Getting errors when using GitHub for Windows

Question

I suddenly got errors when I was using git last week, for no apparent reason. I only have access to a windows PC.

The errors I\'m getting doesn\'t seem to give me an

Answer 1

I encountered the same problem on my laptop and I spent a lot of time to understand and to solve it. Here is my experience.

The git error message (Couldn't open /dev/null (or dup failed) : No such file or directory) is a linux/unix one. In fact, what git is trying to say is that it cannot access to the null device of your system. In windows, there is a actually a null device that corresponds to an empty and invisible file, present in each folder.

1. Here you can open a window console (cmd) and type the command echo sample > nul. If you get an error message, you actually have a problem with your null device.

2. Identifying the problem :

   • Open the Device Manager
   • Menu View > Show hidden devices
   • Search for Null in Non-Plug and Play Drivers

3. If it exists but is in warning, try this (source) :

   • Control Panel > Power Options
   • Change Plan Settings
   • Change Advanced Power Settings
   • Multimedia Settings
   • When sharing media > Setting : a setting other than Allow the Computer to Enter Away Mode
   • Restart the computer : if the problem continues, I would suggest you to backup the %SystemRoot%\system32\drivers\null.sys, remove the Null device (Right click > Uninstall) and go the the step 4.

4. If it doesn't exist (or the step 3 doesn't repair the problem and after removing the Null device) :

   • Install the Null device by following this How-To (for Windows XP but it also works for Vista).
   • Restart the computer.