when i try to run gzip xxx.xxx.tar.gz it says gzip: not found but i can see the application in \usr\local\bin any idea?? i am running solaris 8

if you type set does /usr/local/bin show up in your PATH? you could always use the full path name to an executable /usr/local/bin/gzip filename and oh by the way, you want to gunzip a file that is already compressed.

Try the command: which gunzip If it comes back with "no gunzip in PATH" then you need to add it to your PATH variable by editing your environment file - depends on what shell you are using and could be /.cshrc, /.profile, /.bashrc etc. Once you have fixed the path problem, type: gzcat xxxx.tar.gz | tar xf - and the file will be extracted into the local directory. Even if you don't fix the PATH problem, you can specifiy the complete path, e.g. /usr/local/bin/gzcat xxxx.tar.gz | tar xf -