/task_queues.js:98:32)

[raineorshine]

@mborecki What do you get with ncu --loglevel verbose?

[mborecki]

$ node --trace-uncaught /c/Users/Marek/AppData/Roaming/npm/node_modules/npm-che
ck-updates/bin/ncu --loglevel verbose
Initializing...

C:\Users\Marek\AppData\Roaming\npm\node_modules\npm-check-updates\lib\npm-check-updates.js:427
  throw err
  ^
System nie mo�e odnale�� okre�lonej �cie�ki.
System nie mo�e odnale�� okre�lonej �cie�ki.

Thrown at:
    at C:\Users\Marek\AppData\Roaming\npm\node_modules\npm-check-updates\lib\npm-check-updates.js:427:3
    at emit (events.js:311:20)
    at processPromiseRejections (internal/process/promises.js:209:33)
    at processTicksAndRejections (internal/process/task_queues.js:98:32)

BUT
after some debugging and testing I pinpointed problem to this line:

npm-check-updates\lib\npm-check-updates.js:448

  if (options.packageManager === 'npm' && !options.prefix) {
    options.prefix = await packageManagers.npm.defaultPrefix(options)
  }

If I surround defaultPrefix in try..catch ncu works fine for me.

[raineorshine]

BUT
after some debugging and testing I pinpointed problem to this line:

npm-check-updates\lib\npm-check-updates.js:448

  if (options.packageManager === 'npm' && !options.prefix) {
    options.prefix = await packageManagers.npm.defaultPrefix(options)
  }

If I surround defaultPrefix in try..catch ncu works fine for me.

Brilliant! That's super helpful. Would you be willing to find what is failing in defaultPrefix? Does cmd = 'npm' work but not cmd = 'npm.cmd'? Maybe npm.cmd is not always correct on Windows.

This could be a regression from the fix for #146.

[mborecki]

cmd = 'npm' throws spawn npm ENOENT so this is no a fix.

That is what I figured out:

file: npm-check-updates\lib\package-managers\npm.js#185

return spawn(cmd, ['config', 'get', 'prefix']).then(prefix => {

if I add option {shell: true} so...

return spawn(cmd, ['config', 'get', 'prefix'], {shell: true}).then(prefix => {

it works.

Unfortunately I dont realy know consequences (especially on no Win10) of this change, so I will not making PR.

My evn:
Win10
Node: 12.16.1
npm: 6.14.2
ncu: 7.0.3

[raineorshine]

Thanks! I will add the try-catch to avoid any regressions and leave a note to this issue in case someone comes along with a better understanding of the implications. Thanks again for your help!

[raineorshine]

Published to v7.0.4-alpha.1. Will you see if this works?

npm install -g npm-check-updates@next

[mborecki]

@raineorshine
Do not works for me because I don't have english OS and my error is: System nie mo�e odnale�� okre�lonej �cie�ki. - the same but in polish.

[raineorshine]

That makes sense. Will you try now? I removed the error text detection.