A Linux terminal error....?

Question

????????@???????:~$ tar -xvzf ndiswrapper-1.53.tar.gz

tar: ndiswrapper-1.53.tar.gz: Cannot be open: No such file or directory

tar: Error is not recoverable: exiting now

tar: Child returned status 2

tar: Error exit delayed from previous errors

This always happens to me not matter which files i choose..i am trying to install this and i have tried installing others programs but neither of them installs..the files/folders are on my desktop.

I just got linux on my computer yesterday morning and i searched everywhere but can't seem to find a solution..i just want to install the dam thing arrrggghhhhhhhh im such a noob..=(

Answer 1

Although it's possible that it's something unusual, it's always a good idea to check for the obvious first.  The message from tar is that it can't find the input file.  Perhaps it was saved (did you download it?) in a different place than you thought.

First, check that the file is there in the directory you're in:

    $  ls -la ndis*

If it's not there, then you need to figure out where it is.  The find(1) command is helpful here;  first change to your home directory, then run find, which does a recursive search:

    $ cd

    $ find . -name 'ndis*' -print

If the file is anywhere in your home directory, or in any of its subdirectories, that will show you where it is.

(You mention the files are "on my desktop" -- you might check to see if there is a directory called 'Desktop', or something like that.)

Answer 2

what usually solves my problems is that I refer to the file to specify it is in this directory like so:

tar -xvzf ./ndiswrapper-1.53.tar.gz

(note the ./)

Another solution is to move the file to your home directory where the system looks for it first.