Git checkout: updating paths is incompatible with switching branches

Question

My problem is related to Fatal Git error when switching branch.

I try to fetch a remote branch with the command

git checkout -b local-name origin/rem         


        

Answer 1

Could your issue be linked to this other SO question "checkout problem"?

i.e.: a problem related to:

• an old version of Git
• a curious checkout syntax, which should be: git checkout -b [] [], with [] referring to the name of a commit at which to start the new branch, and 'origin/remote-name' is not that.
  (whereas git branch does support a start_point being the name of a remote branch)

Note: what the checkout.sh script says is:

  if test '' != "$newbranch$force$merge"
  then
    die "git checkout: updating paths is incompatible with switching branches/forcing$hint"
  fi

It is like the syntax git checkout -b [] [remote_branch_name] was both renaming the branch and resetting the new starting point of the new branch, which is deemed incompatible.