title: "node server.js" works, but "npm start"cannot find node
body: <p>Answers to similar questions <a href="https://stackoverflow.com/questions/39920909/npm-start-error-but-node-index-js-works">here</a> and <a href="https://stackoverflow.com/questions/31362021/npm-start-vs-node-app-js">here</a> do not resolve my issue.</p>
  
  <p>In an empty directory I create a file 'server.js' all it does is a console.log('hello'). Running this file with "node server.js" runs fine. But after "npm init -y" running through "npm start" gives:</p>
  
  <pre><code>npm start  
  The system cannot find the path specified.
  
  &gt; prj@1.0.0 start E:\projects\prj
  &gt; node server.js
  
  /bin/bash: node: command not found
  npm ERR! code ELIFECYCLE
  npm ERR! syscall spawn
  npm ERR! file bash
  npm ERR! errno ENOENT
  npm ERR! prj@1.0.0 start: `node server.js`
  npm ERR! spawn ENOENT
  npm ERR!
  npm ERR! Failed at the prj@1.0.0 start script.
  npm ERR! This is probably not a problem with npm. There is likely additional logging output above.
  npm WARN Local package.json exists, but node_modules missing, did you mean to install?
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>The detailed logfile reports correct versions of npm and node. And all of this is after an uninstall/reinstall of node.js.</p>
  
  <p>Any hints on how to troubleshoot/fix appreciated. </p>
  
  <p>project directory:</p>
  
  <pre><code>E:\prj
   package.json
   package-lock.json
   server.js   
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>package.json is the default after npm init:</p>
  
  <pre><code>{
   "name": "prj",
   "version": "1.0.0",
   "description": "",
   "main": "server.js",
   "scripts": {
     "test": "echo \"Error: no test specified\" &amp;&amp; exit 1",
     "start": "node server.js"
     },
   "keywords": [],
   "author": "",
   "license": "ISC"
  }
  </code></pre>