PixInsight Forum (historical)
PixInsight => Announcements => Topic started by: Juan Conejero on 2019 December 13 13:16:53
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Hi all,
I am glad to announce a new version of the PixInsight core application: 1.8.8-3. This is an important maintenance release providing bug fixes and stability improvements on all platforms.
Installation packages for PixInsight 1.8.8-3 are now available to all licensed users for FreeBSD, Linux, macOS and Windows:
https://pixinsight.com/dist/
For technical reasons this version cannot be available as an application update. You have to install version 1.8.8-3 manually:
- FreeBSD and Linux: The installation packages are xz-compressed tar archives (.tar.xz). To install one of these archives, just extract its full contents on any directory, preferably on one located under your home directory. Then become root and run the installer program from a terminal. Normally you should just type "yes" and press Enter to accept the default settings. Say './installer --help' for detailed information on command line arguments.
- macOS: If you have a previous version of PixInsight already installed, you must uninstall it by moving the /Applications/PixInsight folder to trash (known as bin on macOS 10.15). Run the .pkg installation package and follow the instructions.
- Windows: If you have a previous version of PixInsight already installed, please uninstall it from Control Panel or Add and Remove Programs. Run the installation package and follow the instructions.
If you have version 1.8.6, 1.8.7 or 1.8.8 already installed, this new version does not require a license reactivation. If you are still using a 1.8.5 version or older, see the official 1.8.6 version announcement (https://pixinsight.com/forum/index.php?topic=12986.0) for a detailed description of our new licensing system. See also FAQ 2.10 (https://pixinsight.com/faq/index.html#faq0210) for additional information on license reactivations.
Main Bug Fixes and Improvements
This version is a maintenance/bugfix release focused on stability improvements, paving the way towards PixInsight 1.8.9. As such it does not provide relevant new features, but just minor performance improvements and many bug fixes. Version 1.8.8-3 fixes all confirmed bugs since the initial 1.8.8 release.
Among the main changes in this version, the following ones are worth mentioning:
Windows: Fixed a bug that was causing sporadic application crashes during long/intensive batch tasks, such as the WBPP script. This bug has been extremely complex and difficult to reproduce consistently, and has required a considerable amount of work in order to fully understand it.
Windows: The entire PixInsight platform uses from now on an ANGLE (https://chromium.googlesource.com/angle/angle/+/master/README.md) driver implementing the OpenGL ES (https://www.khronos.org/opengles/) API, which we include in the standard PixInsight distribution for Windows. The ANGLE driver provides an emulation of OpenGL ES version 2.0 or higher on top of Direct3D 9 or Direct3D 11 (detected automatically). This removes our dependency on desktop OpenGL drivers, which have been causing considerable problems on Windows. The Linux/UNIX and macOS versions of PixInsight will continue using native desktop OpenGL graphics acceleration.
Windows: The Windows version of PixInsight can now provide stack backtraces for critical exceptions, such as access violations, in a similar way to the UNIX/Linux and macOS versions. This will help us to diagnose potential problems more efficiently.
All Platforms: Fixed a regression that was causing sporadic crashes when image windows were closed programmatically. This bug was being triggered more frequently by the Blink tool.
New INDIGO-based INDIClient module
With PixInsight 1.8.8-3 we are releasing an initial version of the INDIClient module, written by Klaus Kretzschmar, fully based on the INDIGO platform (http://indigo-astronomy.org/). This is an important milestone that deserves a special official release, which we'll carry out during the coming days. Congratulations to Klaus for his excellent work and dedication, and a big thanks to Peter Polakovic and Rumen Bogdanovski for their help and for making this possible by creating the wonder that is INDIGO.
Known Issues
FreeBSD and Linux
* Recent versions of the KDE Plasma desktop environment include a morphing popups desktop effect that causes problems with recent PixInsight versions. If this effect is enabled, it slows down some dragging operations in the PixInsight core application, such as dragging icons and view selectors. You should disable this effect, which is very easy from KDE's System Settings panel. This problem is also present on Linux.
* On recent versions of the KDE Plasma desktop environment, a display tearing prevention option (v-sync) is enabled by default. This option can cause input lag problems (e.g., slow cursor movement over image windows). This option should be disabled for optimal PixInsight performance:
- System Settings > Display and Monitor > Tearing prevention: set to 'Never'
- Click Apply
Linux
* PixInsight is not compatible with the open-source Nouveau graphics driver. If your distribution is using Nouveau, you must remove and replace it with the proprietary Nvidia driver in order to use PixInsight.
macOS
* On Apple MacBook laptops with dual graphics cards, the integrated Intel HD graphics driver has been causing minor usability issues on macOS 10.14 Mojave. Apparently these problems have been fixed in macOS 10.15 Catalina.
Windows
* Intel HD graphics drivers have been causing serious problems on Windows. Hopefully most of these issues have been resolved once we no longer depend on desktop OpenGL drivers by default.
* On some laptops with nonstandard screen resolutions, such as the Microsoft Surface, PixInsight cannot find valid screen scaling factors automatically. On these machines, you may have to run the PixInsight core application with the --ui-scaling command line argument. For example, to apply a UI scaling factor of 2:
C:\Program Files\PixInsight\bin\PixInsight.exe --ui-scaling=2
You only have to do this once, since the scaling factor will be stored in application preferences automatically. Of course, if you already are using version 1.8.6 and the interface looks correct, then you don't need to do this; this is only required for new installations.
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Thank you for your attention.
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Thanks for keeping up the good work!
Is there a way to keep our scripts, settings etc in tact when we re-install PI manually ? I find quite cumbersome to install the scripts etc over and over again.
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Thank you. If you use nonstandard scripts, the best way to reinstall them quickly is to store them on a dedicated folder, for example a folder under your home directory. Then after installing a new version of PixInsight just select Script > Feature scripts to reinstall your scripts in seconds.
I don't know why so many people insist in copying nonstandard scripts on the application's src/scripts distribution directory. This is an error because that directory is removed when the application is uninstalled. Scripts can be stored anywhere on your local filesystem.
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Thank you Juan. Will do as you say. I'm keeping back up of those in a different folder but for some reason I thought they needed to be copied to src/scripts distribution directory.
Gracias
Sedat
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Thank you. If you use nonstandard scripts, the best way to reinstall them quickly is to store them on a dedicated folder, for example a folder under your home directory. Then after installing a new version of PixInsight just select Script > Feature scripts to reinstall your scripts in seconds.
I don't know why so many people insist in copying nonstandard scripts on the application's src/scripts distribution directory. This is an error because that directory is removed when the application is uninstalled. Scripts can be stored anywhere on your local filesystem.
Well, Duh! Seems obvious but I did not realize I could do that. THANK YOU!
JT
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Installed, ran and exited cleanly on my system.
Windows 10 Home, 64bit, v1909, build 18363.476
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Juan,
Thanks for the update and for the world class job that you guys do supporting your customers. A+
John
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Thank you, John. I just try to do my job the best I can. I appreciate your comment a lot.
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Wanted to remind folks this update requires you to uninstall PixInsight manually and download/reinstall from scratch. Checking for updates from within PixInsight won't detect any new updates, so you have to manually uninstall, download and install.
Also, and this isn't mentioned, once you do that and 1.8.8-3 is installed, check for updates in the RESOURCES menu of PixInsight (post reinstall) because there are a few more updates you will get post install that aren't included in the latest 1.8.8-3 installer. Looking at what the post updates actually were, it isn't anything super major but the Documentation is updated post uninstall/reinstall via the updates option within RESOURCES menu of PixInsight.
Thanks dev team for your hard work getting these updates to us. I can only imagine the work put into them, especially ones that fix bugs that are hard to trace down. Great job!!! Best Astro imaging tool on the planet!!
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Hello Juan,
thanks for the update. Try to install great tool starnet into new version.
Copy the starnet files into the bin folder.
Can t find the process.
Could you please help me.
Thank you
Dirk
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Thanks again for your job
I'm not an usual participant of your forum, just reader time to time.
But today I have the following problem to start PI:
'no disk into reader, insert disk into reader D: abort retry continue'
I choise continue several times and I see:
'Impossible to start this program because it's missing the file:
api-ms-win-core-heap-i2-1-0.dll
I've tried to reinstall: same
I reinstall the precedent version : no problem
PLEASE if you have any information about that...
Thank you
Philippe LAURENT
FRANCE
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Is there any way to install 1.8.8-3 using Windows 7 64bit? I get the following error about a missing .dll file. I tried reinstalling and received the same error. My Windows 7 system has 'api-ms-win-core-libraryloader-I1-1-0.dll' instead of the dll referenced in the error. I have looked on my up to date Windows 10 laptop system and the file isn't their either. I really would like to be able to use Pixinsight on my Windows 7 desktop pc, if at all possible. Thanks.
PixInsight: PixInsight.exe - System Error
The program can't start because
api-ms-win-core-libraryloader-I1-2-0.dll is missing from your
computer. Try reinstalling the program to fix this problem.
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If you resolve the 'api-ms-win-core-libraryloader.....dll' error you will run into others. Unfortunately you will have to upgrade to Win 10. A New install or an Upgrade.
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Should I understand that PI is now only for W10 users ?
Here Windows 8.1 pro x64 all updates performed today
I remark that PI wants a file for processor I2 if I understand well, but I'm using an I7 core ?
I add that the problem appears only for this last version of PI
Also after to click about 5 times on 'continue' finally starts, hope correctly ??
A solution would be welcome...
Sorry for this claim
I'm still fan of Pixinsight
Philippe LAURENT
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Just chiming in.
I also can not install the latest PI version because of the missing file report.
this is after completely uninstalling the previous version.
when I reinstalled the previous I had some random repository error appear rendering updates impossible...so I did a system restore.
Windows 10 doesn't play well with others ,and the realization that some people have obsolete discontinued cameras valued over 10,000 ...support is discontinued as well.
were stuck with windows 7 for a spell...at least until we can migrate legacy drivers into windows 10...or win the lottery.
a little help here :)
Ken
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Thanks for the update Juan. I seem to have been able to install extra scripts multiple times....? I think I’ve found a bug when in loading scripts can duplicate the script in the menu. I save all my “extra” scripts in a separate folder under My Documents simply called PI Scripts. This way anytime I need to uninstall PI for a new version I can just go to this folder to load all the “outside” scripts in one shot. But seems that I had done this several times as I realized a few were missing and did a Everything search finding them outside my PI Scripts folder and moved them over, then installed but it seems to have found all again. A number of scripts are listed more than once now. Not sure what the appropriate step should be now to correct this. I did notice that when I installed the scripts after say it found XX number of scripts it would go into a very long search which I would finally have to cancel.
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Try installing the latest Visual C++ redistributable for Visual Studio 2015, 2017 and 2019:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/2977003/the-latest-supported-visual-c-downloads
The required download is 'x64: vc_redist.x64.exe'.
Hopefully this will fix the problem of lacking 'api-ms-win...' files on your Windows 7 SP1 or 8.1.
Thanks again for your job
I'm not an usual participant of your forum, just reader time to time.
But today I have the following problem to start PI:
'no disk into reader, insert disk into reader D: abort retry continue'
I choise continue several times and I see:
'Impossible to start this program because it's missing the file:
api-ms-win-core-heap-i2-1-0.dll
I've tried to reinstall: same
I reinstall the precedent version : no problem
PLEASE if you have any information about that...
Thank you
Philippe LAURENT
FRANCE
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I seem to have been able to install extra scripts multiple times....? I think I’ve found a bug when in loading scripts can duplicate the script in the menu.
This is not a bug, but a consequence of adding several scripts with the same declared menu entry from different locations on your file system. In such case PixInsight will add each script found, irrespective of the menu entries, which can be identical (for example, if you add the same script from different locations).
Do the following to reset your scripts menu:
- From the main menu, select 'Scripts > Feature Scripts'
- On the Feature Scripts dialog, click the 'Disable All' button.
- Click 'Done'
- Exit PixInsight.
- Run PixInsight. The default set of official scripts will now populate the Script menu.
Now you can feature new (unofficial) scripts, but make sure you add each script just once.
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Thanks Juan, I figured it was likely a me issue. I'll look into that folder and make sure only the unzipped scripts are there and then only one copy. I may have the unzipped .js file in the root of that folder and the file again in its respective folder.
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Hola Juan ,me pasa lo mismo que a los compañeros.....perdida de api-ms-win-core-libraryloader-I1-2-0.dll.
He instalado el ejecutable VC_redist.x64 pero el problema persiste.Vuelvo de de nuevo a la versión anterior.
Espero que podamos actualizar y no debamos pasarnos a Win 10 por una actualización.
Gracias.
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Hello Juan
Latest Visual C++ installed
... but it's the same
still not resolved sorry
I don't know if it was a good idea but tomorrow I will check at work if I could copy the missing file on the Windows 10 PC
Good idea ??
See you tomorrow
Thanks again
Phil
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Hi Phil,
It seems we have found the component that is causing missing API set file errors on Windows 7SP1/8.1. Please try the following:
- With Windows Explorer, navigate to the folder: "C:\Program Files\PixInsight\bin"
- Locate a file with the name: "d3dcompiler_47.dll"
- Rename this file to "d3dcompiler_47.dll.old"
- Run PixInsight
If it's true that we have found the problem, now you should be able to execute PixInsight on your machine. Note that this does not mean that we support Windows 7 and 8.1 again. But at least you should be able to run version 1.8.8-3 the same way as 1.8.8-2.
If this fixes the problem, we'll release new installation files with an older version of the d3dcompiler_47.dll file.
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Hello: i just installed Pixinsight 1.8.8.3 on a windows 7 x64 desktop, and on a Windows 8.1 laptop with a Nvidia GeForce GT 6300. When I start PI on both machines I get The program can't start because
api-ms-win-core-libraryloader-I1-2-0.dll is missing from your
computer. Try reinstalling the program to fix this problem..
On the Windows 7 desktop I close all the errors and the program starts. On the windows 8.1 laptop I close the errors and PI starts with a black screen.
I hope there will be a solution for this problem soon.
Freewheelin.
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Juan - I made the change you mentioned above. I am up and running - 1.8.8-3. I want to thank you and your team for taking the time to look into this problem on an 'unsupported operating system'. I understand the limited resources you have and the decision not to support Win 7.
In a previous post I mentioned that I was upgrading to Win 10 Home. I replaced the existing SSD in my laptop, installed Win 10 with all the updates and got the current PI release up and running. I found that there are still QHY device driver problems on 2 products so I stepped back to Win 7 Pro. I am grateful that you found a work-around. I now need to decide what to do about the QHY device driver problems... I do plan to permanently migrate to Win 10 in the next 2 to 3 months.
Looking forward to the 1.8.9 release.
Again - thank you for this work around.
EDIT - I forgot to mention that I upgraded to Visual C++ for Visual Studio earlier today - Visual C++ redistributable for Visual Studio 2015, 2017 and 2019 per your earlier post.
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Juan - I made the change you mentioned above. I also tried using an older version of d3dcompiler_47.dll (File Version: 10.0.17134.12) to see if Pixinsight would load and it loaded with no problem. I'm not sure if PI is using this dll file, but there were no errors when starting.
Freewheelin
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Freewheelin - I renamed d3dcompiler_47.dll.old back to the original name and the problems return.
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I left d3dcompiler_47.dll as d3dcompiler_47.dll.old and downloaded an older version and copied it to the folder to see if PI would load and it did.
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Where did you find the older version? From Microsoft?
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Juan, thank you for all the excellent work!, always of the highest quality. Everything working perfect here (Win 10 64x)
Best regards,
Enzo.
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No. Not from Microsoft. But an x64 Microsoft for redistribution version from a website that has dll files for download. Not sure what site.
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Hi guys,
I am glad we have found the culprit of these problems. The Direct3D compiler is a necessary component for PixInsight on Windows, since it is used to translate OpenGL ES API calls to native Direct3D calls. The d3dcompiler_47.dll file is a system component, which should be available on any clean Windows installation. So you can safely delete (or rename) it and PixInsight will use the one available on your operating system. We include it in our distribution because, believe it or not, there are Windows machines lacking this file. This time we simply have included a newer version, which requires API sets only available on Windows 10.
By the way, API set files (the "api-win..." files) are not real DLL files. They are just 'links' to actual system components, which vary among different Windows versions. This is just an application of the fundamental theorem of software engineering (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fundamental_theorem_of_software_engineering): a new level of indirection, trying to achieve a 'uniform' development platform on top of a total mess, in the purest style of Windows.
We'll upload later today new installation files for the Windows version of 1.8.8-3 with the same D3D compiler used in version 1.8.8-2.
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Hi Juan, thanks so much for this update. As a consequence of switching to the Qt ANGLE mode on Windows per default, are those nasty bugs with Laptops that only use the Intel graphics card (no GPU) gone? I'm using a Surface Pro 7 and I always had to bypass the OEM driver and install the official Intel one (which came with other problems) to make it work half ways.
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Hi,
Yes, most OpenGL related issues on Windows should be gone. Please let me know if the new version works better on your Surface.
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HI Juan
Almost resolved !
I've just renamed d3compiler_47.dll (added.old as you told)
Now just 3 times the message :<< No disk D: >> continue 3 times and PI starts.
No more error message about dll missing !!
I've tried to reinstall completely : same. (always the dec 13th version)
Great progress but I think there's two problem in fact, and just one is solved now ?
About my idea to add the dll this is NOT a good idea for several reasons.
In attempt of the complete resolution !
Thanks
Philippe LAURENT
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Hi Philippe,
Now just 3 times the message :<< No disk D: >> continue 3 times and PI starts.
This has nothing to do with PixInsight. Our software knows nothing at all about the 'D:' disk of your computer. This is a machine-specific issue and there is nothing we can do to solve it.
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Hello everyone, renamed file d3dcompiler_47.dll.old successfully with windows 8.1.Pixinsight 1.8.8.3 already works.
Thanks to all the team.
Toni
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Hi Juan
In spite of this message at launch (3 times : no disk into D: ) PI seems to me to work well
I understand that my machine has a problem, but why only with this last version of PI ?
Please I would like you help me to find the problem, if you have an idea ?
Here only disk C: an external 2 To SSD named I: ; and DVD reader named H:
Thanks again
Philippe LAURENT
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Felipe - Does or did your PC have a D Drive?
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Hi Juan
No there's no disk D here !
really stange !
Philippe LAURENT
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Hello Juan
Perhaps I've forget to tell you a remark:
After loading file(s) to updates like this morning, when I reset PI 'quit' 'UPDATE SYSTEM' PI restarts WITHOUT error message...
Another thing: Process Explorer, Preferences, Directories and Network : I see: C:/Users/Philippe/AppData/Local/Temp
Into that there's several folders here
Perhaps problem to access that's reason it claims for an hypothetical D disk that not exist ??
Sorry for this msg today of course,
Juan,
thanks again
MERRY CHRISTMAS
Philippe LAURENT
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The problem is probably related to the problem I had a few days ago when I moved my license from windows 7 to a new 16 core Windows 10 Pro.
I also copied the file PixInsight.ini to my new PC but it contains paths from my previous PC.
I had to press the reset button in a window forgot which one (some basic one maybe image integration) before it would work with the new path.
I didn't get the same error as yours but I saw the wrong path as error in the process console.
There are still a few non existing paths in my .ini file (like 'Global\FileDialogs\....'), how can I easily reset that without deleting my settings?
Also how should I copy the image solved data to another image, the copy script doesn't seem to work?
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Hello OldSkyEyes,
thank you for your answer,
It's true I migrated my old PC from Windows 8 to 8.1
But nothing to report with the precedent version of PI
This (minor ?) problem appears with only the last version.
I've my PI licence in 2013, with same PC !
After reading you, I looked for the file PixInsight.ini
I found this one dated 25/12/2019 probably new with the last version
Also old as PixInsight.ini.NI2636 09/06/2017 and
PixInsight64.ini 13/07/2015
About the recent ini file I think that the solution is inside, but where ?
It's a great file with so many configuration instructions, and I'm afraid of doing wrong !
Maybe this subject is minor and without consequence but I would still like to no longer see an error message at startup !
Wishing you a nice 2020 year !
Thank you
Philippe LAURENT
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Hello
The download speed of the new version is dramatically slow, :(
many interruptions, however I have a fibre optic link at high speed.
Solutions ?
Regards
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Hello
The download speed of the new version is dramatically slow, :(
many interruptions, however I have a fibre optic link at high speed.
Solutions ?
Regards
I have just downloaded this latest version at a rate of 2mb/s.....super fast for me, no dropouts at all, and I am on a slow 10mb radio link living in the mountains in the middle of nowhere....could be your network?
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Thank you, Juan and PixInsight colleagues and contributors for ongoing development. I've been running PixInsight 1.8.8-3 on Fedora 29 (kernel 5.3.11-100.fc29.x86_64) with nVidia video drivers and Xfce desktop environment. F29 will not boot from a NVMe SSD, so /boot is on a SATA SSD.
When upgrading to Fedora 31 (kernel 5.4.8-200.fc31.x86-640) and Xfce I did a fresh installation, including nVidia drivers, to a new NVMe SSD, with /boot put on a different SATA SSD. PixInsight 1.8.8-3 was installed just as on F29.
When I try to start PI on F31 from the Applications menu nothing appears onscreen. When I start from /opt/PixInsight/bin/Pixinsight using the command line, the error message is:
"This application failed to start because no Qt platform plugin can be initialized. Reinstalling the application may fix the problem."
After a long list of available platform plugins, the error message closes with:
"/opt/PixInsight/bin/PixInsight.sh: line 37: 3134 Aborted (core dumped) /opt/PixInsight/bin/PixInsight"
Reinstalling PI makes no difference. On both Fedora 29 and 31 installations, /opt/PixInsight/bin/PixInsight.sh reads the same. Also, both installations of /opt/PixInsight/bin/qt.conf read the same.
I'm no Linux expert, so now I'm stuck. Any suggestions?
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Problem solved. The error message that "no Qt platform plugins can be initialized" led me to install the LXQt desktop environment on my pristine Fedora 31 - XFCE system. Now, even when running under XFCE, PixInsight runs.
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Hello
The download speed of the new version is dramatically slow, :(
many interruptions, however I have a fibre optic link at high speed.
Solutions ?
Regards
I have just downloaded this latest version at a rate of 2mb/s.....super fast for me, no dropouts at all, and I am on a slow 10mb radio link living in the mountains in the middle of nowhere....could be your network?
Hello
After several attempts I succeeded, but it does not come from my Internet, Speedtest with download of 372Mbps.
Regards
Claude