• 0

[PHP] System('wget') problem


Question

I'm trying to download a file through php using wget. I have the wget exe in system32 and I can use it successfully over the command line but when I try to use it through php I get a 'wget' not found error as shown below.

NoJdJ.png

Here's the code:

<?php 
	system('wget http://site.com/stuff.sql -O data/tmp.sql');
?>

I'm very new to php so if it's something simple don't hurt me :p

Am using Windows 7, PHP 5.3 and also IIS though I haven't show it above.

Thanks!

Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/821596-php-systemwget-problem/
Share on other sites

9 answers to this question

Recommended Posts

  • 0

I'm not using apache however if I use the code:

<?php

	  echo '<pre>';

	  system('cmd /c "dir"', $retval);

	  echo '
	  </pre>
	  <hr />Return value: ' . $retval;

?>

It shows the current directory list on the webpage and works fine =/

I will look through the php.ini file to see where I can declare wget.

  • 0

<?php
if(false === file_exists('wget.exe'))
{
	printf(
		"I cannot find wget.exe, the current working directory is '%s'",
		getcwd()
	);
}
?>

Explorer has global scope, so there can be called regardless of the CWD.

Check your CWD using getCWD().

  • 0

Ah thanks SilverBullet - I've just found that by copying the exe to the root of the C: drive it seems to all work okay.

So now I'm just wondering how do I make it so I can access the wget when it is stored in the System32 directory?

edit: I can also access print the output of the command 'Shutdown.exe -?' which is also only in System32 whereas 'wget' just won't happen :(

Edited by aexphoric
  • 0
  aexphoric said:
Ah thanks SilverBullet - I've just found that by copying the exe to the root of the C: drive it seems to all work okay.

So now I'm just wondering how do I make it so I can access the wget when it is stored in the System32 directory?

edit: I can also access print the output of the command 'Shutdown.exe -?' which is also only in System32 whereas 'wget' just won't happen :(

Certain commands such as explorer, tasman, cmd, shutdown etc are accessible without specifying a path (as SilverBulletUK said). However wget isn't installed by default on Windows computers (I presume you've found a Linux port on the internet somewhere) so you need to specify the full path to the executable. For example instead of just doing system("wget ...."); run system("C:\WINDOWS\System32\wget.exe ....");

  • 0
  Mike said:
if you just want to get a remote file and save it, why not use file_get_contents and file_put_contents?

I didn't know about them, as I said I'm new to php so I'll see what I can find out about them.

  -Alex- said:
Certain commands such as explorer, tasman, cmd, shutdown etc are accessible without specifying a path (as SilverBulletUK said). However wget isn't installed by default on Windows computers (I presume you've found a Linux port on the internet somewhere) so you need to specify the full path to the executable. For example instead of just doing system("wget ...."); run system("C:\WINDOWS\System32\wget.exe ....");

I did try that however it still could not be found, I have no idea why but it just wouldn't happen.

system('C:\Windows\System32\wget.exe http://site.com/stuff.sql -O data/tmp.sql');

Also tried with forward slashes but no luck.

In the end I just copied the binary to the directory php was installed in (c:\program files x86\PHP) and it seems to work without the file path.

However after all that, a new problem came up with deleting the tmp.sql file, can you please look at this code and tell me what's wrong? The folder in the error mentioned below has been given full permissions for IIS_IUSRS.

	if (file_exists('data/tmp.sql')) {
		unlink('data/tmp.sql');
	}

PHP Warning: unlink(data/tmp.sql) [<a href='function.unlink'>function.unlink</a>]: Permission denied in C:\inetpub\wwwroot\Test\Update.php on line 40

Thank you!

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • Showing people how to self host their own media is harmful, according to YouTube by David Uzondu YouTube has taken down a video from tech creator Jeff Geerling that demonstrated how to use LibreELEC, a lightweight operating system for turning devices into media centers, on a Raspberry Pi 5 for 4K video playback. The video, titled "I replaced my Apple TV—with a Raspberry Pi", originally published in May 2024, was removed in June 2025 under YouTube's "Harmful or dangerous content" policy. According to the violation notice, YouTube claimed the video showed "how to get unauthorized or free access to audio or audiovisual content, software, subscription services, or games that usually require payment." Image via Jeff Geerling Geerling strongly refuted YouTube's claims. He stated clearly, "I purposefully avoid demonstrating any of the tools that are popularly used to circumvent purchasing movie, TV, and other media content." He also emphasized that his own Network Attached Storage, or NAS, contains only legally acquired content. This isn't Geerling's first run-in with YouTube over self-hosted media tools. Last October, his tutorial titled "Better than Disney+: Jellyfin on my NAS" was hit with a similar strike for showing how to set up Jellyfin, an open source media server for organizing and streaming personal media. That strike was quickly overturned after an appeal. But this time, YouTube rejected his appeal, even though the LibreELEC video had been live for over a year, had racked up over half a million views, and contained no promotion of anything illegal. This whole thing feels a lot like what happened with youtube-dl. It's a simple command-line tool for downloading videos, used by tons of people for perfectly legal reasons like saving public domain content or backing up their own uploads. But that didn't stop the RIAA from hitting it with a DMCA takedown on GitHub, calling it a piracy tool. The community pushed back hard, and eventually it was brought back, thanks in part to support from groups like the Electronic Frontier Foundation who pointed out that not everything that can be misused is automatically bad. Side note, the youtube-dl project appears to be unmaintained (the last release was in 2021), if you're looking for an alternative, consider its very popular fork, yt-dlp. After the appeal was rejected, YouTube required Geerling to complete "policy training" to avoid a more serious, permanent strike on his channel. He eventually gave in and took the training. Anyways, if you're interested, he has uploaded the removed LibreELEC video to Internet Archive for anyone to watch.
    • Thanks to Herr Musk being a total poison pill, they can't even give those pieces of scrap away.  They can't even ship them to the UK/EU because they're completely illegal over here.  
    • Intel vs AMD? Microsoft seemingly has a clear recommendation for Windows 11 Pro PC upgrade by Sayan Sen Microsoft and its partners are now quite actively and regularly promoting the upgrade to Windows 11. Asus, for example, recently published blog posts about the "mandatory Windows 11 upgrade" that is coming as the Windows 11 end of support date nears. Microsoft itself, from time to time, urges users to upgrade to its newest OS. Back in February 2024, Microsoft released an advert highlighting the best things about Windows 11 over Windows 10. Later, in June in the same year, the tech giant busted "myths and misconceptions" surrounding a Windows 11 upgrade. And towards the end of 2024, in December, Microsoft put up a blog post outlining the gaming features a user enjoys on 11 if they were to upgrade from Windows 10. While technically there is nothing wrong with a company promoting its own product, sometimes these campaigns make little sense and they fall flat. For example, in January earlier this year, Microsoft shared a blog post headlined "Free Upgrade to Windows 11 (For a Limited Time Only)" which did not make sense as it offered little information about it being a "free upgrade," and it was rightfully, later taken down. The company is back again with a new commercial about Windows 11. This time it is aimed mainly at IT professionals and enterprises as the advert talks about upgrading to Windows 11 Pro from Windows 10. This landed a few days after Microsoft released a new backup tool for organizations for such a purpose. What is interesting is that the company is promoting Intel's vPro processors and there is no mention of AMD's Ryzen PRO parts. The commercial is posted on the Windows official YouTube channel and has been titled "Right side of risk | Windows 11 Pro and Intel". The video description says, "Windows 10 support ends October 14. Stay on the right side of risk—upgrade now to the power of Windows 11 Pro PCs with Intel vPro®." AMD does have a support article about the subject headlined "Support Your Customers’ Move to Windows 11, With AMD Ryzen™ PRO Processors" and you can find it here. This is not the first time Microsoft has promoted Intel CPUs over AMD ones. Back in 2021, the company also put up a full page explaining how users should "look for the Intel EVO badge" on a new device before making a purchase decision because such PCs are "verified wonderful" which was a bit of an odd language. Like the limited upgrade time article, the page above was taken down after we reported on it (can be viewed via the archive) and replaced with something else. The new commercial was published about a couple of days ago, and it is possible that Microsoft may have a dedicated AMD advert too in the pipeline scheduled for a later release, and that would only be fair if both companies get a similar treatment.
    • Don’t blame web developers for the downfall of Firefox. 😂
  • Recent Achievements

    • Week One Done
      luxoxfurniture earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • First Post
      Uranus_enjoyer earned a badge
      First Post
    • Week One Done
      Uranus_enjoyer earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Week One Done
      jfam earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • First Post
      survivor303 earned a badge
      First Post
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      436
    2. 2
      +FloatingFatMan
      238
    3. 3
      snowy owl
      216
    4. 4
      ATLien_0
      209
    5. 5
      Xenon
      154
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!