# Problem with installing gems via rubygems **URL:** \ **Category:** Ruby\ **Created:** [January 8, 2008, 12:05pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/problem-with-installing-gems-via-rubygems/196564 "2008-01-08T12:05:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dizz](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/f6c823/32.png) [@dizz](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/dizz)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2008, 12:05pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/problem-with-installing-gems-via-rubygems/196564/1 "2008-01-08T12:05:44Z")
Hey I am having a problem installing rails on my ubuntu machine. I cannot install any gems and keep on getting the following error. ERROR: Error installing rails: invalid gem format for /usr/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/cache/ activerecord-2.0.2.gem I have tried updating rubygems, manually installing rubygems (not using synaptic) and still cannot get ruby gems to work. It would be great if anybody could give me a hand. Thanks ---
**Author:** ![dizz](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/f6c823/32.png) [@dizz](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/dizz)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2008, 11:27am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/problem-with-installing-gems-via-rubygems/196564/2 "2008-01-12T11:27:29Z")
On Jan 8, 2008, at 03:04 AM, dizz wrote: > It would be great if anybody could give me a hand. > Try deleting that file. ---
**Author:** ![dizz](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/f6c823/32.png) [@dizz](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/dizz)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2008, 3:21pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/problem-with-installing-gems-via-rubygems/196564/3 "2008-01-12T15:21:05Z")
On Jan 12, 2008 6:29 AM, Romulo C. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > dizz wrote: > > > Hey I am having a problem installing rails on my ubuntu machine. > And whenever you have an issue with gem, trying updating it first: `gem update --system`. That usually solves many problems. > > Regards, > Romulo A. Ceccon Only do gem update --system if you didn’t install rubygems via the .deb package. If you installed it with a .deb package (eg. with syntaptic), doing so will break rubygems. Daniel Brumbaugh K. ---
**Author:** ![dizz](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/f6c823/32.png) [@dizz](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/dizz)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2008, 1:29pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/problem-with-installing-gems-via-rubygems/196564/4 "2008-01-12T13:29:07Z")
Hi. dizz wrote: > Hey I am having a problem installing rails on my ubuntu machine. I > cannot install any gems and keep on getting the following error. > > ERROR: Error installing rails: > invalid gem format for /usr/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/cache/ > activerecord-2.0.2.gem > > I have tried updating rubygems, manually installing rubygems (not > using synaptic) and still cannot get ruby gems to work. > > It would be great if anybody could give me a hand. Since one of the latest Rails versions I have had the same problem on my Windows box (actually that happens only when trying to install a second rails version on the same machine). I do the following to workaround it: 1. Manually download the Rails gem at [https://rubyforge.org/frs/?group\_id=307](https://rubyforge.org/frs/?group_id=307) 2. Unpack it with `gem unpack rails-X.X.X.gem` 3. Search the Rakefile file inside the unpacked dir for lines that start with s.add\_dependency 4. Manually download all the dependencies at rubyforge (each one has its own project) 5. Install each one with `gem install xxx.gem`. For Rails 2.0.1 the appropriate order is: activesupport, actionpack, actionmailer, activerecord, actionresource, rake, rails. And whenever you have an issue with gem, trying updating it first: `gem update --system`. That usually solves many problems. Regards, Romulo A. Ceccon