Windows 10 Cygwin Error: /bin/bash: Exit 126. Failed to Run /bin/bash: Permission Denied - A Quick Guide to Troubleshooting

Abstract: If you're encountering a Cygwin error on Windows 10 with an exit code 126 and permission denied message, this guide will help you quickly identify and fix the issue. Learn about potential causes and solutions now.

Created: 2025-01-14 by UserComp.com Editors

Here is a troubleshooting guide for Cygwin that stopped working on a Windows 10 PC:

Troubleshooting Cygwin on Windows 10

Introduction

Cygwin is a Linux-like environment for Windows, providing a Unix-like shell and utilities. This guide will help you troubleshoot issues when Cygwin stops working on a Windows 10 PC.

Symptoms

The following symptoms may indicate that Cygwin is not functioning correctly:

Cygwin shell does not open or crashes immediately.
Cygwin utilities do not work as expected.
Cygwin packages cannot be installed or updated.

Troubleshooting Steps

Check the Cygwin installation
- Open the Start menu and search for "Cygwin." If the Cygwin icon is not present, reinstall Cygwin.
- Right-click the Cygwin icon and select "Run as administrator."
- In the Cygwin terminal, type which bash and press Enter. If the output is not /usr/bin/bash, reinstall Cygwin.
Check the system PATH
- In the Cygwin terminal, type echo %PATH% and press Enter. This will display the system PATH environment variable.
- Ensure that the Cygwin bin directory (/usr/bin) is included in the PATH. If not, add it by editing the system environment variables.
Check the Cygwin installation directory
- In the Cygwin terminal, type cygcheck --installed and press Enter. This will display the installed Cygwin packages.
- Check that the Cygwin installation directory (/cygdrive/c/cygwin) exists and has the correct permissions (read, write, execute for owner, group, and others).
Check the Cygwin log files
- In the Cygwin terminal, type less /var/log/cygwin-install.log and press Enter. This will display the log file for Cygwin installation.
- Check for any error messages or warnings.
Check the Windows Event Viewer
- Open the Start menu and search for "Event Viewer."
- In the Event Viewer, go to "Windows Logs" > "Application" and check for any error messages related to Cygwin.
Reinstall Cygwin
- If none of the above steps solve the issue, uninstall Cygwin and then reinstall it.

Summary

This guide provided troubleshooting steps for Cygwin on Windows 10 when it stops working. The steps include checking the Cygwin installation, system PATH, Cygwin installation directory, Cygwin log files, and Windows Event Viewer. If none of the above steps solve the issue, reinstall Cygwin.

References

Tags: Windows 10 Cygwin Bash Troubleshooting Permission Denied

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