Terminal output: G5Mac:~ sanfordg5$ /Users/sanfordg5/Downloads/boinc_7.2.33_macOSX_i686/BOINC\ Installer.app/Contents/MacOS/BOINC\ Installer ; exit;
pax: could not exec gzip: Bad CPU type in executable
pax: End of archive volume 1 reached
pax: Sorry, unable to determine archive format.
logout

I am getting this error on two macs, a 10.7.5 (Mac Pro 2,1) and 10.9.1 (Mac Mini 5,1) both try to open the install app as a pdf file and fail. This has been happening for several updates versions, unable to update my 7.0.65 Boinc.

Bad CPU type in executable

Searching for the error message with Google gives hits for people trying to run 64-bit executables on 32-bit OS. I don't know how you could get your machine booting into 32-bit mode and having 64-bit programs installed, though.

In Linux I would run the following commands in terminal:

file /bin/gzip [gzip might be in /usr/bin instead]
uname -a

The first command tells if gzip is 32-bit or 64-bit program and the second command tells if the the OS kernel is 32-bit or 64-bit version.

I don't know if these commands work in OS X or if there is a GUI-y alternative.

I am getting this error on two macs, a 10.7.5 (Mac Pro 2,1) and 10.9.1 (Mac Mini 5,1)

For non-Mac person those don't really tell much...

It looks like you may have a bad copy of the gzip utility installed. Please run the following command under the /Applications/Utilities/Terminal application and post the results here:

lipo -detailed_info /usr/bin/gzip

---

Charlie Fenton
BOINC / SETI@home Macintosh & Windows Programmer

Here is the output:

SRS-Mac-Pro:/ user$ lipo -detailed_info /usr/bin/gzip
Fat header in: /usr/bin/gzip
fat_magic 0xcafebabe
nfat_arch 2
architecture x86_64
cputype CPU_TYPE_X86_64
cpusubtype CPU_SUBTYPE_X86_64_ALL
offset 4096
size 77328
align 2^12 (4096)
architecture i386
cputype CPU_TYPE_I386
cpusubtype CPU_SUBTYPE_I386_ALL
offset 81920
size 65152
align 2^12 (4096)

Sorry it's taken so long for me to reply. The output looks correct, so I have been unable to think of what could be wrong. Here is something to try; at best it is a workaround, or at least another data point.

* Holding down the control key, click on the BOINC Installer icon. You should see a contextual menu; select "Show Package Contents"
* In the Finder, browse to "BOINC Installer/Contents/Resources"
* Double-click on the BOINC.pkg icon

This should run the Mac installer. Please post here whether or not it allows you to install BOINC. If not, please post what happened.

---

Charlie Fenton
BOINC / SETI@home Macintosh & Windows Programmer