>>* I am attempting to use the shell script `emacs.bash' that is provided*
>
> Could you explain why you don't ust use emacsclient directly (together
> with its -a argument)?

Your question prompts the question "Why does `etc/emacs.bash' exist at all?"

The reason for `emacs.bash' to exist is to provide a single, consistent
command for editing a file from the bash shell prompt, namely, 'edit'.

It is certainly possible to use alternatives to avoid the problems described,
but if `etc/emacs.bash' is to be included in the Emacs distribution then it
should work for that distribution.

In brief, here are the two problems restated (for EmacsW32):

1. `etc/emacs.bash' does not check for the file `~/.emacs.d/server/server'
   that is created when `server-start' is invoked from EmacsW32.  As a result,
   `emacsclient' is not invoked by the shell function `edit' that is created
   when `etc/emacs.bash' is sourced.

2. When `server-start' (in `lisp/server.el') is invoked during the Emacs
   shutdown process, it does not remove the file `~/.emacs.d/server/server'
   that it created when it was initially invoked.  Consequently, additional
   calls to the shell function 'edit' do not work properly -- namely, `edit'
   should invoke `emacs' instead of `emacsclient' when there is no instance
   of the emacs's server running.

These problems should be fixed so that `edit' works for EmacsW32 as it does
for Emacs on other platforms.  Some possible fixes were suggested in the
original problem report.