Why is my git bash (mingw64) running a nonsense command when using the -c option?

Question

I am getting this at the moment when using git bash:

C:\>bash -c pwd
C:\Program Files\Git\bin\bash.exe: line 1: $'MZ\220\003': command not found
/c

When I use the debbuging option, I get this:

C:\>bash -x -c pwd
+ $'MZ\220\003'
C:\Program Files\Git\bin\bash.exe: line 1: $'MZ\220\003': command not found
+ pwd
/c

What is causing this additional $'MZ\220\003' command to be executed?

This is my scenario:

• Installed git bash from https://git-scm.com/download/win
• Added "C:\Program Files\Git\bin" to my path, above "Windows\System32" to override the bash in there
• I can confirm that bash from my cmd session is using the git version
• I cannot see any .bashrc,.profile or .bash_login entry that could be adding in this command
• I have another sperate Windows machine with the same setup and the command works fine there

Answer 1

Fixed the issue. Not sure if this will ever be of use to anyone else, but I will post my findings.

In my windows environment variables I had mistakenly set the BASH_ENV to the path of the bash exe that I was using (C:\Program files\Git\bin\bash.exe). So I think what was happening was:

1. I run the command bash -c pwd in cmd
2. cmd finds the git bash exe
3. git bash exe runs and tries to load vars from BASH_ENV
4. It finds a path to itself tries to run it?

Weird thing was it actually tried to look for an executable called MZ* .exe in a number of different directories before erroring out. Proc mon shows:

Process monitor screenshot

Also probing the environment, the bash exe showed:

_=$$'MZ\220\003'

Not sure at to the inner workings here, but ultimately deleting that env var solved my issues and I can finally use it as normal (whew...)