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I'm trying to install gitflow on Windows 8 Enterprise, and whenever I run git clone --recursive git://github.com/nvie/gitflow.git I get a fatal: write error: Invalid argument. The clone works with https, but it'll fail when trying to clone the submodule. And the location doesn't matter, it still fails no matter where I open Bash. Also, Git will say "cloning into: 'gitflow'" before reporting the error.

GIT_TRACE=1 and -v don't tell me anything useful in trying to debug this error. Does anyone have any idea how to solve this issue? Am I missing something I need to install? My Git version is 1.8.1.2.

Benedict Lee
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This is probably because the project you're trying to clone contains a symbolic link: https://github.com/nvie/gitflow/blob/develop/gitflow-shFlags

I do not know why it would work through https and not the git protocol but after cloning it with https, you can replace the symbolic link with a windows symlink (as suggested here: Git Symlinks in Windows)

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deubeuliou
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  • The main problem I'm looking at is why the git protocol doesn't work, rather than the symlink issue, because the only time it fails is when it encounters a git protocol link. If I start with a git protocol link, it fails without even cloning anything; if I start with https, it'll fail when it encounters a submodule with a git protocol link. Also, if I use `git config --global url."https://".insteadOf git://` the clone will work, so the problem really lies in the git protocol somehow. – Benedict Lee May 15 '13 at 23:34
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Check your firewall. git:// protocol uses TCP port 9418.

https://serverfault.com/questions/189070/what-firewall-ports-need-to-be-open-to-allow-access-to-external-git-repositories

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Leif Gruenwoldt
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Just to help people who wind up here many years later... if your file names have a colon in them in the repo this is valid on unix but not on windows. You will get the same error. Having files like directory/C:\logs is a bad idea in general so it should be easy to correct.

ojblass
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