remove-invalid-paths.ps1

remove-invalid-paths.ps1

# ===============================================
# ACTION 1: REGISTRY BACKUP
# ===============================================

Write-Host "--- Starting Registry Backup ---" -ForegroundColor Yellow

$BackupPath = "C:\RegBackups"

if (-not (Test-Path -Path $BackupPath -PathType Container)) {
    Write-Host "Creating backup directory: $BackupPath"
    New-Item -Path $BackupPath -ItemType Directory | Out-Null
}

$Timestamp = Get-Date -Format "yyyyMMdd_HHmmss"
$BackupFileName = "RegistryBackup_$Timestamp.reg"
$FullBackupFile = Join-Path -Path $BackupPath -ChildPath $BackupFileName

Write-Host "Starting registry export to: $FullBackupFile"

# Use reg.exe to export the full registry (requires Admin rights)
# The 2>&1 redirects stdout and stderr to the same stream for capture, and we check $LASTEXITCODE
$RegExportResult = reg.exe EXPORT HKEY_USERS $FullBackupFile /y 2>&1

if ($LASTEXITCODE -eq 0) {
    Write-Host "✅ Registry backup completed successfully! Proceeding to PATH cleanup." -ForegroundColor Green
    Write-Host "File created: $FullBackupFile"
} else {
    Write-Host "❌ FATAL ERROR: An error occurred during the registry backup." -ForegroundColor Red
    Write-Host "Error details (if available): $RegExportResult" -ForegroundColor Red

    # --- SAFETY EXIT ---
    Write-Host "Exiting script to prevent further actions without a backup." -ForegroundColor Red
    exit 1
    # -------------------
}

Write-Host "--------------------------------" -ForegroundColor Yellow


# ===============================================
# ACTION 2: PATH CLEANUP FUNCTION
# ===============================================
# ... (The Clean-EnvironmentPath function remains the same)

function Clean-EnvironmentPath {
    param(
        [Parameter(Mandatory=$true)]
        [ValidateSet("User", "Machine")]
        [string]$Scope
    )

    if ($Scope -eq "User") {
        $RegKeyPath = "HKCU:\Environment"
    } else {
        $RegKeyPath = "HKLM:\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Environment"
    }

    Write-Host "`n--- Cleaning $($Scope) PATH Variable ---" -ForegroundColor Cyan

    try {
        $CurrentPath = (Get-ItemProperty -Path $RegKeyPath -Name Path -ErrorAction Stop).Path
    } catch {
        Write-Host "Could not retrieve the PATH variable from $RegKeyPath. Skipping." -ForegroundColor Red
        return
    }

    $PathEntries = $CurrentPath -split ';'
    $NewPathEntries = @()
    $InvalidEntries = @()

    foreach ($Entry in $PathEntries) {
        $Entry = $Entry.Trim()
        if ([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($Entry)) {
            continue
        }

        if (Test-Path -Path $Entry -PathType Container) {
            $NewPathEntries += $Entry
        } else {
            $InvalidEntries += $Entry
        }
    }

    if ($InvalidEntries.Count -gt 0) {
        Write-Host "Found $($InvalidEntries.Count) non-existent directories to remove:" -ForegroundColor Yellow
        $InvalidEntries | ForEach-Object { Write-Host "  - $_" }

        $NewPath = $NewPathEntries -join ';'

        try {
            # Note: Using -Type ExpandString is crucial for paths containing environment variables like %SystemRoot%
            Set-ItemProperty -Path $RegKeyPath -Name Path -Value $NewPath -Type ExpandString -Force -ErrorAction Stop
            Write-Host "`n✅ $($Scope) PATH successfully cleaned and updated in the Registry." -ForegroundColor Green

            $env:Path = $NewPath # Update current session
            [System.Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("PATH", $NewPath, $Scope) # Notify other apps
        } catch {
            Write-Host "`n❌ FAILED to write the new PATH to the Registry (Check permissions)." -ForegroundColor Red
        }

    } else {
        Write-Host "✨ No invalid paths found in the $($Scope) PATH variable. No changes made." -ForegroundColor Green
    }
}

# ===============================================
# EXECUTION
# ===============================================

# 1. Clean the CURRENT USER's PATH
Clean-EnvironmentPath -Scope "User"

# 2. Clean the SYSTEM (Machine) PATH (Requires Admin rights)
if (-not ([Security.Principal.WindowsPrincipal][Security.Principal.WindowsIdentity]::GetCurrent()).IsInRole([Security.Principal.WindowsBuiltInRole]::Administrator)) {
    Write-Host "`nSkipping Machine PATH cleanup: Script not run as Administrator." -ForegroundColor Red
} else {
    Clean-EnvironmentPath -Scope "Machine"
}

Write-Host "`n--- Script Finished ---" -ForegroundColor Yellow