Failed to launch, repairing installation fails - trying to remove a directory

steamopen reviewedNot a bugDistro Family: DebianValve-provided steam packageDistro-provided steam package

ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux#3911 · opened 2015-07-02 by Majkl578 · updated 2018-11-02 · 3 comments · github

MMajkl578 2015-07-02 github

When starting Steam, I get a pop up message saying:

Couldn't set up Steam data - please contact technical support

Console output:

$ steam
Repairing installation, linking /home/username/.steam/steam to /home/username/.local/share/Steam
rm: cannot remove ‘/home/username/.steam/steam’: Is a directory
Setting up Steam content in /home/username/.local/share/Steam
rm: cannot remove ‘/home/username/.steam/steam’: Is a directory

Using Debian, just upgraded to steam-launcher=1.0.0.50.

Vvadi2 2016-12-01 github

I'm getting the same thing just now. This is after clicking on "watch" in dota2 for truesight episode 2 did nothing, so I spammed the button a bunch. Then I got a billion windows saying /usr/bin/tr has crashed and a billion more from Steam until I managed to kill it all.

Vvadi2 2016-12-01 github

Deleting ~/.steam worked.

Kkisak-valve maintainer 2018-11-02 github

Hello @Majkl578, @vadi2, Debian's steam package has a different folder layout compared to the Valve-provided steam package and this issue happens when transitioning between the two.

Nothing extracted yet.