"node server.js" works, but "npm start"cannot find node - node.js

Question

Answers to similar questions here and here do not resolve my issue.
In an empty directory I create a file 'server.js' all it does is a console.log('hello'). Running this file with "node server.js" runs fine. But after "npm init -y" running through "npm start" gives:
npm start
The system cannot find the path specified.
> prj#1.0.0 start E:\projects\prj
> node server.js
/bin/bash: node: command not found
npm ERR! code ELIFECYCLE
npm ERR! syscall spawn
npm ERR! file bash
npm ERR! errno ENOENT
npm ERR! prj#1.0.0 start: `node server.js`
npm ERR! spawn ENOENT
npm ERR!
npm ERR! Failed at the prj#1.0.0 start script.
npm ERR! This is probably not a problem with npm. There is likely additional logging output above.
npm WARN Local package.json exists, but node_modules missing, did you mean to install?
The detailed logfile reports correct versions of npm and node. And all of this is after an uninstall/reinstall of node.js.
Any hints on how to troubleshoot/fix appreciated.
project directory:
E:\prj
package.json
package-lock.json
server.js
package.json is the default after npm init:
{
"name": "prj",
"version": "1.0.0",
"description": "",
"main": "server.js",
"scripts": {
"test": "echo \"Error: no test specified\" && exit 1",
"start": "node server.js"
},
"keywords": [],
"author": "",
"license": "ISC"
}