diff --git a/nvm.sh b/nvm.sh
index 0e19598..c716d28 100755
--- a/nvm.sh
+++ b/nvm.sh
@@ -487,11 +487,25 @@ nvm_strip_path() {
     -e "s#${NVM_DIR}/versions/[^/]*/[^/]*${2-}[^:]*##g"
 }
 
-nvm_prepend_path() {
+nvm_change_path() {
+  # if there’s no initial path, just return the supplementary path
   if [ -z "${1-}" ]; then
-    nvm_echo "${2-}"
+    nvm_echo "${3-}${2-}"
+  # if the initial path doesn’t contain an nvm path, prepend the supplementary
+  # path
+  elif [ "$(expr "${1-}" : ".*${NVM_DIR}/[^:]*${2-}.*")" = 0 ] || \
+       [ "$(expr "${1-}" : ".*${NVM_DIR}/versions/[^/]*/[^/]*${2-}.*")" = 0 ]; then
+    nvm_echo "${3-}${2-}:${1-}"
+  # use sed to replace the existing nvm path with the supplementary path. This
+  # preserves the order of the path.
   else
-    nvm_echo "${2-}:${1-}"
+    nvm_echo "${1-}" | command sed \
+      -e "s#${NVM_DIR}/[^/]*${2-}[^:]*:#${3-}${2-}:#g" \
+      -e "s#:${NVM_DIR}/[^/]*${2-}[^:]*#:${3-}${2-}#g" \
+      -e "s#${NVM_DIR}/[^/]*${2-}[^:]*#${3-}${2-}#g" \
+      -e "s#${NVM_DIR}/versions/[^/]*/[^/]*${2-}[^:]*:#${3-}${2-}:#g" \
+      -e "s#:${NVM_DIR}/versions/[^/]*/[^/]*${2-}[^:]*#:${3-}${2-}#g" \
+      -e "s#${NVM_DIR}/versions/[^/]*/[^/]*${2-}[^:]*#${3-}${2-}#g"
   fi
 }
 
@@ -2658,18 +2672,14 @@ nvm() {
       local NVM_VERSION_DIR
       NVM_VERSION_DIR="$(nvm_version_path "$VERSION")"
 
-      # Strip other version from PATH
-      PATH="$(nvm_strip_path "$PATH" "/bin")"
-      # Prepend current version
-      PATH="$(nvm_prepend_path "$PATH" "$NVM_VERSION_DIR/bin")"
+      # Change current version
+      PATH="$(nvm_change_path "$PATH" "/bin" "$NVM_VERSION_DIR")"
       if nvm_has manpath; then
         if [ -z "$MANPATH" ]; then
           MANPATH=$(manpath)
         fi
-        # Strip other version from MANPATH
-        MANPATH="$(nvm_strip_path "$MANPATH" "/share/man")"
-        # Prepend current version
-        MANPATH="$(nvm_prepend_path "$MANPATH" "$NVM_VERSION_DIR/share/man")"
+        # Change current version
+        MANPATH="$(nvm_change_path "$MANPATH" "/share/man" "$NVM_VERSION_DIR")"
         export MANPATH
       fi
       export PATH
@@ -3168,7 +3178,7 @@ nvm() {
         nvm_ensure_default_set nvm_get_arch nvm_get_os \
         nvm_print_implicit_alias nvm_validate_implicit_alias \
         nvm_resolve_alias nvm_ls_current nvm_alias \
-        nvm_binary_available nvm_prepend_path nvm_strip_path \
+        nvm_binary_available nvm_change_path nvm_strip_path \
         nvm_num_version_groups nvm_format_version nvm_ensure_version_prefix \
         nvm_normalize_version nvm_is_valid_version \
         nvm_ensure_version_installed nvm_cache_dir \
@@ -3241,6 +3251,8 @@ nvm_supports_xz() {
 }
 
 nvm_auto() {
+  local NVM_CURRENT
+  NVM_CURRENT="$(nvm_ls_current)"
   local NVM_MODE
   NVM_MODE="${1-}"
   local VERSION
@@ -3252,11 +3264,13 @@ nvm_auto() {
       nvm install >/dev/null
     fi
   elif [ "_$NVM_MODE" = '_use' ]; then
-   VERSION="$(nvm_resolve_local_alias default 2>/dev/null || nvm_echo)"
-    if [ -n "$VERSION" ]; then
-      nvm use --silent "$VERSION" >/dev/null
-    elif nvm_rc_version >/dev/null 2>&1; then
-      nvm use --silent >/dev/null
+    if [ "_$NVM_CURRENT" = '_system' ]; then
+      VERSION="$(nvm_resolve_local_alias default 2>/dev/null || nvm_echo)"
+      if [ -n "$VERSION" ]; then
+        nvm use --silent "$VERSION" >/dev/null
+      elif nvm_rc_version >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+        nvm use --silent >/dev/null
+      fi
     fi
   elif [ "_$NVM_MODE" != '_none' ]; then
     nvm_err 'Invalid auto mode supplied.'
diff --git "a/test/fast/Running \"nvm deactivate\" should unset the nvm environment variables." "b/test/fast/Running \"nvm deactivate\" should unset the nvm environment variables."
index af9ecef..3eb1b3f 100755
--- "a/test/fast/Running \"nvm deactivate\" should unset the nvm environment variables."	
+++ "b/test/fast/Running \"nvm deactivate\" should unset the nvm environment variables."	
@@ -6,19 +6,19 @@ mkdir -p ../../v0.2.3
 
 die () { echo "$@" ; exit 1; }
 
-[ `expr $PATH : ".*v0.2.3/.*/bin"` = 0 ] || echo "WARNING: Unexpectedly found v0.2.3 already active" >&2
+[ `expr $PATH : ".*v0.2.3/.*/bin.*"` = 0 ] || echo "WARNING: Unexpectedly found v0.2.3 already active" >&2
 
 \. ../../nvm.sh
 
 nvm use --delete-prefix v0.2.3 || die "Failed to activate v0.2.3"
-[ `expr "$PATH" : ".*v0.2.3/.*/bin"` != 0 ] || die "PATH not set up properly"
-[ `expr "$NODE_PATH" : ".*v0.2.3/.*/lib/node_modules"` = 0 ] || die "NODE_PATH should not contain (npm root -g)"
-[ `expr "$NVM_BIN" : ".*v0.2.3/bin"` != 0 ] || die "NODE_BIN should contain bin directory path"
-[ `expr "$NVM_PATH" : ".*v0.2.3/lib/node"` != 0 ] || die "NODE_PATH should contain lib node directory path"
+[ `expr "$PATH" : ".*v0.2.3/.*/bin.*"` != 0 ] || die "PATH not set up properly"
+[ `expr "$NODE_PATH" : ".*v0.2.3/.*/lib/node_modules.*"` = 0 ] || die "NODE_PATH should not contain (npm root -g)"
+[ `expr "$NVM_BIN" : ".*v0.2.3/bin.*"` != 0 ] || die "NODE_BIN should contain bin directory path"
+[ `expr "$NVM_PATH" : ".*v0.2.3/lib/node.*"` != 0 ] || die "NODE_PATH should contain lib node directory path"
 # ^ note: NODE_PATH should not contain `npm root -g` since globals should not be requireable
 
 nvm deactivate || die "Failed to deactivate v0.2.3"
-[ `expr "$PATH" : ".*v0.2.3/.*/bin"` = 0 ] || die "PATH not cleaned properly"
-[ `expr "$NODE_PATH" : ".*v0.2.3/.*/lib/node_modules"` = 0 ] || die "NODE_PATH not cleaned properly"
+[ `expr "$PATH" : ".*v0.2.3/.*/bin.*"` = 0 ] || die "PATH not cleaned properly"
+[ `expr "$NODE_PATH" : ".*v0.2.3/.*/lib/node_modules.*"` = 0 ] || die "NODE_PATH not cleaned properly"
 [ "_$NVM_BIN" = "_" ] || die "NVM_BIN should be unset: got '$NVM_BIN'"
 [ "_$NVM_PATH" = "_" ] || die "NVM_PATH should be unset: got '$NVM_PATH'"
diff --git a/test/fast/Unit tests/nvm_change_path b/test/fast/Unit tests/nvm_change_path
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..621729f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fast/Unit tests/nvm_change_path	
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+
+die () { echo "$@" ; exit 1; }
+
+\. ../../../nvm.sh
+
+TEST_PATH=/usr/bin:/usr/local/bin
+
+# New version dir
+NEW_PATH=`nvm_change_path "$TEST_PATH" "/bin" "$NVM_DIR/versions/node/v7.1.0"`
+
+[ "$NEW_PATH" = "$NVM_DIR/versions/node/v7.1.0/bin:/usr/bin:/usr/local/bin" ] || die "Not correctly changed: $NEW_PATH "
+
+# Old version dir
+NEW_PATH=`nvm_change_path "$TEST_PATH" "/bin" "$NVM_DIR/v0.1.2"`
+
+[ "$NEW_PATH" = "$NVM_DIR/v0.1.2/bin:/usr/bin:/usr/local/bin" ] || die "Not correctly changed: $NEW_PATH "
+
+
+TEST_PATH=/home/user/code/test/node_modules/.bin:$NVM_DIR/versions/node/v4.5.0/bin:/usr/bin:/usr/local/bin
+
+# New version dir
+NEW_PATH=`nvm_change_path "$TEST_PATH" "/bin" "$NVM_DIR/versions/node/v7.1.0"`
+
+[ "$NEW_PATH" = "/home/user/code/test/node_modules/.bin:$NVM_DIR/versions/node/v7.1.0/bin:/usr/bin:/usr/local/bin" ] || die "Not correctly changed: $NEW_PATH "
+
+# Old version dir
+NEW_PATH=`nvm_change_path "$TEST_PATH" "/bin" "$NVM_DIR/v0.1.2"`
+
+[ "$NEW_PATH" = "/home/user/code/test/node_modules/.bin:$NVM_DIR/v0.1.2/bin:/usr/bin:/usr/local/bin" ] || die "Not correctly changed: $NEW_PATH "
+
+
+EMPTY_PATH=
+
+# New version dir
+NEW_PATH=`nvm_change_path "$EMPTY_PATH" "/bin" "$NVM_DIR/versions/node/v7.1.0"`
+
+[ "$NEW_PATH" = "$NVM_DIR/versions/node/v7.1.0/bin" ] || die "Not correctly prepended: $NEW_PATH "
+
+# Old version dir
+NEW_PATH=`nvm_change_path "$EMPTY_PATH" "/bin" "$NVM_DIR/v0.1.2"`
+
+[ "$NEW_PATH" = "$NVM_DIR/v0.1.2/bin" ] || die "Not correctly prepended: $NEW_PATH "
diff --git a/test/fast/Unit tests/nvm_prepend_path b/test/fast/Unit tests/nvm_prepend_path
deleted file mode 100755
index 37df3f9..0000000
--- a/test/fast/Unit tests/nvm_prepend_path	
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,18 +0,0 @@
-#!/bin/sh
-
-die () { echo "$@" ; exit 1; }
-
-\. ../../../nvm.sh
-
-TEST_PATH=/usr/bin:/usr/local/bin
-
-NEW_PATH=`nvm_prepend_path "$TEST_PATH" "$NVM_DIR/v0.2.5/bin"`
-
-[ "$NEW_PATH" = "$NVM_DIR/v0.2.5/bin:/usr/bin:/usr/local/bin" ] || die "Not correctly prepended: $NEW_PATH "
-
-
-EMPTY_PATH=
-
-NEW_PATH=`nvm_prepend_path "$EMPTY_PATH" "$NVM_DIR/v0.2.5/bin"`
-
-[ "$NEW_PATH" = "$NVM_DIR/v0.2.5/bin" ] || die "Not correctly prepended: $NEW_PATH "