launching steam only leads to 100% CPU load, nothing happens

steamclosed reviewedSteam client

ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux#2863 · opened 2013-09-19 by benpicco · updated 2013-09-26 · 6 comments · github

Bbenpicco 2013-09-19 github

Since the last update, steam stopped working on my 64bit Ubuntu 13.04 installation.

When I lauch steam, a "verifying update" window pops up for a second, vanishes and from then on nothing happens, except for that /home/benpicco/Steam/ubuntu12_32/steam is causing 100% CPU load on one core. No window is displayed.

Output of steam:

$ steam
Running Steam on ubuntu 13.04 64-bit
STEAM_RUNTIME is enabled automatically
Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1378500910_client)
Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1378500910_client)
Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1378500910_client)
unlinked 0 orphaned pipes
removing stale semaphore last operated on by process 28269 with name 0eBlobRegistryMutex_8AF7CF40F3E40C89AF0DB038F7BB24EE
removing stale semaphore last operated on by process 28269 with name 0eBlobRegistrySignal_8AF7CF40F3E40C89AF0DB038F7BB24EE
removing stale semaphore last operated on by process 28269 with name 0emSteamEngineInstance
removing stale semaphore last operated on by process 28269 with name 0eSteamEngineLock
Gtk-Message: Failed to load module "gtk-vector-screenshot"
Gtk-Message: Failed to load module "overlay-scrollbar"
Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1378500910_client)
[0919/231959:WARNING:proxy_service.cc(958)] PAC support disabled because there is no system implementation

Bbespokebob 2013-09-19 github

Glad I'm not the only one, but this is an exact dupe of #2861

Bbenpicco 2013-09-19 github

Yes, I just saw your issue after submitting this, kept it open because it's comforting it's not a singular issue. (I guess there is no 'this bug affects me' button on github)

Sscottlu 2013-09-20 github

This looks like the appcache problem. Try this:

Exit steam completely - make sure it is not running.
remove this file: ~/.local/share/Steam/appcache/appinfo.vdf

Now restart Steam.

Bbenpicco 2013-09-20 github

It's ~/Steam/appcache/appinfo.vdf for me, but yes that fixes it :)

SSarkie 2013-09-26 github

Should this bug still be open, as a workaround isn't a fix for other users? e.g. if this happened on a SteamBox how would a user fix it?

TTele42 2013-09-26 github

@Sarkie I don't think it should because the cause of the issue has been corrected, this issue report and the others like it is just cleaning up the fallout.

Nothing extracted yet.