Why does the MATLAB installer quit unexpectedly on a Windows machine with no PATH environment variable?

The MATLAB installation fails near completion with the following error:

 The application encountered and unexpected error and needs to close.  More information can be found at C:\...\mathworks_<username>.log

Answer 1

[MathWorks Support Team]

This bug has been fixed in Release 2012a (R2012a). For previous product releases, read below for any possible workarounds:

The error is most likely being caused by a lack of PATH environment variable on your system. You can work around the error by manually creating the missing environment variable following the instructions below:

1) Open the Windows Control Panel

2) Select 'System'

3) Select 'Advanced system settings'. A 'System Properties' window will open.

4) Select the 'Advanced' tab

5) Select the 'Environment Variables' button

6) Add a new 'System variable' named "PATH" with a value "C:\Program Files"