Troubleshooting Common Setup Issues

This lesson is a reference guide for solving common setup problems.

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Return here whenever you encounter issues.

VS Code Issues

Problem: VS Code Won't Install

Symptoms:

Installation fails
"Access denied" error
Installation freezes

Problem: VS Code Crashes on Launch

Problem: Terminal Won't Open

Symptoms:

Ctrl + ` does nothing
Terminal panel doesn't appear
Error message when opening

Problem: Extensions Not Showing/Installing

Node.js Issues

Problem: "node" Not Recognized

Symptoms:

node --version shows "not recognized" or "command not found"

Problem: npm Permissions Errors

Symptoms:

"EACCES" errors
"permission denied" when installing

Problem: Wrong Node Version

Symptoms:

Very old version (v10, v12)
Feature compatibility issues

Git Issues

Problem: "git" Not Recognized

Symptoms:

git --version shows "not recognized" or "command not found"

Problem: Git Configuration Not Saving

Symptoms:

git config user.name shows nothing
Have to reconfigure each time

Problem: Git Line Ending Warnings

Symptoms:

"LF will be replaced by CRLF" warnings
Weird diffs in files

Live Server Issues

Problem: Live Server Not Starting

Symptoms:

Right-click doesn't show "Open with Live Server"
Nothing happens when clicked

Problem: Browser Doesn't Open

Problem: Changes Not Auto-Refreshing

Platform-Specific Issues

Mac: "Unidentified Developer" Warning

When opening VS Code or other apps:

Windows: PowerShell Execution Policy

Symptoms:

Scripts won't run
"Running scripts is disabled" error

Windows: Long Path Errors

Symptoms:

"Path too long" errors
npm install fails

General Troubleshooting Steps

When something doesn't work, try these in order:

Restart VS Code
Restart your computer
Check internet connection
Reinstall the problematic component
Search the error message online
Ask in course community/forums

Getting Help

If you're still stuck, include this information when asking:

When Asking for Help, Include:

Operating System (Windows 10, Mac Ventura, Ubuntu 22.04)
Exact error message (screenshot or copy/paste)
What you were trying to do
What you already tried
Output of version commands:
node --version npm --version git --version

Where to Ask:

Course community/Discord
Stack Overflow (search first!)
GitHub issues for specific tools

Module 1 Complete!

🎉 Congratulations!

You've completed Module 1: The Great Migration.

What You Accomplished:

✅ Reviewed Course 1 concepts
✅ Understood why local development matters
✅ Installed VS Code with essential extensions
✅ Installed Node.js and npm
✅ Installed and configured Git
✅ Verified your environment
✅ Created and ran your first local project

You Now Have:

A professional development environment ready for serious coding!

Module Quiz

📝 Quiz

1/7

What is VS Code?

Next Module

Module 2: The Anatomy of Code

Dive deep into HTML, CSS, and JavaScript — understanding the code AI writes for you!