# ERROR: Failed to build gem native extension

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/error-failed-to-build-gem-native-extension/82735>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [January 20, 2007, 2:45am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/error-failed-to-build-gem-native-extension/82735 "2007-01-20T02:45:36Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![rails-nooby](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/e19adc/32.png) [@rails-nooby](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/rails-nooby)\
**Post date:** [January 20, 2007, 2:45am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/error-failed-to-build-gem-native-extension/82735/1 "2007-01-20T02:45:36Z")

</div>

Can anyone tell this noob what I’ve done wrong? I tried to install  
rmagick,  
but apparently it fails.

C:\InstantRails\rails\_apps\>gem install rmagick -r  
Need to update 31 gems from [http://gems.rubyforge.org](http://gems.rubyforge.org)  
…  
complete  
Building native extensions. This could take a while…  
gem\_extconf.rb:38: undefined method `exitstatus’ for nil:NilClass  
(NoMethodError  
)

ERROR: While executing gem … (RuntimeError)  
ERROR: Failed to build gem native extension.  
Gem files will remain installed in  
C:/InstantRails/ruby/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/r  
magick-1.14.1 for inspection.

Results logged to  
C:/InstantRails/ruby/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/rmagick-1.14.1  
/gem  
\_make.out

## Thanks Greg

“Politicians are like diapers, both need to be changed frequently and  
for  
the same reasons.”

Greg P.  
removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![rails-nooby](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/e19adc/32.png) [@rails-nooby](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/rails-nooby)\
**Post date:** [January 20, 2007, 2:55am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/error-failed-to-build-gem-native-extension/82735/2 "2007-01-20T02:55:37Z")

</div>

Greg P. wrote:

> (NoMethodError  
> C:/InstantRails/ruby/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/rmagick-1.14.1  
> /gem  
> \_make.out
> 
> Thanks Greg  
> To install RMagick on Windows, use the rmagick-win32 gem. See  
> [http://rmagick.rubyforge.org/install-faq.html](http://rmagick.rubyforge.org/install-faq.html).

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![rails-nooby](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/e19adc/32.png) [@rails-nooby](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/rails-nooby)\
**Post date:** [January 20, 2007, 3:09am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/error-failed-to-build-gem-native-extension/82735/3 "2007-01-20T03:09:37Z")

</div>

OK thanks, however, I’m a little confused. I used gem install -r  
command to  
install ajax\_scaffold. Is the procedure for installing rmagick  
different  
because it’s bundled with other things…like ImageMagick?

Just curious.  
Thanks.

On 1/19/07, Timothy H. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:

> > Building native extensions. This could take a while…
> > 
> > Results logged to  
> > C:/InstantRails/ruby/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/rmagick-1.14.1  
> > /gem  
> > \_make.out
> > 
> > Thanks Greg  
> > To install RMagick on Windows, use the rmagick-win32 gem. See  
> > [http://rmagick.rubyforge.org/install-faq.html](http://rmagick.rubyforge.org/install-faq.html).

–  
“Politicians are like diapers, both need to be changed frequently and  
for  
the same reasons.”

Greg P.  
removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![rails-nooby](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/e19adc/32.png) [@rails-nooby](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/rails-nooby)\
**Post date:** [January 20, 2007, 3:37am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/error-failed-to-build-gem-native-extension/82735/4 "2007-01-20T03:37:44Z")

</div>

Greg P. wrote:

> OK thanks, however, I’m a little confused. I used gem install -r  
> command to  
> install ajax\_scaffold. Is the procedure for installing rmagick different  
> because it’s bundled with other things…like ImageMagick?  
> Partly. The “rmagick” gem includes the source code for RMagick. It  
> configures itself to the version of ImageMagick that is installed on the  
> system and then compiles RMagick for that version. The “rmagick-win32”  
> gem is pre-compiled and is configured for use the specific version of  
> ImageMagick it is bundled with.