This is a cross-post from the Install / Config forum...
I'm running ArcGIS 10 (service pack 1) on Windows XP. Any changes I make to the Environment Settings will not save, and are gone when I restart ArcMap.
For example: when I change the "Current Workspace" or "Scratch Workspace", then save settings "To Default", the values are not saved.
The default GP environment for new ArcMap documents is the state of toolboxes and environment written by ArcCatalog on exit. For existing ArcMap documents, the GP environment is saved and recalled from the .mxd.
Although Save As Default is documented to work, it has never worked very well for me, probably because I still like to use ArcCatalog and that overwrites whatever I wrote with "Save As Default."
Here's the bit from the 10.0 online help:
Default settings in ArcCatalog
Steps: - Open ArcCatalog. - Click Geoprocessing > Geoprocessing Environments. - Set the environments to the values you want to use as default. - Exit ArcCatalog. The environment settings you made are saved.
Any new ArcMap, ArcScene, or ArcGlobe document you create will use the settings you made in ArcCatalog.
