[git] GitHub - failed to connect to github 443 windows/ Failed to connect to gitHub - No Error

I got an error when I used

<git config --global http.proxy http://user:password@proxy_addr:port>

The error is that the config file cannot be identified as there is no such file. I changed the command to

<git config --system http.proxy http://user:password@proxy_addr:port>

I am running git on the Windows 7 command prompt.
The above command references the config file in GIT_HOME/etc/gitconfig.
The --global option does not.