Fresh Linus install, fresh store download, game won't run

[Martian Emigrant]

Hi all.

Sorry but I need help again.

 

My PC crashed yesterday Linus Mint 17.1 the game (Both 1.7.3 and 1.8.1) ran great straight from the file.

So, new install of 17.1 then upgraded to 17.3, because.

I get KSP 1.8.1 and it fails to run.

Tried getting a new "Uncorrupted version". Still fails.

Tried running from different user. Fail.

Tried downloading and running 1.7.3. Fail.

I run two monitors. I tried starting from either. Fail.

I tried running from the launchers, x86, x86_64. Exact same fail.

 

What I see is a window growing and shrinking too fast to observe. No messages, no log is created.

I really don't want to revert to Linux Mint 17.1 just to see. Don't quite see the point.

 

I could live without playing KSP ......., but , you know. Why?

 

I have Linux mint 17.3, 64 bits installed, dual monitors.

 

Any ideas or input?

 

Thanks for reading this.

 

ME

[Geonovast]

What are the rest of the specs of your computer?

Is there a specific reason you're sticking to 17?  IIRC 19.2 is the most current version and 19.3 should be out soon.  Also, why install 17.1 and then go to 17.3?  Why not just install 17.3?  17.3 has hit End Of Life.

Which DE?  Do you have the correct GPU drivers installed?

 

Personally I would install a currently supported version of mint (18.3 is still my go-to for most installs), get it fully updated including the kernel, make sure the correct GPU drivers are in (if you have a separate GPU), then give it a try.  I've run KSP on many LM computers and not had a single one fail.

 

[Martian Emigrant]

53 minutes ago, Geonovast said:

What are the rest of the specs of your computer?

Is there a specific reason you're sticking to 17?  IIRC 19.2 is the most current version and 19.3 should be out soon.  Also, why install 17.1 and then go to 17.3?  Why not just install 17.3?  17.3 has hit End Of Life.

Which DE?  Do you have the correct GPU drivers installed?

 

Personally I would install a currently supported version of mint (18.3 is still my go-to for most installs), get it fully updated including the kernel, make sure the correct GPU drivers are in (if you have a separate GPU), then give it a try.  I've run KSP on many LM computers and not had a single one fail.

 

Reasons?

No real reasons. I had the CD for 17.1 already. The update manager suggested an update to 17.3 (Naively I thought that would be the latest). I will go looking for those more current versions....But it ran before. Puzzled.

Intel i5 CPU [email protected], 3.4GiB, HD 957.2GB (Using less than 1/3)

I do not know what DE mean nor how to change drivers.

 

I will go and get 18.3 AND 19.2, try them both.

 

Thanks.

[Geonovast]

10 minutes ago, Martian Emigrant said:

Intel i5 CPU [email protected], 3.4GiB, HD 957.2GB (Using less than 1/3)

Some concerns here, mainly your amount of RAM.  KSP itself is going to need all of that, and then some.  Even if you're running nothing else, you're going to swapping(paging) a lot.

Which brings us back to this:

1 hour ago, Martian Emigrant said:

My PC crashed yesterday Linus Mint 17.1

How did it "Crash"?  If you mean you turned it on and it suddenly didn't have a bootable operating system, then I fear for your storage device.  Especially if it's the original.  Your processor tells me your computer is ten years old.  That's old for a PC, especially for the harddrive inside of it.  If your harddrive is dying, then your OS won't be able to page very well, at all, and those two symptoms are going to cause you a whole mess of weird problems.

 

If a new computer isn't feasible, then I would do two things:

Get a cheap, small capacity SSD for it.  120 GB SSDs can be had for under $20.  240s for less than $30.  Replace your likely dying HDD.

See if there is any chance you can get more physical memory into it.

 

10 minutes ago, Martian Emigrant said:

I do not know what DE mean nor how to change drivers.

DE is Desktop environment.  For Linux Mint, the most common DEs are Cinnamon, MATE, and xfce.  Cinnamon is the most common and I have a feeling that's what you're using.  It's also the heaviest in resource usage.  On that computer I would run xfce.

Since you didn't specify a graphics card, I'm going to assume you are using the on-board graphics, in which case you won't need to do anything with your graphics drivers.

[Martian Emigrant]

1 hour ago, Geonovast said:

Some concerns here, mainly your amount of RAM.  KSP itself is going to need all of that, and then some.  Even if you're running nothing else, you're going to swapping(paging) a lot.

Which brings us back to this:

How did it "Crash"?  If you mean you turned it on and it suddenly didn't have a bootable operating system, then I fear for your storage device.  Especially if it's the original.  Your processor tells me your computer is ten years old.  That's old for a PC, especially for the harddrive inside of it.  If your harddrive is dying, then your OS won't be able to page very well, at all, and those two symptoms are going to cause you a whole mess of weird problems.

 

If a new computer isn't feasible, then I would do two things:

Get a cheap, small capacity SSD for it.  120 GB SSDs can be had for under $20.  240s for less than $30.  Replace your likely dying HDD.

See if there is any chance you can get more physical memory into it.

 

DE is Desktop environment.  For Linux Mint, the most common DEs are Cinnamon, MATE, and xfce.  Cinnamon is the most common and I have a feeling that's what you're using.  It's also the heaviest in resource usage.  On that computer I would run xfce.

Since you didn't specify a graphics card, I'm going to assume you are using the on-board graphics, in which case you won't need to do anything with your graphics drivers.

Thanks @Geonovast

 

All is solved.

 

My PC was getting slower and weirder all the time. Until it failed altogether.

I reached in my drawer for parts and got out another drive a Terra (I always inherit old computers from family). The failed one 500Mb wont even mount (I tried to mount it as secondary to retrieve pictures). It spins but something is obviously wrong with it. I will keep it for a short while until I am convinced it will not heal itself. On a re-install I always re-install on a different drive and retrieve my files from the original.

Not having a PC to download Linux I used what I had (The CD).

 

I am now running Linux Mint 19.2 and KSP 1.8.1 just started.

The install was the same as always but this time it asked for installing 3rd party software and drivers. My previous one (17.1) had not. That's the only real difference I saw in the install.

 

Now to get the backup drive connected and get picture albums from years past.

 

Thanks again. I am not sure I would have checked to find if there was a newer better Linus out there.

 

ME

 

PS.

 

Memory. Yes. My memory is a bit low and there is too much swapping.

My biggest hangup is the video card. Full screen or looking at Kerbin the game lags. Looking toward the Skybox all is well.

A new computer isn't in in my foreseeable future.

 

 

Edited November 26, 2019 by Martian Emigrant