Hi Basi You only need to install one or the other. The <ruby> option is a package that can be used on many different OSes, but includes C code that needs to be compiled. The <mswin32> option is the same code, but the C code has been precompiled for you. This is helpful as Windows machines don't come with the tools you need to compile the C code pre-installed. So, if you're using windows, the <mswin32> option is probably the best for you. The installed files will be in C:\ruby\lib\ruby\gems\1.8\gems Whichever gem package you choose, you also need the sqlite3.dll file from sqlite.org installed somewhere in your PATH. Do this before installing the gem. C:\ruby\bin is probably in your path, so you can put sqlite3.dll there, or you could put it in a system directory like C:\windows\system32. If you only use sqlite3 in ruby, putting it in the ruby directory might be easiest. hth alex basi wrote: > When I entered the command > > gem install sqlite3, > > I am prompted to select a <Ruby> option and a <mswin32> option. The > <mswin32> option installs ok, but the <Ruby> option fails with the > message "ERROR: Failed to build gem native extension". > > Do I need to install both options? If so how do I install the <ruby> > option correctly? > Which directory did gem install the <mswin32> stuff? > Do I need to put the sqlite3.dll file that can be downloaded from the > sqlite website under c:\ruby\bin? > > Thank you for your help. > Basi Lio >