error:
tar: Archive contains obsolescent base-64 headers

I searched on the net and found lots of people running into this bug. Here is a simple solution that works for me:
gzip -d file.tar.gz
and then do
tar -xf file.tar
And it extracts without errors.

May this find its way into the google cache to help other hapless souls.

Moed to Success Stories. Fits better here.

Hi

Had the same problem. It looks like the browser (Opera7.23) decompressed the tar.gz file. What helped for me was to download it in another browser (Mozilla).

You might want to check if you have enough space left on device first!

Thanx,
got the same problem,
this morning I unpacked a .tar.gz file without problem
this evening unpacking resulted in the known error ...

This problem maybe has something to do with the hardware.
It just happens on me.

For the same tgz file under the same OS (CentOS-3.8.i386),

I can success in unpacking it under the hardware environment of IDE disk and 32bit CPU. However, I got the error(see below) when I unpack it under the hardware environment of SCSI disk and EM64T CPU.

Unfortunately, until now, I haven't found the solution.

******Error*****
aa:~$ tar -xzvf nhc98-1.14-ix86-Linux.tar.gz
nhc98-1.14/
nhc98-1.14/Makefile.inc
nhc98-1.14/Makefile
nhc98-1.14/README
nhc98-1.14/INSTALL
nhc98-1.14/COPYRIGHT
nhc98-1.14/configure
nhc98-1.14/lib/
nhc98-1.14/lib/ix86-Linux/
nhc98-1.14/lib/ix86-Linux/config
nhc98-1.14/lib/ix86-Linux/hmake-PRAGMA
tar: Skipping to next header
tar: Archive contains obsolescent base-64 headers

gzip: stdin: invalid compressed data--format violated
tar: Child returned status 1
tar: Error exit delayed from previous errors

Hi all,

please check on which machine it has been tared and then on which machine you are trying to untar.

use isainfo -v command on Solaris and isoinfo -version for Linux
to check machine details.

for me it looks like you have created the tar-ball on 64 bit Spark machine and then trying to untar on a 32 bit GNU machine, if true then it is expected.

Solution: No proper solution

Workaround: if its as I said, then try to tar the file forcing machine to perform this task for 32 bit, since Solaris Sparc machine are capable of running 64/32 bit applications. and then try if the same tared file can be untared on GNU Linux.

-Suresh Kolsur

gzip -d and then tar -fx worked great.... thanks a lot.

but may i ask the reason to use gzip before tar?

thanks in advance.

For those new to the command line, you can also try in on one line with:
zcat file.tar.gz | tar -x

should be the same as:
gunzip -dc file.tar.gz | tar -x

I believe this should give the same behavior you would normally expect from:
tar -xzf file.tar.gz

Namely, uncompressing without changing the original or creating a new uncompressed file before unpacking. I don't have this problem, and so cannot test this.

if the case is about taring and untaring from Solaris to Linux or vice versa..it's better to transfer the tar in binary mode...i got the same error yesterday and tried the options listed here..finally this is what worked for me..

Hello. I got the same problem and it was solved using Ark. I was in a GUI mood so it was only one click. Your recipe also works. Thanks!