process_begin: CreateProcess(NULL, ls, ...) failed. make (e=2): The system cannot find the file specified

Question

I have a simple make file:

CC=gcc

output.exe: main.o
    $(CC) main.o -o output.exe

main.o: main.cpp
    $(CC) -c main.cpp -o main.o

clean:
    rm *.o

and when i run

make clean

i get the next output and error:

rm *.o
process_begin: CreateProcess(NULL, ls, ...) failed.
make (e=2): The system cannot find the file specified.
make: *** [Makefile:10: clean] Error 2

NOTE! when i run a simple make command:

make

i dont get any error and everything runs smoothly.

whats the deal with the error?

Answer 1

rm is not a command that exists on Windows. At least not by default.

I recommend installing MSYS2 and installing Make in it. MSYS2 provides ports of Linux-like utilities, including rm. Using its make will give you access to rm (among other things), which is way easier than trying to write cross-platform makefiles by switching to different commands on Windows.

Alternatively, as a quick fix, use a Windows-specific command (del *.o, I believe?).