When is a tar file not a tar file?

rdaves@earthlink.net · 07-26-2001, 03:37 PM

I am attempting to install "imwheel-0.9.9.tar.gz"
I have downloaded the file to my /home/ directory
then:
# cd /home/
# tar -xvzf imwheel-0.9.9.tar.gz
and get
gzip: stdin: not in gzip format
tar: Child returned status 1
tar: Error exit delayed from previous errors

Although I have successfully performed this action before, I seem to have forgotten or omitted something.

What's wrong?

trickykid · 07-26-2001, 03:46 PM

That all looks right to me.... not sure why it would give an error like that. Have you tried redownloading it. Clueless here.

linuxcool · 07-26-2001, 03:58 PM

Either the file hasn't been gzipped by gzip but another zip program was used or it's not zipped at all.

Try untarring it tar -xvf imwheel-0.9.9.tar.gz .

If that doesn't work, try unzipping it first with another unzip program, then untar it.

dilberim82 · 07-26-2001, 04:16 PM

umm it looks fine but try unzipping it first and then untar it... this way you can figure out if it is zipped or not
gunzip imwheel-0.9.9.tar.gz
and if it does not do it that means it has not been zipped and i think you can just rename it or just
tar -xvf imwheel-0.9.9.tar to untar it.

rdaves@earthlink.net · 07-26-2001, 04:22 PM

I was using "tar xvzf" instead of "tar xvf"
got 'er unstalled
Thanks

linuxcool · 07-26-2001, 04:57 PM

tar xvzf is correct for the file name that you gave. Apparently, the file was not gzipped as it indicated. Good luck.

dilberim82 · 07-26-2001, 08:14 PM

I don't know where he dl'ed that file but when i dled it was gzipped. Maybe he gunzipped into another directory and he was trying to xvzfing that file I dont know, i guess thats going to be a mstery that none of us will know

mcleodnine · 07-26-2001, 11:20 PM

Check file permissions. Happened to me a couple times this month.

rdaves@earthlink.net · 07-27-2001, 02:12 AM

Okay, so xvzf is the proper thing to use.
I may have logged off and then logged back on as root. This could change the permissions.

Anyhow, things are fixed. Thanks for the help

arraman · 08-02-2001, 06:18 AM

first unzip that file
gzip -d imwheel-0.9.9.tar.gz

then that file becomes imwheel-0.0.9.tar
Now perform the following step

tar xvf imwheel-0.9.9.tar
then you can view the file

Basically this file has been archived (tar) & then zipped.

Hope it's clear now.

RAGHU

Stimm · 08-02-2001, 11:35 AM

this is the easiest question to figure out, when he downloaded the tar.gz file his MOZILLA browser unzipped the file automaticly!. but left the gz file name, wow, read your docs....