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Possible Duplicate:
How to install a .tar.gz (or .tar.bz2) file?

I've been trying to download some linux programs, and I get.tar.gz files in my downloads. I've been trying to extract it with terminal tar -zxvf, and always get

no such file or directory

I can't seem to find my root directory of the download. When I select properties on my tar.gz file, I get

/home/Downloads

Is there no C:\ ? I installed Ubuntu alongside Windows 7 without making a custom partition, is that why ? I would really appreciate it if you guys could help me out.

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Kyle Costigan
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3 Answers3

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Read the most upvoted answer here : How to install a .tar.gz (or .tar.bz2) file?

It is the second answer. You will understand what is a tar.gz file.

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NickTux
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So ...

tar -zxvf uncompresses a file. Its like winRAR, but on the command line.

I am guessing you downloaded the file already, via the browser, and now you just cant find it. It seems to be on a directory called Downloads

When you open a terminal, you are on your user's directory (/home/name_of_user), and the Downloads directory is inside (/home/name_of_user/Downloads).

to go there, type cd Downloads

cd stands for change directory.

then type pwd. That says the directory you are in (it should be /home/name_of_user/Downloads)

if you are at the right place, try your tar command.

Afterward, to see all that is there, type ls (for list)

It'll give you a list of files in your directory.

Now,the file is extracted, and you should be able to install it per NikTh's link

A starters guide to the command line can be found http://linuxcommand.org/learning_the_shell.php

josinalvo
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  • a hint, though. If you are not yet comfortable with the linux directories and command line, installing a tar.gz might be a little daunting. I suggest you acquaint yourself with the CLI (command line interface) before trying. It should not take more than a couple of hours (just the items 1,2,3 and 5 of the link I gave you should suffice for now) – josinalvo Oct 15 '12 at 17:53
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Assuming you have downloaded the .tar.gz file using Firefox, it is in your download directory. The download directory is ~/Downloads.

Open a terminal with Ctrl-Alt-T keyboard shortcut and copy and paste these line in the terminal. Press Enter after each line

cd ~/Downloads

tar -zxvf filename.tar.gz

Don't forget to change the filename portion with the actual name of the file. The extracted files will be also in the Downloads directory.

The directory of the download is /home/your-login-name/Downloads folder. not in /home/Downloads folder. your-login-name is the name you use for Login.

If you are interested in installing something from a .tar.gz file: See this question -> How do I install a .tar.gz (or .tar.bz2) file?

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Anwar
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