github configure machine to use existing ssh key

Question

Background:

I had a personal account that was working fine with github, then my employer gave me a new github account and so i configured my github account to use my machine generated SSH key. Now my old machine is replaced ....

How do i configure this new machine to check-in check-out code to github..

do i generate and add another key to the account? it is also asking me for email account..when i give my old([email protected]) (email added on git hub) it says:

error: invalid key: [email protected]

Directly adding it says

*** Please tell me who you are.

Run

 git config --global user.email "[email protected]"
 git config --global user.name "Your Name"

to set your account's default identity.
Omit --global to set the identity only in this repository.

fatal: unable to auto-detect email address (got 'x y@DESKTOP-8ITRR8F.(no                                                                                                                                                                                               ne)')

UPDATE

windows 10 doesnot allow creating a folder .ssh in c:/users/samra/.. and when i try to generate key (thinking it may create a .ssh in the process) it says

Saving key failed: No such file or directory found

John · Accepted Answer · 2023-11-29 16:45:41Z

2

Steps to generate another ssh key:

from cmd prompt go to c:/users/xyz/mkdir .ssh
open gitbash from c:/program files/git/bin/bash.exe

type

 ssh-keygen -t rsa -C "your-email-address"

Enter full path when asked for the file name (this is important)
```
 C:/Users/xyz/.ssh/id_rsa_ge
```
Enter pass phrase..and your key shall be generated.
Login to your Github account "SSH and GPG keys" click New SSH Key button
Open your id_rsa_ge.pub file in a text file eg notepad and copy everything and paste into the key dialog..give any title of your choice.
In git bash Type
```
 ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_rsa_ge
```
If it says "Could not open a connection to your authentication agent.", do the following commands
```
 ssh-agent
 eval $(ssh-agent)
```

it should return a agent pid Now again repeat step 8.

Create config file in .ssh folder and type

#Default GitHub
Host github.com
HostName github.com
User git
IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_rsa

Host github-ge
HostName github.com
User git
IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_rsa_ge

Now use git

git add .
git commit ...
git push origin master

Note: before reinstalling your OS always take a backup of keys

edited Nov 29, 2023 at 16:45

John

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answered Apr 12, 2017 at 6:47

Samra

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2 Comments

sg28 Over a year ago

But the question is to configure the machine to an existing ssh key. Hopefully, I am not wrong in understanding the question.

tierrarara Over a year ago

thanks for your response. Could you write a literal name of the config file inner .ssh folder please. And when you say inner content of the config file, "User git", Do I need only to change the work "git" with my username o the full text "User git" for my username?

andipla · Accepted Answer · 2017-04-12 06:01:02Z

1

1.) The e-mail address configuration is for your local copy, it got nothing to do with github, git needs to know your info so it can fill it in when you do a commit.

2.) the key -- of course you can generate a new key and add it to github, or you can copy the private/public keypair to your new machine, on Linux Machines you usually find it in ~/.ssh .

3.) the error you get is, because you don't have a valid key on your new machine yet. This is kind of like you try to login using a password, and instead of entering the password you just hit enter... no key, no access ;-) so you got the 2 options in 2.) to fix this.

answered Apr 12, 2017 at 6:01

andipla

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3 Comments

Samra Over a year ago

So u r saying that i have to generate a new key and then add it to github..and i have no other choice..

Samra Over a year ago

ok how do i copy the private/public key pair to my new machine..STEPs?

andipla Over a year ago

Well, I usually scp it from old machine to new machine.

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