Windows git bash - child processes see system PATH environment variable instead of user...

This happens on my Windows 7 Home Premium x64 SP1 Desktop, but not on my Windows 10 Pro x64 laptop.

Everything used to work fine until I updated my Desktop to the latest version of Git (the laptop has the same version but was a totally clean install as it is a new laptop)

Edward@Edward-PC MINGW64 /f/Work $ echo $PATH ...(USER PATH)...

Edward@Edward-PC MINGW64 /f/Work $ cmd Microsoft Windows [Version 6.1.7601] Copyright (c) 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

F:\Work>echo %PATH% echo %PATH% ...(SYSTEM PATH)...

The same is true of any child process (e.g. node.js) - they all see SYSTEM PATH now instead of USER PATH. I have tried clean reinstalling git. I have tried both the 64-bit and 32-bit versions of git.

Used Process Explorer to investigate the environment of the processes on the 2 machines. The only significant difference I can see is the PATH variable in cmd.exe.

If I double-click bash.exe (instead of the shortcut to git-bash.exe) then the user PATH is seen by child processes. Double clicking git-bash.exe, still has the problem. Running bash -l from a cmd window, has the problem.

Run bash.exe, then sh echo $PATH // Shows user path cmd echo %PATH% // Now shows system path So bash saw user path, sh saw user path but then cmd was passed the system path?!

Run bash.exe followed by cmd, cmd, cmd, etc - cmd always sees user path. So bash -l and sh both see user path but then only forward system path to child processes...

sh definitely used to work as well as the git bash shortcut (I know because I run git bash > grunt > sh and that now sees the wrong/incomplete path when before it was working fine)

I have spent most of this frustrating day trying to figure out what is going wrong but do not have a clue.

I have no .bashrc or .bash_profile files on either system (no idea what these are for but a colleague was trying to help diagnose the problem - they ultimately came up empty). As far as I can tell the 2 systems are set up exactly the same (apart from the different Windows versions of course). Path length is not an issue as the (working) laptop has a huge path whereas the (not working) desktop has less than 500 characters.

Unfortunately I don't know what version of git I had before, and older versions aren't offered for download so I can't trial and error. Really wishing I hadn't upgraded!

Any assistance would be much appreciated as I am totally pulling my hair out now.

Many thanks and kind regards,

Edward Marshall