Steam Client Crashing - stalled cross-thread pipe

steamclosed Steam client

ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux#5084 · opened 2017-07-16 by unfossil · updated 2019-06-22 · 8 comments · github

Uunfossil 2017-07-16 github

System Information

Steam client version (build number or date): 1499997556
Distribution (e.g. Ubuntu): Debian "Stretch"
Opted into Steam client beta?: No
Have you checked for system updates?: Yes

After the Steam client update released on July 13th, the client crashes due to an assertion error:

../common/pipes.cpp (769) : Assertion Failed: fatal stalled cross-thread pipe
../common/pipes.cpp (769) : Fatal assert failed: ../common/pipes.cpp, line 769.  Application exiting.
Assert( Assertion Failed: fatal stalled cross-thread pipe ):../common/pipes.cpp:769

Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1499997556)
crash_20170715141429_25.dmp[7758]: Uploading dump (out-of-process)
/tmp/dumps/crash_20170715141429_25.dmp
_ExitOnFatalAssert
Assert( Fatal Assertion Failed: Stalled cross-thread pipe ):../common/pipes.cpp:561

After rebooting and completely re-installing the Steam client three times (removing all games, config files etc), updating all of Steam's 32-bit library dependencies and GPU drivers the error still persists.

Steps to Reproduce

Open a terminal and enter 'steam' (with or without setting the STEAM_RUNTIME flag)
Enter username and password when prompted by dialog.
After authenticating and connecting to Steam another dialog will appear briefly with the text "Updating user configuration information" and then disappear.
After several minutes, a timeout will occur with the aforementioned assertion error message printed to stdout and the client will exit.

Additional Notes

Running steam with the -bigpicture switch will not cause the client to crash but will indefinitely hang while "Updating user configuration information".

Enabling or disabling the STEAM_RUNTIME flag or forcing the runtime to not use host libraries has no effect on the outcome.

Uunfossil 2017-07-16 github

Before opening this issue, I created a thread about it on a Steam forum here.

Another user reported the same bug is occurring with the Windows Steam client so this might be a cross-platform issue:

Pretty much the same is happening on my Windows Steam Client as well since today. I extracted the following assertion from the Crash Dump:

( Assertion Failed: fatal stalled cross-thread pipe ):..\common\pipes.cpp:769

Rebooting, cleaning and reinstalling did not help. So I assume that the latest client is broken for certain system configurations...

edit: User platform information: Windows 10 / Version 10.0.15063 Build 15063

FFranzl123 2017-07-16 github

As written here, i have exactly the same problem! no known solution flying around is helping.

Uunfossil 2017-07-17 github

I reproduced this error today on newly installed Debian 9 (Stretch) system running Linux kernel version 4.9.0-3-amd64. The same error...

Uunfossil 2017-07-18 github

The most recent update (version: 1500335472) seems to have patched this issue. @Franzl123, I am sure this is the case for you as well :)

Nice work, Valve.

FFranzl123 2017-07-18 github

Yes, i can confirm this for Linux and Windows 7 :)

Thank you

IIanTrudel 2019-06-22 github

This issue seems to have reappeared in the latest version of Steam.

Kkisak-valve maintainer 2019-06-22 github

Hello @BackOrder, you've most likely encountered #6326, not the issue that was tracked in this issue report.

IIanTrudel 2019-06-22 github

Hello @BackOrder, you've most likely encountered #6326, not the issue that was tracked in this issue report.

This would make sense considering that I recently upgraded my kernel roughly at the same time as Steam update came along. Would you say that it also causes kernel crash on titles played with Proton? Got this issue as well since the newest Steam updates.

Nothing extracted yet.