Skype not launching from menu but works from command line

Question

when I launch skype from the launcher, it flashes then nothing happens. If I run it from command line it works. From command line I get these warnings however:

skype:2018): Gtk-WARNING **: Unable to locate theme engine in module_path: "pixmap",

(skype:2018): Gtk-WARNING **: Unable to locate theme engine in module_path: "pixmap",

(skype:2018): Gtk-WARNING **: Unable to locate theme engine in module_path: "pixmap",

(skype:2018): Gtk-WARNING **: Unable to locate theme engine in module_path: "pixmap",

Anybody has the same issue and knows how to work around it?

thanks

Answer 1

Try this: sudo aptitude install gtk2-engines-pixbuf

That worked for me in a similar problem...

Answer 2

Have you tried perhaps editing your menu entry for Skype. I had to in previous releases just to get my webcam functioning with Skye.

I had to reinstall Main Menu from the Software Centre then look under Internet>Skype and insert the following in properties as in this guide Ubuntu Skype Fix

Please note as you are using 11.10 you will insert

bash -c 'LD_PRELOAD=/usr/lib/i386-linux-gnu/libv4l/v4l1compat.so skype'

into the command box

Let us know if that works

Answer 3

I had the same problem in 11.10 and fixed it by going to the Dash Home, clicking on Internet Applications → Installed → See more more results → Skype.

After invoking Skype from there, it appeared in the side bar, and once there, I clicked Keep on launcher. At this point I had 2 Skype icons on the side panel: the one from the installation, which did not work, and the one just invoked, which now works. I deleted the first one, and presto.

I did not install any extra packages.

Hope this helps as well.

Answer 4

I followed instructions here to get Skype working on Oneiric 64bit.

First run:

echo foreign-architecture i386 | sudo tee /etc/dpkg/dpkg.cfg.d/multiarch 

Then see if some packages are missing:

sudo apt-get install libxss1:i386 libqtcore4:i386 libqt4-dbus:i386 libasound2:i386 libxv1:i386 libsm6:i386 libxi6:i386 libXrender1:i386 libxrandr2:i386 libfreetype6:i386 libfontconfig1:i386

Answer 5

I just installed Skype from the software center, and told software center to add it to my launcher. When starting skype from the launcher, nothing happened. It worked when I started it from the Dash. I removed Skype from the Launcher and dragged it from the Dash to the Launcher to put it in the Launcher again. When I clicked the newly created shortcut in my Launcher, it worked. Seems that the software center does something wrong when creating the shortcut in the Launcher.