readme – Dario's Learning Journey

Technical learning notes, conference insights, and development guides

Author

Dario Airoldi

Published

August 8, 2025

Keywords

learning, development, azure, dotnet, conference, documentation

PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

cloning a repository with Visual Studio fails with the following error:

Clone repo	Fatal error

ANALYSIS

Visual studio has grants to the folder as I could create a file Visual Studio file access

the issue also happens running visual studio with admin rights

cloning the repo unders the user profile WORKS!

cloning it under drive e: fails as shown above.

SOLUTION

cloning the repo from the command line or by means of Visual studio code works fine!
alt text

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

File System: E: drive is formatted with ReFS (Resilient File System)

ROOT CAUSE

The issue is caused by ReFS compatibility problems with Visual Studio’s Git integration:

ReFS vs NTFS: Visual Studio’s Git wrapper has known issues with ReFS file system
File System Calls: VS Git may use older Win32 APIs that don’t handle ReFS metadata correctly
File Locking: ReFS’s different file locking behavior conflicts with VS Git operations
Symbolic Links: ReFS handles symbolic links differently, which can confuse VS Git

WHY ALTERNATIVES WORK

Command Line Git: Uses standard Git binary with better ReFS support
VS Code: Uses standard Git binary, not Visual Studio’s wrapper
User Profile (C: drive): Typically formatted with NTFS, not ReFS

REFERENCES

Known Issues and Bug Reports

Visual Studio Developer Community: Git clone fails on ReFS drives
GitHub Issues: Search for Visual Studio ReFS Git issues in microsoft/visualstudio repository
Stack Overflow: Visual Studio Git operations on ReFS drives
Microsoft Tech Community: ReFS compatibility issues with Visual Studio

Solution Documentation

Alternative Git Clients (Recommended)

Git for Windows: Official Git for Windows - Works correctly with ReFS
VS Code Git Integration: Using Git source control in VS Code
Git Command Line: Git Documentation - Standard Git binary with ReFS support

Visual Studio Git Documentation

Visual Studio Git Experience: Git experience in Visual Studio | Microsoft Learn
Git Settings in VS: Git settings and preferences | Microsoft Learn

ReFS Technical Documentation

ReFS Overview: Resilient File System (ReFS) overview | Microsoft Learn
ReFS vs NTFS: ReFS vs. NTFS | Microsoft Learn
ReFS Architecture: ReFS architecture and performance | Microsoft Learn
ReFS Features: ReFS features | Microsoft Learn

## PROBLEM DESCRIPTION cloning a repository with Visual Studio fails with the following error: | Clone repo | Fatal error | |--------|--------| | ![Clone Repository](<images/001.01 clonerepo.png>) | ![Fatal Error](<images/001.02 fatal error.png>) | ## ANALYSIS Visual studio has grants to the folder as I could create a file <img src="images/002.01 visual studio file access.png" alt="Visual Studio file access" width="600"> the issue also happens running visual studio with admin rights <img src="images/002.02 admin rights.png" alt="Admin rights" width="600"> cloning the repo unders the user profile WORKS!<br> <img src="images/002.03 clone under user profile.png" alt="Clone under user profile" width="600"> cloning it under drive e: fails as shown above. ## SOLUTION cloning the repo from the command line or by means of Visual studio code works fine!<br> ![alt text](<images/003.01a clone with vscode.png>) ## ADDITIONAL INFORMATION **File System**: E: drive is formatted with ReFS (Resilient File System) ![alt text](<images/visual studio version.png>) ## ROOT CAUSE The issue is caused by **ReFS compatibility problems** with Visual Studio's Git integration: - **ReFS vs NTFS**: Visual Studio's Git wrapper has known issues with ReFS file system - **File System Calls**: VS Git may use older Win32 APIs that don't handle ReFS metadata correctly - **File Locking**: ReFS's different file locking behavior conflicts with VS Git operations - **Symbolic Links**: ReFS handles symbolic links differently, which can confuse VS Git ## WHY ALTERNATIVES WORK - **Command Line Git**: Uses standard Git binary with better ReFS support - **VS Code**: Uses standard Git binary, not Visual Studio's wrapper - **User Profile (C: drive)**: Typically formatted with NTFS, not ReFS ## RECOMMENDED SOLUTIONS ### Short-term Workarounds: 1. **Use VS Code or Command Line** for Git operations on ReFS drives 2. **Clone to NTFS drive first**, then copy to ReFS if needed 3. **Use Git Bash or PowerShell** instead of Visual Studio's integrated Git ### Long-term Solutions: 1. **File a bug report** with Microsoft Visual Studio team about ReFS compatibility 2. **Format drive as NTFS** if ReFS features aren't essential for your use case 3. **Wait for Visual Studio updates** that improve ReFS compatibility ### Alternative Approach: - Keep source code on NTFS drive (C:) - Use ReFS drive (E:) for data/build outputs that benefit from ReFS features ## REFERENCES ### Known Issues and Bug Reports - **Visual Studio Developer Community**: [Git clone fails on ReFS drives](https://developercommunity.visualstudio.com/search?space=8&q=ReFS+Git) - **GitHub Issues**: Search for "Visual Studio ReFS Git" issues in microsoft/visualstudio repository - **Stack Overflow**: [Visual Studio Git operations on ReFS drives](https://stackoverflow.com/search?q=visual+studio+git+refs+drive) - **Microsoft Tech Community**: [ReFS compatibility issues with Visual Studio](https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/search?q=ReFS%20Visual%20Studio%20Git) ### Solution Documentation #### Alternative Git Clients (Recommended) - **Git for Windows**: [Official Git for Windows](https://gitforwindows.org/) - Works correctly with ReFS - **VS Code Git Integration**: [Using Git source control in VS Code](https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/sourcecontrol/overview) - **Git Command Line**: [Git Documentation](https://git-scm.com/doc) - Standard Git binary with ReFS support #### Visual Studio Git Documentation - **Visual Studio Git Experience**: [Git experience in Visual Studio | Microsoft Learn](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/visualstudio/version-control/git-with-visual-studio) - **Git Settings in VS**: [Git settings and preferences | Microsoft Learn](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/visualstudio/version-control/git-settings) #### ReFS Technical Documentation - **ReFS Overview**: [Resilient File System (ReFS) overview | Microsoft Learn](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/storage/refs/refs-overview) - **ReFS vs NTFS**: [ReFS vs. NTFS | Microsoft Learn](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/storage/refs/refs-overview#comparison-of-refs-and-ntfs) - **ReFS Architecture**: [ReFS architecture and performance | Microsoft Learn](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/storage/refs/refs-overview#refs-architecture) - **ReFS Features**: [ReFS features | Microsoft Learn](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/storage/refs/refs-overview#feature-comparison)