title: How to resolve "Error: bad index – Fatal: index file corrupt" when using Git
body: <p>After <code>git init</code>, I added and committed a few files, made some changes, added and committed.  Set up the git daemon (running under Cygwin on WinXP) and cloned the repository once.
  Now, I get this error with the cloned repository:</p>
  
  <pre><code>$ git status
  error: bad index file sha1 signature
  fatal: index file corrupt
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>Is there any way to fix this, other than getting a new copy of the repository?</p>