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Prerequisites · Setup Guide

Before You Start

🛠 Git & VS Code Setup ⏱ 15–20 min 🪟 Windows users ✅ No prior experience required
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Who this guide is for
Complete this setup before starting Module 0. If you already have Git and VS Code installed and configured, you can skip to Module 0 — Introduction.

By the end of this guide, you will have:

Step-by-Step Setup

Step 1 of 8

Install Git

  1. Go to https://git-scm.com/download/win
  2. The download starts automatically — open the .exe file
  3. Click Next on every screen (defaults are fine)
  4. Click Finish
Step 2 of 8

Install VS Code

  1. Go to https://code.visualstudio.com
  2. Click Download for Windows and open the .exe
  3. Accept the agreement, click Next on every screen
  4. On "Select Additional Tasks" — check both of these:
    ✅ Add "Open with Code" to Windows Explorer ✅ Add to PATH
  5. Click Install → Finish
Step 3 of 8

Open Terminal & Verify Git

  1. Open VS Code
  2. Press Ctrl + ` to open the integrated terminal
  3. Type the following and press Enter:
git --version
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You should see: git version 2.x.x
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If you see an error: close VS Code completely and reopen it. The PATH update needs a fresh start.
Step 4 of 8

Set Your Name and Email

Replace the values below with your real name and email. These identify your commits in Git.

git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "your@email.com"
Step 5 of 8

Verify Your Configuration

Run these commands to confirm Git has saved your name and email:

git config --global user.name
git config --global user.email

Each command should print back the value you set in Step 4.

Step 6 of 8

Create Your PMCourse Folder

Choose one of the two options below:

Option A — Terminal

mkdir C:\Users\YourUsername\Desktop\PMCourse
code C:\Users\YourUsername\Desktop\PMCourse

Replace YourUsername with your actual Windows username.

Option B — File Explorer

  1. Go to your Desktop → right-click → New → Folder
  2. Name it PMCourse
  3. Open VS Code → File → Open Folder → select PMCourse
Step 7 of 8

Get the Repository URL from GitHub

  1. Open the GitHub repository page in your browser
  2. Click the green Code button
  3. Make sure HTTPS is selected (not SSH)
  4. Click the copy icon next to the URL
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The URL will look like: https://github.com/username/repository.git
Step 8 of 8

Clone the Repository

In the VS Code terminal, navigate to your PMCourse folder and clone the repo:

cd C:\Users\YourUsername\Desktop\PMCourse
git clone https://github.com/username/repository.git

A new folder will appear inside PMCourse with all the repository files.

Quick Reference

What Command
Check Git versiongit --version
Set namegit config --global user.name "Your Name"
Set emailgit config --global user.email "you@email.com"
Check namegit config --global user.name
Check emailgit config --global user.email
Go to PMCourse foldercd C:\Users\YourUsername\Desktop\PMCourse
Clone a repogit clone https://...
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You're all set!
Git is installed, VS Code is configured, and your workspace is ready. Head to Module 0 — Introduction to begin the course.