Keep in mind that (from perldoc -f system):

... If there is only
one scalar argument, the argument is checked for shell
metacharacters, and if there are any, the entire argument is
passed to the system's command shell for parsing

So, you may want to make sure you don't use any shell metacharacters, and/or that you use the LIST form of system, as your particular shell might be limiting the command-line (or causing other problems).