developer-environment-setup

🔍 Error Reference Guide

Complete reference for common error codes and solutions.

Installation Errors

ERROR: Setup script not found

Error Message:

The term '.\scripts\setup.ps1' is not recognized

Cause: Script execution policy blocked or incorrect path

Solution:

# Enable execution policy
Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser -Force

# Verify script exists
Get-ChildItem scripts\

# Run from correct directory
cd developer-environment-setup
.\scripts\setup.ps1

ERROR: Admin rights required

Error Message:

This script should be run as Administrator

Cause: Script needs elevated privileges

Solution:

  1. Right-click PowerShell
  2. Select “Run as administrator”
  3. Try script again

ERROR: Internet connection failed

Error Message:

Failed to download: Unable to connect to the remote server

Cause: Network issue or server unavailable

Solution:

# Check internet
Test-NetConnection www.google.com

# Check specific server
Test-NetConnection nodejs.org -Port 443

# Try again after waiting
# Or manually download installers

Node.js Errors

ERROR: node: command not found

Error Message:

node : The term 'node' is not recognized

Cause: Node.js not installed or not in PATH

Solutions:

  1. Reinstall Node.js from https://nodejs.org
  2. Add to PATH during installation
  3. Close and reopen PowerShell
  4. Restart computer

ERROR: npm ERR! 404 Not Found

Error Message:

npm ERR! 404 Not Found - GET https://registry.npmjs.org/package-name

Cause: Package doesn’t exist or typo in name

Solution:

# Check package name
npm search package-name

# Verify correct spelling
npm install correct-package-name

ERROR: npm ERR! code EACCES

Error Message:

npm ERR! code EACCES
npm ERR! syscall open
npm ERR! path /usr/local/lib/node_modules

Cause: Permission denied

Solution:

# Run as administrator
# Or use --no-save-dev flag
npm install package-name --no-save-dev

# Or clear cache
npm cache clean --force
npm install

ERROR: npm ERR! code ENOENT

Error Message:

npm ERR! code ENOENT
npm ERR! syscall open
npm ERR! path C:\path\package.json

Cause: Missing package.json file

Solution:

# Create package.json
npm init -y

# Or run from project root
cd my-project
npm install

Python Errors

ERROR: python: command not found

Error Message:

python : The term 'python' is not recognized

Cause: Python not installed or not in PATH

Solution:

  1. Download Python 3.11+ from https://www.python.org
  2. Important: Check “Add Python to PATH”
  3. Complete installation
  4. Restart PowerShell and computer

ERROR: ModuleNotFoundError

Error Message:

ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'requests'

Cause: Module not installed or not in current venv

Solution:

# Activate venv
venv\Scripts\activate

# Install module
pip install requests

# Or install from requirements
pip install -r requirements.txt

# Check if installed
pip show requests

ERROR: No module named venv

Error Message:

No module named venv

Cause: venv not available (Python missing or broken)

Solution:

# Check Python version
python --version

# Should be 3.3+, if not reinstall

# Try this to create venv
python -m venv venv

# If still fails, reinstall Python

Git Errors

ERROR: fatal: not a git repository

Error Message:

fatal: not a git repository (or any of the parent directories): .git

Cause: Not inside a Git repository

Solution:

# Initialize git
git init

# Or navigate to repository
cd my-project

# Or clone repository
git clone https://github.com/user/repo.git

ERROR: fatal: Authentication failed

Error Message:

fatal: Authentication failed for 'https://github.com/user/repo.git'

Cause: Wrong credentials or expired token

Solution:

HTTPS:

  1. Create personal access token on GitHub
  2. Use token instead of password
  3. GitHub → Settings → Developer settings → Personal access tokens

SSH:

# Generate SSH key
ssh-keygen -t ed25519

# Add to SSH agent
ssh-add $env:USERPROFILE\.ssh\id_ed25519

# Add public key to GitHub
# GitHub → Settings → SSH and GPG keys

ERROR: Your local changes would be overwritten

Error Message:

error: Your local changes to the following files would be overwritten by merge:

Cause: Uncommitted changes conflict with pull

Solution:

# Stash changes
git stash

# Pull changes
git pull

# Apply stashed changes
git stash pop

# Or discard changes
git reset --hard
git pull

Docker Errors

ERROR: Cannot connect to Docker daemon

Error Message:

error during connect: This error may indicate that the docker daemon is not running

Cause: Docker Desktop not running

Solution:

  1. Open Docker Desktop
  2. Wait for it to start (watch taskbar)
  3. Try command again
  4. If failing, restart Docker Desktop

ERROR: Port is already allocated

Error Message:

Error response from daemon: driver failed programming external connectivity on endpoint

Cause: Port already in use

Solution:

# Find process using port
netstat -ano | findstr :5432

# Kill process (replace PID)
taskkill /PID 1234 /F

# Or change port in docker-compose.yml
# Or stop conflicting container
docker-compose down

ERROR: insufficient space on device

Error Message:

docker: Error response from daemon: "write error: insufficient space on device"

Cause: Out of disk space

Solution:

# Clean up Docker
docker system prune

# Remove volumes
docker volume prune

# Remove images
docker image prune

# Full cleanup
docker system prune -a --volumes

ERROR: docker-compose command not found

Error Message:

docker-compose : The term 'docker-compose' is not recognized

Cause: docker-compose not installed

Solution:

# Modern Docker uses docker compose (space, not dash)
docker compose --version

# Or install separately
pip install docker-compose

# Or update Docker Desktop

VS Code Errors

ERROR: code: The term ‘code’ is not recognized

Error Message:

code : The term 'code' is not recognized

Cause: VS Code not in PATH

Solution:

  1. Reinstall VS Code
  2. Check “Add to PATH” during installation
  3. Close and reopen PowerShell
  4. Or use full path

ERROR: Extension installation failed

Error Message:

Error: ENOENT: no such file or directory

Cause: VS Code corrupted or permission issue

Solution:

# Clear VS Code cache
rm -r $env:APPDATA\Code\User\globalStorage

# Uninstall and reinstall VS Code

# Or try installing extension from command line
code --install-extension ms-python.python

Network Errors

ERROR: Connection refused

Error Message:

connect ECONNREFUSED 127.0.0.1:5432

Cause: Service not running on port

Solution:

# Check if Docker running
docker ps

# Start Docker services
docker-compose up -d

# Verify service is listening
Test-NetConnection localhost -Port 5432

ERROR: DNS resolution failed

Error Message:

getaddrinfo ENOTFOUND registry.npmjs.org

Cause: Network or DNS issue

Solution:

# Check internet
Test-NetConnection www.google.com

# Test DNS
nslookup registry.npmjs.org

# Change npm registry
npm config set registry https://registry.npmjs.org/

# Or use different registry
npm config set registry https://registry.npmmirror.com

Compilation Errors

ERROR: cc: command not found

Error Message:

fatal error: 'node.h' file not found
compilation terminated.

Cause: C++ compiler missing

Solution:

# Install Visual Studio Build Tools
# Or install with npm
npm install --global windows-build-tools

# Then try npm install again
npm install

Memory Errors

ERROR: JavaScript heap out of memory

Error Message:

FATAL ERROR: CALL_AND_RETRY_LAST Allocation failed

Cause: Process needs more memory

Solution:

# Increase heap size
node --max-old-space-size=4096 script.js

# Or for npm install
npm install --max_old_space_size=4096

File Permission Errors

ERROR: Permission denied

Error Message:

Error: EACCES: permission denied, open 'file.txt'

Cause: File permission issue

Solution:

# Check file permissions
get-acl file.txt

# Run as administrator
# Or recreate file with proper permissions

Configuration Errors

ERROR: .env file not loaded

Error Message: App crashes or environment variables undefined

Cause: .env file not loaded in code

Solution:

// Add to top of file
require('dotenv').config();
// or
import dotenv from 'dotenv';
dotenv.config();

General Debugging

Get More Details

# Enable verbose output
npm install --verbose

# Or
pip install -v package-name

# Or
docker-compose logs -f

Check System

# System info
systeminfo

# PowerShell version
$PSVersionTable.PSVersion

# Check PATH
$env:PATH -split ';'

Search for Solution

  1. Copy exact error message
  2. Search on Google
  3. Search on Stack Overflow
  4. Check official documentation
  5. Open GitHub issue

Still Stuck?

  1. Run diagnostic commands above
  2. Check TROUBLESHOOTING.md
  3. Check FAQ.md
  4. Open GitHub Issue
  5. Start GitHub Discussion