npm ERR! Refusing to delete / code EEXIST

Question

I'm just running a simple npm install and i get this error.

npm ERR! path /Users/jasonazoulay/Desktop/fabrick.io/delegation/node_modules/@angular/cli/node_modules/webpack/node_modules/yargs/node_modules/os-locale/node_modules/execa/node_modules/cross-spawn/node_modules/.bin/which
npm ERR! code EEXIST
npm ERR! Refusing to delete /Users/jasonazoulay/Desktop/fabrick.io/delegation/node_modules/@angular/cli/node_modules/webpack/node_modules/yargs/node_modules/os-locale/node_modules/execa/node_modules/cross-spawn/node_modules/.bin/which: is outside /Users/jasonazoulay/Desktop/fabrick.io/delegation/node_modules/@angular/cli/node_modules/webpack/node_modules/yargs/node_modules/os-locale/node_modules/execa/node_modules/cross-spawn/node_modules/which and not a link
npm ERR! File exists: /Users/jasonazoulay/Desktop/fabrick.io/delegation/node_modules/@angular/cli/node_modules/webpack/node_modules/yargs/node_modules/os-locale/node_modules/execa/node_modules/cross-spawn/node_modules/.bin/which
npm ERR! Move it away, and try again

This is the first time I get this error and I don't know what to do.

Answer 1

Steps

1. Delete the node_modules directory completely.
2. Run npm install again.

This should help.

Answer 2

This was how I solved mine after 'googling' around...

• Navigate to the directory your node was installed in
• rename your npm.cmd and npm files
• Try run the installation again
• If successful..delete the files you renamed earlier npm and npm.cmd
• if not, :( :(

The cli commands here...in case you don't want to be renaming and stuffs

cd %ProgramFiles%\nodejs
ren npm.cmd npm2.cmd
ren npm npm2 
npm2 install npm@latest -g

---

del npm2
del npm2.cmd

Rolf-schmidiger