[FFmpeg-user] trouble installing ffmpeg

[Dan Bridges]

On 23/07/2020 7:18 am, Jake McGaker wrote:
> "'C:\ffmpeg' is not recognized as an internal or
> external command,"

This means that you are trying to run ffmpeg.exe from the the root
directory i.e. "c:\". What you need to do is put ffmpeg.exe (and any
associated AV utility programs) in a directory that's included in  the
directory list stored in in Windows PATH environmental variable. For
example, when I type path PATH at the cmd prompt to see what directories
are listed in my Windows PATH environmental variable:

PATH=C:\Mingw\media-autobuild_suite-master\local64\bin-video;C:\Mingw\media-autobuild_suite-master\local64\bin-audio;C:\ProgramData\Oracle\Java\javapath;C:\Program
Files
(x86);C:\WINDOWS\system32;C:\WINDOWS;C:\WINDOWS\System32\Wbem;C:\WINDOWS\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\;C:\Program
Files (x86)\GNU\GnuPG;C:\Program Files (x86)\WinMerge;C:\Program Files
(x86)\NVIDIA Corporation\PhysX\Common;C:\Program Files
(x86)\QuickTime\QTSystem\;C:\WINDOWS\system32;C:\WINDOWS;C:\WINDOWS\System32\Wbem;C:\WINDOWS\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\;C:\Program
Files (x86)\Windows Live\Shared;C:\Program Files (x86)\Common
Files\Acronis\VirtualFile\;C:\Program Files (x86)\Common
Files\Acronis\VirtualFile64\;C:\Program Files (x86)\Common
Files\Acronis\SnapAPI\;C:\Program Files\nodejs\;C:\Program
Files\gnuplot\bin;C:\WINDOWS\System32\OpenSSH\;C:\Program Files
(x86)\Gpg4win\..\GnuPG\bin;C:\Program
Files\dotnet\;C:\Users\Dan\AppData\Local\Microsoft\WindowsApps;d:\YouTube_dl;C:\Users\Dan\AppData\Roaming\npm;C:\Program
Files (x86)\AutoIt3;C:\Program Files
(x86)\AutoIt3\Aut2Exe;c:\utilities;C:\Program
Files\VideoLAN\VLC;C:\Program Files\smartmontools\bin

Because I'm using Autobuild to compile FFMPEG under Windows, I've got
"C:\Mingw\media-autobuild_suite-master\local64\bin-video" in this list
because that's where Autobuild creates ffmpeg.exe. Otherwise I'd have it
stored in "C:\utilities" which is where I place a host of small useful
programs.

Say I type FFMPEG and press Enter, the Windows command processor looks
for ffmpeg.com, ffmpeg.exe, ffmpeg.cmd, ffmpeg.bat, and I think
ffmpeg.vbs (Visual BASIC program). It looks for these programs first in
the current directory, then in my PATH list of directories.

To get instructions on how to alter of add to the list of  in your PATH:

* In Settings, in the search box, type PATH, and click on "Edit the
system environmental variables".
* Click on "Environmental Variables" button.
* In the"System  variables" box, select the "path" entry, and then 
click on the "Edit" button.
* Click on the "New" button and add the directory where ffmpeg.exe is
situated e.g. C:\Utilities

See here for a screengrab: 
https://dll.dropbox.com/s/622mvi71vw798vx/Editing_path_list.jpg

Note: in widows File Explorer you can create a directory ("New folder"
option) and then copy or move ffmpeg.exe to it.  To get to a cmd prompt
in this specific directory, navigate to it so it's showing in the File
Explorer's address bar. Then type in this box "cmd" and  press Enter.

Dan.