How to install a .run file

[fatsheep]

For those of you that have been using Ubuntu for a while, you probably already know this. I'm posting this for the newbies that download a game installer in .run format and have no idea what to do with it.

How to Install a .run File:

For this How To I am going to be using the dummy name "example.run". You should replace this with the name of the file you are trying to install.

1. Open a terminal. In Gnome the terminal is found in Applications>Accessories>Terminal.
2. Navigate to the directory of the .run file. For this example, I have mine on the desktop so I would type in "cd ~/Desktop" and press enter.
3. Type "chmod +x example.run" (press enter).
4. Now type "./example.run", press enter, and the installer will run.

[professorTHC]

Thanks! =D

[WaySensei]

What about uninstalling these? I have UFO: Alien Invasion installed on my box, but I want to remove it. Is it enough to delete the directory it's located in, or is there another, better method?

[erfahren]

this page is a good reference (although I don't think .run installers are there): How to install ANYTHING in Ubuntu! (http://monkeyblog.org/ubuntu/installing/)

those programs often put an uninstaller script in their main directory, in the directory do:
"sudo ./uninstaller_script_name" (whatever the name of it is) - or - "sudo /path_to_it/uninstaller_script_name" of course.

there is a great little application that comes in handy for stuff like that - called "nautilus-open-terminal" (available in Synaptic - or "sudo apt-get install nautilus-open-terminal") - it puts a selection in the right-click context menu to open a directory in the terminal. (Xubuntu 7.10 has something like that included).

[WaySensei]

There is an uninstall script in the /usr/local/games/ufoai directory that I wish to uninstall, but when I try to run the uninstaller script by typing:
./uninstall, there is an error that: Could not find a usable uninstall program. Aborting. I think it must be a bug with the uninstall script for ufoai. I am thinking of simply trashing the directory in order to remove the program and clear the space, but would like other thoughts on the matter before I do.

[tim15856]

What about uninstalling these? I have UFO: Alien Invasion installed on my box, but I want to remove it. Is it enough to delete the directory it's located in, or is there another, better method?


Since I'm getting ready to install this game I wanted to know why you want to uninstall it. Don't like it? Did you play XCOM? How does it compare?

[WaySensei]

The game itself is fine. When I installed from a .run file, however, the game would not start. I then installed it from a .deb package from getdeb.net, and it worked fine. However, now I have two installs on my computer and want to get rid of one of them.

[tim15856]

Yeah, I'm having troubles getting it to work too. I'm not on my Ubuntu system, so I don't have the error code in front of me, but it is missing something. I found one post that said to fix that problem, I need to create a link. But the link command he used didn't work. The file wasn't in the directory his command showed. This problem appears to show up in the 64 bit version. I'll try again later, if it continues to give me a hard time, I'll try the deb.

[erfahren]

Yeah, I'm having troubles getting it to work too. I'm not on my Ubuntu system, so I don't have the error code in front of me, but it is missing something. I found one post that said to fix that problem, I need to create a link. But the link command he used didn't work. The file wasn't in the directory his command showed. This problem appears to show up in the 64 bit version. I'll try again later, if it continues to give me a hard time, I'll try the deb.
search for the file you need like:

sudo find / -name name-of-file

then to make a symlink make it from the file to where it goes

it might be possible that you don't have the library package (or other dependency) installed that the file is a part of (you probably thought of that already I guess)

[zeus thunder]

i have tried the samething to install .run file of america's army.
but i still get ">" after pressing enter after "./example.run":

Thanks in advance

[eram]

Ok, so I followed your instructions to install a .run file. every thing went fine until after I did the last step: (sudo ./example.run) I got an error message: "Your appear to be running an X server; please exit X before installing."

Can anyone help with this?
Thanks!

[ice60]

Ok, so I followed your instructions to install a .run file. every thing went fine until after I did the last step: (sudo ./example.run) I got an error message: "Your appear to be running an X server; please exit X before installing."

Can anyone help with this?
Thanks!
are you trying to install a graphics driver? you'd be better off finding a tutorial for it if you are. it's telling you to kill all the GUI stuff and just use a terminal.

[eram]

Yes, I am installing a graphics card driver. They only provide a README for Suse installation. I don't mind killing the GUI, I have a lot of experience in terminal. But I have never yet encountered a .run file, so I don't know what to do.

[PinkFloyd102489]

You can still sh a run file. I do this all the time with the Nvidia drivers.

sh whatever.run

[eram]

You can still sh a run file. I do this all the time with the Nvidia drivers.

sh whatever.run

No, it says I need to do it as root.
I do sudo sh N*.run but it tells me to exit X.

[ice60]

you run this -
ctrl-alt-F1
that will get rid of your desktop, so save anything first. then run this -
init 3
then -
gdm stop
then login, that bit might be earlier, it's says login, or something like that. then, if the nvidia driver is on your desktop cd to your desktop and run it like this -
cd ~/Desktop <enter>
sudo sh NVIDIA-Linux-xxxx.run
replace the xxxx with what the driver is called. at some point you might get an error about /tmp/.X0-lock, or something like that, you can remove it like this -
sudo rm /tmp/.X0-lock

you can reboot like this -
sudo reboot
OR incase that doesn't work for some reason
sudo shutdown -r now

i've never installed a graphics driver like that in ubuntu, that's just from old notes i made for installing the nvidia driver on linux. i don't think anyone installs the driver like that on ubuntu.

[eram]

you run this -
ctrl-alt-F1
that will get rid of your desktop, so save anything first. then run this -
init 3
then -
gdm stop
then login, that bit might be earlier, it's says login, or something like that. then, if the nvidia driver is on your desktop cd to your desktop and run it like this -
cd ~/Desktop <enter>
sudo sh NVIDIA-Linux-xxxx.run
replace the xxxx with what the driver is called. at some point you might get an error about /tmp/.X0-lock, or something like that, you can remove it like this -
sudo rm /tmp/.X0-lock

you can reboot like this -
sudo reboot
OR incase that doesn't work for some reason
sudo shutdown -r now

i've never installed a graphics driver like that in ubuntu, that's just from old notes i made for installing the nvidia driver on linux. i don't think anyone installs the driver like that on ubuntu.

Thanks! It worked! I ended up uninstalling the driver again because it did not solve my graphics problem. But I was able to solve my problem a different way: It was a simple matter of editing the xorg.conf file.
Thanks again!8)

[coolest30]

as regards step 4 once i have press enter it comes up with permission denied can any one help?

thanks in advance.

[Dfairlite]

works great!

[flower199]

Thank you, very useful!

[kevincolorado]

This is what terminal says:
"================================================= =
ATI Technologies Linux Driver Installer/Packager
==================================================

Error: ./default_policy.sh does not support version
default:v2:i686:lib::none:2.6.28-11-generic; make sure that the version is being
correctly set by --iscurrentdistro

Removing temporary directory: fglrx-install.dSEiPN
kevin@kevin-desktop:~/Desktop$ "

What happened?

[Brandaho]

This is what terminal says:
"================================================= =
ATI Technologies Linux Driver Installer/Packager
==================================================

Error: ./default_policy.sh does not support version
default:v2:i686:lib::none:2.6.28-11-generic; make sure that the version is being
correctly set by --iscurrentdistro

Removing temporary directory: fglrx-install.dSEiPN
kevin@kevin-desktop:~/Desktop$ "

What happened?


When I went to ATI's website, I chose Linux 86_64 because I have a 64 bit system. It works with Ubuntu 9 thats for sure. So it might be your version, or the incorrect file. Just a guess, but the first post helped me get it completely installed.

[ironhorse99]

For those of you that have been using Ubuntu for a while, you probably already know this. I'm posting this for the newbies that download a game installer in .run format and have no idea what to do with it.

How to Install a .run File:

For this How To I am going to be using the dummy name "example.run". You should replace this with the name of the file you are trying to install.

1. Open a terminal. In Gnome the terminal is found in Applications>Accessories>Terminal.
2. Navigate to the directory of the .run file. For this example, I have mine on the desktop so I would type in "cd ~/Desktop" and press enter.
3. Type "chmod +x example.run" (press enter).
4. Now type "./example.run", press enter, and the installer will run.

I have tried this everywhichway I can & it always says " No such file or directory"
I have it on my desktop. What am I doing wrong.

[ironhorse99]

you run this -
ctrl-alt-F1
that will get rid of your desktop, so save anything first. then run this -
init 3
then -
gdm stop
then login, that bit might be earlier, it's says login, or something like that. then, if the nvidia driver is on your desktop cd to your desktop and run it like this -
cd ~/Desktop <enter>
sudo sh NVIDIA-Linux-xxxx.run
replace the xxxx with what the driver is called. at some point you might get an error about /tmp/.X0-lock, or something like that, you can remove it like this -
sudo rm /tmp/.X0-lock

you can reboot like this -
sudo reboot
OR incase that doesn't work for some reason
sudo shutdown -r now

i've never installed a graphics driver like that in ubuntu, that's just from old notes i made for installing the nvidia driver on linux. i don't think anyone installs the driver like that on ubuntu.

I did everything line by line & it says "that it appears I'm runing X-server".
I've exited the GUI by ctrl-alt-F1. Now I type everything in.....still a no/go.
What does happen is the driver starts to uncompress & then I get that message.....whats going on??????

[TattooCharlie]

that was easy. thanks alot for the how to man :)

[F. B. I. Guy]

when i tryed to run the gmd stop command i got this: ** (gdm-binary:2233): WARNING **: Failed to acquire org.gnome.DisplayManager: Connection ":1.70" is not allowed to own the service "org.gnome.DisplayManager" due to security policies in the configuration file

please help with this,
and thank you in advance