OpenGL GLX context is not using direct rendering, which may cause performance problems. (steam) AMD DRIVER

Question

When I start steam in a terminal, I get the following error messages

charlie@SteamMPL:~$ steam
rm: no se puede borrar «/home/charlie/.steam/steam»: Es un directorio
rm: no se puede borrar «/home/charlie/.steam/bin»: Es un directorio
Running Steam on ubuntu 14.04 64-bit
STEAM_RUNTIME is enabled automatically
[2014-08-03 11:50:13] Startup - updater built Jul 15 2014 18:14:26
Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1405474565_client)
libGL error: failed to load driver: swrast
Looks like steam didn't shutdown cleanly, scheduling immediate update check
Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1405474565_client)
[2014-08-03 11:50:14] Checking for update on startup
[2014-08-03 11:50:14] Buscando actualizaciones disponibles...
Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1405474565_client)
[2014-08-03 11:50:14] Download skipped: /client/steam_client_ubuntu12 version 1405474565, installed version 1405474565
[2014-08-03 11:50:14] Nothing to do
[2014-08-03 11:50:14] Verificando instalación...
[2014-08-03 11:50:14] Performing checksum verification of executable files
[2014-08-03 11:50:15] Verification complete
Gtk-Message: Failed to load module "overlay-scrollbar"
Gtk-Message: Failed to load module "unity-gtk-module"
Installing breakpad exception handler for appid(steam)/version(1405474565_client)
Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/10-scale-bitmap-fonts.conf", line 70: non-double matrix element
Fontconfig error: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/10-scale-bitmap-fonts.conf", line 70: non-double matrix element
Fontconfig warning: "/etc/fonts/conf.d/10-scale-bitmap-fonts.conf", line 78: saw unknown, expected number
[0803/115015:WARNING:proxy_service.cc(958)] PAC support disabled because there is no system implementation
libGL error: failed to load driver: swrast
Error: OpenGL GLX context is not using direct rendering, which may cause performance problems.

Hardware information:

• CPU: AMD Athlon x4 760k
• GPU: AMD Radeon R7 250 1 GB GDDR5 (Driver: Catalyst 14.4)
• RAM: 8 GB DDR3 1600

What can I do to circumvent this issue?

Answer 1

Steam ships with it's own gcc libraries, which are outdated and do not work on distributions with newer libraries. For further information, check out: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/steam#Steam_runtime_issues

To solve your problem on Ubuntu 14.04, close Steam and run:

rm ~/.local/share/Steam/ubuntu12_32/steam-runtime/amd64/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libgcc_s.so.1
rm ~/.local/share/Steam/ubuntu12_32/steam-runtime/amd64/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libstdc++.so.6
rm ~/.local/share/Steam/ubuntu12_32/steam-runtime/i386/lib/i386-linux-gnu/libgcc_s.so.1
rm ~/.local/share/Steam/ubuntu12_32/steam-runtime/i386/usr/lib/i386-linux-gnu/libstdc++.so.6
rm ~/.local/share/Steam/ubuntu12_32/steam-runtime/i386/usr/lib/i386-linux-gnu/libxcb.so.1

On 14.10, the path changed, commands are similar:

rm ~/.steam/ubuntu12_32/steam-runtime/amd64/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libgcc_s.so.1
rm ~/.steam/ubuntu12_32/steam-runtime/amd64/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libstdc++.so.6
rm ~/.steam/ubuntu12_32/steam-runtime/i386/lib/i386-linux-gnu/libgcc_s.so.1
rm ~/.steam/ubuntu12_32/steam-runtime/i386/usr/lib/i386-linux-gnu/libstdc++.so.6
rm ~/.steam/ubuntu12_32/steam-runtime/i386/usr/lib/i386-linux-gnu/libxcb.so.1

or

rm ~/.steam/bin32/steam-runtime/amd64/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libgcc_s.so.1
rm ~/.steam/bin32/steam-runtime/amd64/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libstdc++.so.6
rm ~/.steam/bin32/steam-runtime/i386/lib/i386-linux-gnu/libgcc_s.so.1
rm ~/.steam/bin32/steam-runtime/i386/usr/lib/i386-linux-gnu/libstdc++.so.6
rm ~/.steam/bin32/steam-runtime/i386/usr/lib/i386-linux-gnu/libxcb.so.1

Answer 2

I did the following

$ tar cjvf ~/.steam/gcc_libs_backup.tar.bz2 $(find ~/.steam | grep -e libstdc++ -e libgcc_s) && rm $(find ~/.steam | grep -e libstdc++ -e libgcc_s)

and then everything worked. If it's necessary you'll have a backup of the libraries in ~/.steam/gcc_libs_backup.tar.bz2

Answer 3

That same error has occured to me and the problem was with the amd driver. Try doing the following:

uninstall steam
uninstall amd driver
install steam
start steam
setup everything
install amd driver

Hope it helps

Answer 4

I had the same issue and couldn't resolve it, but thanks to @user22153 I was able to solve it, but with a little difference. (I created a new answer, so I could easier post the commands I used, also for future reference. :D) All creds got to @user22153.

rm ~/.steam/steam/ubuntu12_32/steam-runtime/i386/usr/lib/i386-linux-gnu/libstdc++.so.6
rm ~/.steam/steam/ubuntu12_32/steam-runtime/i386/lib/i386-linux-gnu/libgcc_s.so.1
rm ~/.steam/steam/ubuntu12_32/steam-runtime/amd64/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libgcc_s.so.1
rm ~/.steam/steam/ubuntu12_32/steam-runtime/amd64/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libstdc++.so.6
rm ~/.steam/steam/ubuntu12_32/steam-runtime/i386/usr/lib/i386-linux-gnu/libxcb.so.1

So, simply put, if the above mentioned code (by @user22153) doesn't work, look around until you are able to find the files.

Answer 5

Got this error after installing version 346.47 of the nvidia Geforce drivers on Ubuntu 14.04.2. During installation of the drivers, I got a message saying that the 32 bit compatibility libraries could not be installed, but I stupidly ignored it. Running back through the installer for the video drivers, and making sure to install those 32bit libraries fixed the issue.