######    As $USER id=1000     ##########

after doing a 
export PATH="$PATH:/lib/:/lib/udev"
(originally it ended with the /usr/games entry)

$ echo $PATH
/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/bin/X11:/usr/games:/lib:/lib/udev

$ vol_id -utl /dev/hda3
/dev/hda3: error open volume



########## As Root id=0  ############

logged into xterm as 'su -'

# vol_id -tu /dev/hda4
-su: vol_id: command not found

# sudo vol_id -tu /dev/hda4
sudo: vol_id: command not found  #which is silly, cauise i'm root already 

# echo $PATH
/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin:/usr/bin/X11

# export PATH="$PATH:/lib"

# echo $PATH
/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin:/usr/bin/X11:/lib/udev

so now we have path to /lib/udev, which now works fine

# vol_id -tu /dev/hda3
ID_FS_USAGE=filesystem
ID_FS_TYPE=reiserfs
ID_FS_VERSION=3.6
ID_FS_UUID=348ef39d-5e88-4261-aee2-bddaf1661cd1
ID_FS_LABEL=EtchTest1
ID_FS_LABEL_SAFE=EtchTest1

I cannot get the $PATH to stick

I did edit (as an attempt to get it to stick) by adding to /root/.bashrc this;

if [ "`id -u`" -eq 0 ]; then
  PATH="/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin:/usr/bin/X11:/lib:/lib/udev"
else
  PATH="/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/bin/X11:/usr/games"
fi

BUT i close the root xterm and reopen it and the /lib/udev part is STILL missing