cpan install fails with bad tar call

RockyRoccoco has asked for the wisdom of the Perl Monks concerning the following question:

I just installed Strawberry perl using standard install choices. I have attempted in the "perl (command line)" window to install several required modules. I also have msys2 installed on this machine. I think there is some interference between msys2 and windows. Here is the result of trying to install a package: Install command:

 
cpan install Gedcom
[download]

Result:

Loading internal logger. Log::Log4perl recommended for better logging
Reading '\c\Users\Owner\.cpan\Metadata'
  Database was generated on Tue, 23 Apr 2019 23:29:03 GMT
Running install for module 'Gedcom'
CPAN: Digest::SHA loaded ok (v6.02)
CPAN: Compress::Zlib loaded ok (v2.081)
Checksum for \c\Users\Owner\.cpan\sources\authors\id\P\PJ\PJCJ\Gedcom-
+1.20.tar.gz ok
The system cannot find the path specified.
Uncompressed \c\Users\Owner\.cpan\sources\authors\id\P\PJ\PJCJ\Gedcom-
+1.20.tar.gz successfully
Using Tar:/usr/bin/tar xf "Gedcom-1.20.tar":
The system cannot find the path specified.
Couldn't untar Gedcom-1.20.tar: child exited with value 1
CPAN: YAML loaded ok (v1.27)
  PJCJ/Gedcom-1.20.tar.gz
  Had problems unarchiving. Please build manually
[download]

I need to keep msys2 in this machine. Any thoughts on how to get perl to use the correct tar, or the correct path form?

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Re: cpan install fails with bad tar call by soonix (Chancellor) on Apr 24, 2019 at 20:54 UTC
After rereading the thread referenced by thanos1983, my question is: Do you happen to have Perl (or msys) installed somewhere under `C:\Program Files` (or `C:\Program Files (x86)`)? If so, that would most probably be the cause of the problem.	[reply] [d/l] [select]
Re: cpan install fails with bad tar call by swl (Prior) on Apr 24, 2019 at 23:13 UTC
Check which `cpan` is being called. You are probably using the version from msys2, which is why it then looks for /usr/bin/tar. On my system: `where cpan C:\berrybrew\5.28.0_64_PDL\perl\bin\cpan.bat` [download] If you are running the portable shell that comes with Strawberry Perl then it should put all the strawberry paths at the front of %PATH%. Perhaps double check that you are using that shell. And FWIW, I have MSYS2 and several versions of Strawberry perl installed on my system (via Berrybrew) and they don't interfere with each other. That said, none of them are in my default path. I only ever start MSYS2 from its menu option, and strawberry perl via a bat file that prepends the paths (similar to what its portable shell does).	[reply] [d/l] [select]
Re: cpan install fails with bad tar call by thanos1983 (Parson) on Apr 24, 2019 at 16:45 UTC
Hello RockyRoccoco, Welcome to the Monastery. You can read this previously asked question CPAN module installs failing. Possibly the solution will work on your case also. Let us know. BR / Thanos Seeking for Perl wisdom...on the process of learning...not there...yet!	[reply] [d/l] [select]
Re^2: cpan install fails with bad tar call by RockyRoccoco (Initiate) on Apr 25, 2019 at 00:31 UTC
I've looked at it. DIfferent OS, path referred to is not found currently, no component of the path is found. So, no. But it is possibly a good direction. I need to know where to correct tar is located on my windows 10 system. I also am trying to figure out how to separate msys2 from regular windows programs. That's probably what is going on.	[reply]
Re^3: cpan install fails with bad tar call by syphilis (Archbishop) on Apr 25, 2019 at 02:37 UTC
I need to know where to correct tar is located on my windows 10 system In my experience, you can use whichever tar you like - but I don't think the cpan utility that ships with my my Strawberry Perls uses "tar" at all. (I guess they use Archive::Tar.) Looks to me that your C:\Users\Owner\.cpan\MyConfig.pm has been written for msys2's perl - not for Strawberry Perl. That being so, the solution would be to have separate cpan home directories for Strawberry Perl and msys2's perl. Other than that, it might be handy if you could show us a copy of your MyConfig.pm. Please first remove any sensitive information contained therein. Certainly something that has been written for an msys2 perl is being accessed as both "/usr/bin/tar" and "/c/Users/Owner/..." are paths that would work fine in in an msys2 shell. However, if backslashes are substituted for forward slashes, not even msys2 will be able to make sense of them. Cheers, Rob	[reply]