PATH, exxec-path and early-init file [Windows]

[Angelo Graziosi <angelo.g0@libero.it>]

The following regards the build of EMACS MASTER on Windows with MSYS2/MINGW64, whose tree is installed in C:\Emacs.

Trying to not add "C:/msys64/mingw64/bin" at level of Windows PATH, I added this to the init.el file (from https://emacs.stackexchange.com/questions/27326/gui-emacs-sets-the-exec-path-only-from-windows-environment-variable-but-not-from):

(add-to-list 'exec-path "C:/msys64/mingw64/bin")
(setenv "PATH" (mapconcat #'identity exec-path path-separator))

This almost works in the sense that I lose a few graphics elements (the tool bar icons are grayed, those of speed bar are completely lost etc.). So I moved those line to an early-init.el file. Indeed the Emacs manual says:

"...early-init.el. This file is loaded before the package system and GUI is initialized..."

"We do not recommend that you move into early-init.el customizations that can be left in the normal init files. That is because the early init file is read before the GUI is initialized..."

But the result is the same. 

In short without a correct Windows PATH it does not find all the libraries it needs.

It seems that what stated by the manual is a bit confusing: if early-init.el is loaded before GUI initialization, why shouldn't it work?

In any case is there a way to avoid to modify Windows PATH?