ValveSoftware
Steam intermittently does not draw the steam window or splash screen on start, repeatedly killing and restarting steam eventually shows the window
Your system information
- Steam client version (build number or date): 1711734008
- Distribution (e.g. Ubuntu): Archlinux
- Opted into Steam client beta?: Yes
- Have you checked for system updates?: Yes, system is up to date
- Steam Logs: steam-logs.tar.gz
- GPU: AMD Radeon Pro W6800
- Window manager: sway
Please describe your issue in as much detail as possible:
About 8 out of 10 times steam starts with high CPU usage and does not show the steam window. Only the tray icon is visible. Killing it (with pkill steam) and restarting it repeatedly eventually shows the steam window and after that everything works fine.
Steps for reproducing this issue:
- Start steam expected behavior: The steam loading screen is shown and then the steam window as well as the tray icon observed behavior: No splash screen or window is shown, only the tray icon. CPU usage in the background is high.
Hello @kevenwyld, this reads like #9383. If you completely close Steam, then run steam-runtime from a terminal, does it reliably start?
@kisak-valve thanks, unfortunately I was able to reproduce the issue I described when launching steam-runtime as well. I skimmed that issue and since I don't have multiple GPUs (My CPU does not have an integrated gpu) I'm not sure it's the same issue. I was going to try setting the PrefersNonDefaultGPU var anyway just to rule it out but I'm not quite sure where to do that.
This is also happening on Ubuntu 24.04 Beta with the current Steam beta. For me, the systray icon allows exiting without the need to kill Steam. Usually the main window opens on the next launch attempt. I'm launching Steam via Debian/Ubuntu's bash script.
Still seems to happen for me on the latest beta 1712795774.
For me, the systray icon allows exiting without the need to kill Steam
Due to an issue with my window manager (sway) I can't interact with the systray icon well enough to exit this way, but if it wasn't for that (unrelated to steam) issue I'm sure this would work for me because running steam -shutdown from a new terminal does work which is pretty much the same thing AFAIK. I think it forwards the shutdown command onto the running instance.
Anyway, the issue persists but the number of restarts is quite inconsistent. Sometimes it only requires being restarted one time, and sometimes it requires quite a few occasionally approaching 10 times.
This happens to me as well. I always have the friends and chat window open when using steam, because of this the friends and chat window always opens automatically when starting steam. When this bug occurs, the main window won't show, but the friends and chat window will.
I can't reproduce this after editing the bash script that Ubuntu ships with their 'steam-installer' package. I removed the command line flags involving breakpads and crash dumps passed to steam.sh at the end of the script. Probably a coincidence.
I've been getting this lately as well with PopOs and a nvidia dgpu. Seem like Steam is running, downloading updates/etc, but the main window is just missing. Launching games using the recent list from the tray icon works too.
Usually the launcher appears after one or two tries, but after the latest beta update today, it took a lot more tries (probably a coincidence, but made me search for the issue and ended up here)
This seems to no longer happen for me, or at least less, since the April 22 beta. Not sure if it would be related to "Fixed slow startup on busy systems".
I haven't had this happen recently either. The beta release on April 17th said:
Linux
- Fixed some causes of steamwebhelper crashes
My guess is that was the one that fixed it since it hasn't happened since that release.
I spoke too soon. Issue isn't gone, just happened to me now several times in a row.
Had this problem for the first time today - Steam would appear on the system tray but display no window. NixOS 23.11 (Tapir), KDE Plasma 5.27.11, Wayland session. Steam client version 1714854927. Kernel 6.1.90. Using Steam through Flatpak.
Running Steam with WAYLAND_DISPLAY='' steam (that is, forcing the usage of Xwayland) helped fix this once; could have been a coincidence though, since it usually fixes itself after a few attempts (and Steam normally runs under Xwayland anyway).
The problem seems to reappear on each reboot.
EDIT: The issue seems to be entirely fixed for me now (2024-05-17), perhaps due to a new Steam client update (running version 1715891371).
EDIT: I spoke too soon, it's back (2024-05-22, Steam version 1716242052).
EDIT: Seems to be fixed again now (2024-06-04, Steam version 1716584667).
I'm experiencing this issue on stable client for a few days (maybe couple of weeks) I think. Sometimes nothing shows up, sometimes only the chat, sometimes the chat and the friends window. I pkill steam and restart until the main window shows up.
Arch Linux / X.org / leftwm
EDIT: I spoke too soon, it's back (2024-05-22, Steam version 1716242052).
For what it's worth, I can confirm on my part at least. Updated to the latest beta today (1716242052), and the issue is back. Was working fine for a while before.
I'm experiencing this issue on stable client for a few days (maybe couple of weeks) I think. Sometimes nothing shows up, sometimes only the chat, sometimes the chat and the friends window. I
pkill steamand restart until the main window shows up.Arch Linux / X.org / leftwm
I didn't have the issue for quite some time now. Anybody still experiencing this issue?
I didn't have the issue for quite some time now. Anybody still experiencing this issue?
Can confirm it doesn't seem to be happening anymore (Steam build 1716584667). Hope it stays that way :)
I haven't experienced it in a while either, though last time I said that I only made it 3 days before it came back, but maybe it's really gone this time.
No issue launching Steam client here either, anymore. Have had the front end disappear once after resuming from suspend, with the same symptoms (Tray applet works and can be used to launch Friends list or quit Steam), but this has happened only once, so who knows.
Still happening here. I have not been able to pinpoint any specific reason for failure to start. Seems completely random when it starts with a window and when not.
