# vtkExecutableRunner : ported to Windows ?

**URL:** https://discourse.vtk.org/t/vtkexecutablerunner-ported-to-windows/7501
**Category:** Support
**Created:** [December 26, 2021, 10:58pm UTC](https://discourse.vtk.org/t/vtkexecutablerunner-ported-to-windows/7501 "2021-12-26T22:58:16Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![Nicholas\_Yue](https://discourse.vtk.org/user_avatar/discourse.vtk.org/nicholas_yue/32/3751_2.png) [@Nicholas\_Yue](https://discourse.vtk.org/u/Nicholas_Yue)
#### Post date: [December 26, 2021, 10:58pm UTC](https://discourse.vtk.org/t/vtkexecutablerunner-ported-to-windows/7501/1 "2021-12-26T22:58:16Z")

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I am able to run the command “echo HELLO WORLD” via vtkExecutableRunner on Linux but not on Windows. I get the following errors. Any suggestion as to how I might be able to fix it ?

```auto
2021-12-26 14:54:06.152 ( 0.012s) []vtkExecutableRunner.cxx:161 ERR| vtkExecutableRunner (000001B0BC4EBB60): Child process administration error: The system cannot find the file specified
runner->GetStdOut() =
runner->GetStdErr() =

```

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### Author: ![mwestphal](https://discourse.vtk.org/user_avatar/discourse.vtk.org/mwestphal/32/19_2.png) [@mwestphal](https://discourse.vtk.org/u/mwestphal)
#### Post date: [December 27, 2021, 1:33pm UTC](https://discourse.vtk.org/t/vtkexecutablerunner-ported-to-windows/7501/2 "2021-12-27T13:33:08Z")

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@Timothee_Chabat

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### Author: ![Timothee\_Chabat](https://discourse.vtk.org/user_avatar/discourse.vtk.org/timothee_chabat/32/3234_2.png) [@Timothee\_Chabat](https://discourse.vtk.org/u/Timothee_Chabat)
#### Post date: [December 27, 2021, 1:57pm UTC](https://discourse.vtk.org/t/vtkexecutablerunner-ported-to-windows/7501/3 "2021-12-27T13:57:45Z")

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Program execution is vastly different between Unix and Windows world, and the `vtkExecutableRunner` class does not wrap these differences. This class just assum the program you try to launch is in the `PATH` and nothing else. On Linux there are builtin commands such as `echo`, but on windows there is no such thing.

To be able to run a command on Windows one must encapsulate it around a shell, like so :

```auto
cmd.exe /c \"echo Hello World\"

```

See [https://gitlab.kitware.com/vtk/vtk/-/blob/master/Common/System/Testing/Cxx/TestExecutableRunner.cxx](https://gitlab.kitware.com/vtk/vtk/-/blob/master/Common/System/Testing/Cxx/TestExecutableRunner.cxx) for an example.