commands not waiting, /wait not helping

2 questions:
1) Windows changed the behavior of running a GUI app from a batch file or
cmd prompt so it no longer waits for the app to finish. But on one XP
machine, running a gui app waits, and on another running that same app does
not. Apparently there's a config option somewhere that controls this--anyone
know where?

2) This came about because I'm trying to automate building several
installers. But Wise.exe requires /c as a parameter. If I do
start /wait wise.exe /c "path to .wse script"
I get an error that /c is an invalid switch--apparently for the start command.
I've tried every possible combination of quotations around the pieces, an
extra " " dummy arg, and avoiding the exe and just running the .wse via
implied associations, and nothing works.
Any ideas?
.

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