Issue fetching the repository on windows 10 pro version 10.0.19042

[DrewGlinsman]

I was trying to load the repository in a bazel workspace file in windows and I was getting an error while fetching the repository. I was wondering if anyone had any idea why this was happening.

Here's the error:

Error in fail: error running 'git init C:/users/panda/_bazel_panda/un2rq2hy/external/com_github_nelhage_rules_boost' while working with @com_github_nelhage_rules_boost:
java.io.IOException: ERROR: src/main/native/windows/process.cc(202): CreateProcessW("git" init C:/users/panda/_bazel_panda/un2rq2hy/external/com_github_nelhage_rules_boost): The system cannot find the file specified.
(error: 2)
ERROR: no such package '@com_github_nelhage_rules_boost//boost': error running 'git init C:/users/panda/_bazel_panda/un2rq2hy/external/com_github_nelhage_rules_boost' while working with @com_github_nelhage_rules_boost:
java.io.IOException: ERROR: src/main/native/windows/process.cc(202): CreateProcessW("git" init C:/users/panda/_bazel_panda/un2rq2hy/external/com_github_nelhage_rules_boost): The system cannot find the file specified.
(error: 2)

Here's the code in the workspace file for loading this repo:

git_repository(
name = "com_github_nelhage_rules_boost",
commit = "1e3a69bf2d5cd10c34b74f066054cd335d033d71",
remote = "https://github.com/nelhage/rules_boost",
shallow_since = "1591047380 -0700",
)
load("@com_github_nelhage_rules_boost//:boost/boost.bzl", "boost_deps")

boost_deps()

[nelhage]

I'm not a Windows expert but

java.io.IOException: ERROR: src/main/native/windows/process.cc(202): CreateProcessW("git" init C:/users/panda/_bazel_panda/un2rq2hy/external/com_github_nelhage_rules_boost): The system cannot find the file specified.

suggests to me you don't have git installed, or perhaps not in your PATH?

See for example https://stackoverflow.com/questions/48043878/createprocess-error-2-the-system-cannot-find-the-file-specified-error for a somewhat similar error.

[gjasny]

I'd suggest to use http_archive instead. Like here for example: https://github.com/LogMeIn/asyncly/blob/79b376ff71f0337709972a14c51e5a2d8eca58b5/Bazel/repositories.bzl#L47