# Null byte error trying to install ZenTest

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/null-byte-error-trying-to-install-zentest/129073>\
**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [February 14, 2008, 12:23am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/null-byte-error-trying-to-install-zentest/129073 "2008-02-14T00:23:05Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![matt](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@matt](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/matt)\
**Post date:** [February 14, 2008, 12:23am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/null-byte-error-trying-to-install-zentest/129073/1 "2008-02-14T00:23:05Z")

</div>

I’ve got a fresh Ruby/Rails install (compiled Ruby from scratch,  
installed latest Rubygems etc) and I have had no problems installing any  
gems except for when I hit ZenTest. I keep getting the following:

matthew-williamss-macbook:1.8 matthewwilliams$ sudo gem install ZenTest  
–backtrace  
ERROR: While executing gem … (ArgumentError)  
string contains null byte  
/usr/local/lib/ruby/site\_ruby/1.8/rubygems/package.rb:391:in `join' /usr/local/lib/ruby/site_ruby/1.8/rubygems/package.rb:391:in `full\_name’  
/usr/local/lib/ruby/site\_ruby/1.8/rubygems/format.rb:74:in `from_io' /usr/local/lib/ruby/site_ruby/1.8/rubygems/package.rb:445:in `each\_entry’  
/usr/local/lib/ruby/site\_ruby/1.8/rubygems/package.rb:439:in `loop' /usr/local/lib/ruby/site_ruby/1.8/rubygems/package.rb:439:in `each\_entry’  
/usr/local/lib/ruby/site\_ruby/1.8/rubygems/package.rb:424:in `each' /usr/local/lib/ruby/site_ruby/1.8/rubygems/package.rb:595:in `each’  
/usr/local/lib/ruby/site\_ruby/1.8/rubygems/package.rb:411:in `new' /usr/local/lib/ruby/site_ruby/1.8/rubygems/package.rb:594:in `each’  
/usr/local/lib/ruby/site\_ruby/1.8/rubygems/package.rb:445:in  
`each_entry' /usr/local/lib/ruby/site_ruby/1.8/rubygems/package.rb:439:in `loop’  
/usr/local/lib/ruby/site\_ruby/1.8/rubygems/package.rb:439:in  
`each_entry' /usr/local/lib/ruby/site_ruby/1.8/rubygems/package.rb:424:in `each’  
/usr/local/lib/ruby/site\_ruby/1.8/rubygems/package.rb:590:in `each' /usr/local/lib/ruby/site_ruby/1.8/rubygems/format.rb:72:in `from\_io’  
/usr/local/lib/ruby/site\_ruby/1.8/rubygems/package.rb:583:in  
`open_from_io' /usr/local/lib/ruby/site_ruby/1.8/rubygems/package.rb:802:in `open\_from\_io’  
/usr/local/lib/ruby/site\_ruby/1.8/rubygems/format.rb:69:in `from_io' /usr/local/lib/ruby/site_ruby/1.8/rubygems/format.rb:52:in `from\_file\_by\_path’  
/usr/local/lib/ruby/site\_ruby/1.8/rubygems/installer.rb:78:in  
`initialize' /usr/local/lib/ruby/site_ruby/1.8/rubygems/dependency_installer.rb:227:in `new’  
/usr/local/lib/ruby/site\_ruby/1.8/rubygems/dependency\_installer.rb:227:in  
`install' /usr/local/lib/ruby/site_ruby/1.8/rubygems/dependency_installer.rb:217:in `each’  
/usr/local/lib/ruby/site\_ruby/1.8/rubygems/dependency\_installer.rb:217:in  
`install' /usr/local/lib/ruby/site_ruby/1.8/rubygems/commands/install_command.rb:71:in `execute’  
/usr/local/lib/ruby/site\_ruby/1.8/rubygems/commands/install\_command.rb:67:in  
`each' /usr/local/lib/ruby/site_ruby/1.8/rubygems/commands/install_command.rb:67:in `execute’  
/usr/local/lib/ruby/site\_ruby/1.8/rubygems/command.rb:136:in `invoke' /usr/local/lib/ruby/site_ruby/1.8/rubygems/command_manager.rb:104:in `process\_args’  
/usr/local/lib/ruby/site\_ruby/1.8/rubygems/command\_manager.rb:74:in  
`run' /usr/local/lib/ruby/site_ruby/1.8/rubygems/gem_runner.rb:39:in `run’  
/usr/local/bin/gem:22  
matthew-williamss-macbook:1.8 matthewwilliams$

Any thoughts? It’s a fresh install, I’ve done gem update --system to  
make sure I"m up to snuff but no such luck…

matthew-williamss-macbook:1.8 matthewwilliams$ sudo gem environment  
RubyGems Environment:

- RUBYGEMS VERSION: 1.0.1 (1.0.1)
- RUBY VERSION: 1.8.6 (2007-09-24 patchlevel 111) [i686-darwin9.2.0]
- INSTALLATION DIRECTORY: /usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8
- RUBY EXECUTABLE: /usr/local/bin/ruby
- RUBYGEMS PLATFORMS:
  - ruby
  - x86-darwin-9

- GEM PATHS:
  - /usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8

- GEM CONFIGURATION:
  - :update\_sources =\> true
  - :verbose =\> true
  - :benchmark =\> false
  - :backtrace =\> false
  - :bulk\_threshold =\> 1000

- REMOTE SOURCES:
  - [http://gems.rubyforge.org](http://gems.rubyforge.org)  
matthew-williamss-macbook:1.8 matthewwilliams$

Any help would be appreciated, I need to get autotest running! Thanks!