title: Starting with Git: How can I set the directory to work in?
body: <p>Very basic beginner question on Git, from someone with very little command line experience.</p>
  
  <ul>
  <li>I have Git Bash open.</li>
  <li>I have been following <a href="http://git-scm.com/book/en/Git-Basics-Getting-a-Git-Repository" rel="nofollow">this very useful guide</a>, which I have understood up to a point.</li>
  <li>I want to use <code>git init</code> command to start working in a folder.</li>
  </ul>
  
  <p>When opening Git Bash I'm shown my username and computer name (in the form <code>username@computername</code>) and given a <code>$</code> prompt. In Windows' cmd.exe I can use commands like <code>dir</code> to list everything in a folder, and <code>cd</code> to change to a particular folder, but unless I've missed something these commands aren't available to Git Bash.</p>
  
  <p><strong>QUESTION</strong>: The guide says 'if you’re starting to track an existing project in Git, you need to go to the project’s directory and type <code>$ git init</code>'. How can I list and navigate to folders where I might want to use the <code>git init</code> command in Git Bash?</p>
  
  <p>...</p>
  
  <p>...</p>
  
  <p><em>...following the answers below...</em></p>
  
  <p><strong>RESOURCES FOR OTHERS</strong>: Since getting the answers below (which helped clear up my beginner's confusion about the Bash scripting language and Git Bash), I've found the following resources which might be useful to others struggling to get started...</p>
  
  <ul>
  <li><a href="http://www.yolinux.com/TUTORIALS/unix_for_dos_users.html" rel="nofollow">DOS/Windows to UNIX/BASH command line conversion tables</a></li>
  <li><a href="http://ss64.com/bash/" rel="nofollow">A-Z index of BASH commands, <strong><em>not all of which work with Git (e.g.,</em></strong> <code>dir</code> <strong><em>!)</em></strong></a></li>
  <li><a href="http://rogerdudler.github.com/git-guide/" rel="nofollow">git - a simple guide</a> -- very useful but also illustrative of the problem I experienced as a beginner, as witness the comment <a href="http://rogerdudler.github.com/git-guide/#comment-408539943" rel="nofollow">'perform a git init? With what, where?'</a></li>
  <li><em>[added 20130319]</em> <a href="http://www.linux.org/article/view/getting-around-in-linux-directories" rel="nofollow">Getting Around in Linux (a useful intro to basic Bash commands)</a></li>
  <li><em>[added 20130319]</em> <a href="http://lifehacker.com/5633909/who-needs-a-mouse-learn-to-use-the-command-line-for-almost-anything" rel="nofollow">LifeHacker's Command Line Primer</a></li>
  </ul>