Cannot Install in Linux Mint

[AllanK]

Linux mint 19.1
Download and extract file - get FreeFileSync 11.14_install.run. Can't run file, how do I install in linux?

[villeneuve]

Hello,
I have the same issue, although on Kubuntu 21.10 to which I recently upgraded to. Prior to that update FreeFileSync was running perfectly well on this very system.
To see any error message I tried to start FreeFileSync via terminal with the command ./FreeFileSync_x86_64 .
The error message that shows up is the following:
./FreeFileSync_x86_64: error while loading shared libraries: libgtk-x11-2.0.so.0: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory

@AllanK: do you get the same error when trying to launch FreeFileSync via a terminal window?

[AllanK]

I cannot even install FreeFileSync, the file I downloaded from Free Sync site - FreeFileSync 11.14_install.run will not run. What is the proper install file?

[AllanK]

Seems like the download for Linux does not have the complete install files. Has anyone been able to install for linux?

[therube]

@Allen, do other .run files run for you?
Appears that depending on how you're doing it, you may need to chmod +x on the .run, first.

Installing .run Packages

@villeneuve, I believe your issue will be different (not that I know Linux), that your are missing some system libraries on your end?

Maybe something along the lines of, error while loading shared libraries: libgtk-x11-2.0.so.0: No such file or directory.

(Heh. To me, a .run seems like a bit "convoluted", but in the end, I guess it works.
So you have a .gz which unpacks a .tar which unpacks a .run, which finally gives access to the binaries & other necessities.)

[AllanK]

the .run file is flagged as executable, but linux does not recognize it. Seems odd that the .gz file is the same size as the supposedly compressed .run file it contains. Was the .run file supposed to bring down the binaries and other program files from freefile.org or somewhere else over the internet? In any case this does not seem to be acting like any install file I have used in the past.

[therube]

So you have a .gz which unpacks a .tar which unpacks a .run, which finally gives access to the binaries & other necessities.

Actually that is not quite right.

.gz, unpacks a .tar, .tar unpacks a .run, .run unpacks some data files, including install.sh, & also another .gz, & it is the final .gz that then contains the actually FFS binaries...

(And yes, all the packed files [.gz .tar .run] are of similar size.)

Was the .run file supposed to bring down the binaries and other program files from freefile.org or somewhere else over the internet?

No.

Seems like the download for Linux does not have the complete install files.

All the same sets of file (names) exist between 11.14 & 11.13.
(File contents [obviously] differ [for some of the files].)

So, if one were able to install 11.13 I see no reason that 11.14 should not install (disregarding permissions or something like that).

@Allen, I take it you've never had FFS installed on your system before?

...install.run. Can't run file

How are you attempting to run the file?
What does happen when you do attempt to run it?

[AllanK]

Well, I'm embarrassed, needed to run as administrator - installed just fine. The last version I installed some time ago was 10.5 and that did not have a .run file, had to do a manual install. Everything good now.

[Zenju]

The error message that shows up is the following:
./FreeFileSync_x86_64: error while loading shared libraries: libgtk-x11-2.0.so.0: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory

This error message is recognized by the FFS launcher. Had you tried to run "FreeFileSync" instead of "./FreeFileSync_x86_64", the output would have been:

GTK 2.0 was not found! Please install GTK 2, e.g. via:
    sudo apt install libgtk2.0        or
    sudo yum install gtk2


[Zenju]

Seems odd that the .gz file is the same size as the supposedly compressed .run file it contains. Was the .run file supposed to bring down the binaries and other program files from freefile.org or somewhere else over the internet?

Correct, the .run file is already compressed. The whole point of the tar.gz is to preserve the executable bit of the .run file.

[Zenju]

Well, I'm embarrassed, needed to run as administrator - installed just fine. The last version I installed some time ago was 10.5 and that did not have a .run file, had to do a manual install. Everything good now.

This doesn't explain why there was no error indication of any kind. If you would go to the terminal and just try to execute the .run file as is, ./FreeFileSync_11.14_Install.run, you should at least get additional information why the installer wasn't able to open a terminal by itself, if only to show an error message.